The present disclosure is directed to methods of manufacturing elastic belts for absorbent articles. The elastic belts may be used as waist bands, or portions thereof, in absorbent articles. The elastic belts may define a first nonwoven substrate, a second nonwoven substrate, and a plurality of elastic strands positioned intermediate the first and second nonwoven substrates. The elastic belts may define a plurality of apertures therethrough to create breathability in the elastic belts.

An elastic composite structure includes a first web layer comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion; a second web layer comprising a first portion and a second portion; and a plurality of elastic threads. The first portion of the first web layer is folded over and overlaps the second portion of the first web layer. The folded first portion of the first web layer is directly bonded to one of the second portion of the first web layer and the first portion of the second web layer. A first portion of the plurality of elastic threads is constrained between the folded first portion of the first web layer and the second portion of the first web layer absent adhesive. The third portion is directly bonded to the second portion of the second web layer and traps a second portion of the plurality of elastic threads therebetween.

An apparatus for manufacturing an elastic composite structure includes a first roller configured to transport a web layer in a machine direction and a laydown guide configured to guide a laydown pattern of a plurality of elastic threads. A rotary anvil comprises a first weld line having a first notch formed in a contact surface of the first weld line, the first notch having a first interior configured to receive a portion of a first elastic thread of the plurality of elastic threads and a portion of the web layer therein. The first notch comprises a facing surface defining at least a portion of the first interior. A smallest orientation angle of a first face axis normal to the facing surface with respect to a contact surface axis normal to the contact surface is a first angle that is less than 90 degrees.

An array of gender-specific disposable absorbent articles is provided. The array has a first disposable absorbent article adapted to be worn by males and a second disposable article adapted to be worn by females. Both articles have in their longitudinal direction, a front portion, a back portion and a crotch portion between the front portion and the back portion. The first article has a first elastic component configured for providing fit and comfort to a male user. The second article has a second elastic component configured for providing fit and comfort to a female user. The first and the second elastic components each have a plurality of elastic elements extending at least partly along each respective article. The first and second elastic components differ from each other in at least the positioning or the elastic strength of the respective elastic elements. A method for manufacturing the array is also provided.

The present disclosure relates to one or a combination of an absorbent article's chassis, inner leg cuffs, outer leg cuffs, ear panels, side panels, waistbands, and belts that may comprise one or more pluralities of tightly spaced (less than 4 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, and less than 1 mm) and/or low Average-Dtex (less than 300, less than 200, less than 100 dtex) and/or low Average-Pre-Strain (less than 300%, less than 200%, less than 100%) elastics to deliver low Pressure Under Strand (less than 1 psi according to the conditions defined by the Pressure-Under-Strand Test), while providing adequate Section-Modulus (between about 2 gf/mm and 15 gf/mm) to make the article easy to apply and to comfortably maintain the article in place on the wearer, even with a loaded core (holding at least 100 mls of liquid), to provide for the advantages described above. Further, the elastomeric laminates of the present disclosure outperform existing laminates currently used for disposable absorbent articles as it relates to one or more key parameters (including Percent Contact Area, 2-98% Height Value, Pressure-Under-Strand, Air Permeability, Water Vapor Transmission Rate, Caliper, Caliper Retention Value, Cantilever Bending, Open Area, Section-Modulus, Rugosity Wavelength, Rugosity Frequency, Graphic Distortion Ratio).

A series of elastic break brakes are provided throughout a travel path of elastics in a machine operation. Elastic strands thread through each individual brake mechanism, and if an elastic strand breaks downstream, a natural snap back of the elastic, which ordinarily travels through the system under tension, drives an immediately upstream cam mechanism back, and holds the elastic thread in place at the elastic break brake immediately upstream of the break as to minimize rethreading required downstream of the elastic break brake.

The present disclosure relates to methods for making apertured elastic laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. The methods and apparatuses may be close coupled such that materials may advance directly between aperturing and bonding operations. Such close coupling of devices may help to more precisely control the positions of the apertures in substrates relative to positions of apertures opposing substrates and/or bonds in the assembled laminate. The methods and apparatuses herein may also provide the ability to orient protrusions or protuberances in the substrates created by the aperturing process so as to extend inward and away from both outer surfaces of the assembled laminate. In turn, the assembly processes may be conducted so as to help mitigate reductions in softness that might otherwise result from the aperturing process in the assembled laminate.

An object of the present invention is to provide an elastic structure that has straightly extended ridges with excellent appearance, air permeability, and fluffy feel. The object can be attained by an elastic structure in which a first sheet material (12S) and a second sheet material (12H) are joined together to form sheet joined sections (70) by an adhesive (71) applied intermittently in an extending direction and continuously in a direction intersecting with the extending direction, resilient and elastic members (15 and 16) are fixed by the adhesive (71) to at least one of the first sheet material (12S) and the second sheet material (12H) at intersections with the sheet joined sections (70), and when the first sheet material (12S) and the second sheet material (12H) are contracted with contraction of the resilient and elastic members (15 and 16), portions of the first sheet material (12S) and the second sheet material (12H) positioned between the sheet joined sections (70) are swelled in mutually opposite directions to form ridges (80), and the sheet joined sections (70) have a width (70w) of 0.5 to 4 mm in the extending direction and spacing (70d) between the adjacent sheet joined sections (70) is 4 to 8 mm.

Apparatus and methods are provided to allow for creation of an elastic laminate. Non-stretched elastic can be laid at peaks over a nonwoven layer contained in valleys and atop peaks. Stretched elastic can be laid over tented nonwoven to create nonwoven tunnels when a second nonwoven is laid atop the first nonwoven and elastic, and the tunnels resist un-stretching of stretched elastic strands by frictional or obstruction forces. An elastic assembly or structure comprising a first and second layer of material bonded at spaced apart bond sites is disclosed, with a plurality of elastic strands disposed in a non-linear manner between said first and second layer of material, so that said strands meander in a cross-machine direction and traverse a machine direction line, restraining movement of the strands by frictional forces between the strands and the non-woven layers.

A stretchable structure of an absorbent article has a first sheet layer made of a nonwoven fabric; a second sheet layer made of a nonwoven fabric and opposed to one side surface of the first sheet layer; and a plurality of elongated elastically stretchable members provided along the stretchable direction at intervals from each other between the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer. The first sheet layer and the second sheet layer have sheet bonded portions bonded via a hot melt adhesive disposed in a striped pattern that is intermittent in the longitudinal direction of the elastically stretchable members and continuously elongated in the direction intersecting with the elastically stretchable members, and either one of the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer is made of a low-adhesion nonwoven fabric having lower peel strength with respect to the hot melt adhesive than the other sheet layer.