Aspects of the methods and apparatuses herein involve applying fluids onto an advancing substrate. The apparatuses and methods herein may provide for the application of viscous fluids, such as adhesives, in pre-determined patterns to an advancing substrate. The fluid application apparatus may include a slot die applicator and a substrate carrier. The slot die applicator may include a slot opening, a first lip, and a second lip, the slot opening located between the first lip and the second lip. And the substrate carrier may be adapted to advance the substrate past the slot die applicator as the slot die applicator discharges adhesive onto the substrate. In operation, when a first surface of the substrate is disposed on the substrate carrier, the substrate carrier advances a second surface of the substrate past the slot opening of the slot die applicator.

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for controlling the relative placement of advancing substrates and discrete components in diaper converting lines. The diapers may each include a chassis connected with front and back elastic belts. In controlling the relative placement of these elements during the assembly process, a controller may change the machine direction speed and/or position of certain elements and cross direction speed and/or position of other elements such as the advancing substrates and components in order to help achieve proper placement and orientation. During the assembly process, the registration features are detected, and a controller may change the machine direction speeds of the advancing elastic laminates and/or chassis and/or may change the cross directional and/or machine direction position of the advancing elastic laminates and/or chassis.

The present disclosure relates to manufacturing elastomeric laminates that may include a first substrate, a second substrate, and an elastic material located between the first substrate and second substrate. Methods and apparatuses may be configured to automatically isolate elastic strands that may break during the assembly process. As discussed in more detail below, the apparatuses may include a snare member extending adjacent to and across a travel path of elastic materials in a converting process. Thus, during the manufacture process, stretched elastics strands may advance past the snare member without contacting the outer circumferential surface of the snare member before being joined with a substrate. In the event that an elastic strand breaks, an upstream end portion of the elastic strand may retract back toward the snare member, wherein the upstream end portion wraps partially or completely around the outer circumferential surface of the snare member.

The present disclosure relates to methods for making elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. The elastomeric laminates may include a first substrate, a second substrate, and an elastic material located between the first and second substrates. During assembly of an elastomeric laminate, a beam is rotated to unwind the elastic strands from the beam, wherein the strands may include a spin finish. First bonds are applied to bond discrete lengths of the stretched elastic strands with and between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the discrete first bonds are arranged intermittently along the machine direction. In addition, second bonds are applied between consecutive first bonds to bond the first and second substrates directly to each other, wherein the second bonds extend in the machine direction and may be separated from each other in a cross direction by at least one elastic strand.

A method for assembling elastic laminates includes the steps of stretching an elastic film at a spreader mechanism in the cross direction to a first elongation; advancing the elastic film from the spreader mechanism to an anvil, wherein the anvil comprises an active vacuum zone having a maximum width in the cross direction of Wv. The maximum width is divided into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is disposed in overlapping relationship with the engagement portion and inboard of the engagement portion in the cross direction and the first portion has a width in the cross direction of VZi and wherein the second portion has a width in the cross direction of VZo, and wherein a ratio of VZi is greater than to VZo is greater than 1.

An elastic nappy element that includes an elastic layer (1) and outer layers (2, 3) made of a non-woven fabric. The nappy element has connecting regions (4, 8) for connecting the outer layers (2, 3) to the elastic layer (1). These connecting regions (4, 8) include zones (7, 9) in which a form-fitting bond of non-woven material and solidified material of the elastic layer (1) is formed.

The present disclosure relates to methods for making elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. Aspects of the methods for assembling elastomeric laminates may utilize elastic strands supplied from beams that may be joined with first and second substrates, and may be configured to carry out various types of operations, such as bonding and splicing operations.

There are disposed, in a width direction of an anvil roll, a plurality of first projections for producing joint portions where a pair of sheets are jointed to each other; each of the first projections extends in a circumferential direction of the anvil roll and includes a carrying groove carrying an elastic member while the elastic member has entered in the groove; and between one first projection and another first projection adjacent to each other in the width direction, at least one receiving part for receiving the pair of sheets is arranged.

A method including: a step of carrying first and second continuous webs in a predetermined carrying direction; a first slitting step of slitting the first continuous web along a virtual first cut-off line extending the carrying direction, thereby dividing the first continuous web into a wider first divided web and a narrower second divided web; a step of sandwiching an around-torso elastic member extending in a girth direction between the wider first divided web and the second continuous web; a welding step of welding together the first divided web, the second continuous web and the around-torso elastic member intermittently in the carrying direction, thereby producing a layered sheet; and a bonding step of sandwiching an around-leg elastic member meandering relative to the carrying direction between the layered sheet and the narrower second divided web, and attaching the around-leg elastic member thereto by an adhesive, thereby producing a stretchable continuous sheet.

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles with waist panels configured with physical properties for mitigating assembly complications. In some configurations, a waist panel comprises a longitudinal bending stiffness with peak load of at least about 0.19 N; a machine direction web modulus at 2% of at least about 72 N/%; a tensile load at peak of at least about 7 N/cm, as measured according to a MD tensile test; and/or a thickness of least about 0.4 mm, as measured according to Thickness Test. Such physical properties may help prevent and/or reduce instances of manufacturing problems and/or defective products during assembly by: enhancing the ability to consistently cut desired machine direction lengths of waist panels; reducing the possibility of a waist panel to undesirably fold back onto itself during assembly; enhancing the ability to absorb heat without damage and more consistently transfer discrete elastic parts between transformation apparatuses.