The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for assembling absorbent articles, and more particularly, methods and apparatuses for imparting a line of perforation into one or more layers of an advancing substrate and separating the substrate along the line of perforation to form a separation edge. The advancing substrate may be a belt assembly including an outer layer, an inner layer, and one or more elastic strands disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer. The belt assembly may be rotated on a process member about a longitudinal axis of rotation. The process member may advance the belt assembly to one or more ultra short pulse laser sources. The ultra short pulse laser source imparts a line of perforation into the belt assembly. A trim removal member may be used to separate the line of perforation forming a trim portion and a separation edge.

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for assembling absorbent articles, and more particularly, methods and apparatuses for imparting a line of weakness into one or more layers of an advancing substrate and separating the substrate along the line of weakness to form a separation edge. The advancing substrate may be a belt assembly including an outer layer, an inner layer, and one or more elastic strands disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer. The belt assembly may be rotated on a process member about a longitudinal axis of rotation. The process member may advance the belt assembly to one or more ultra short pulse laser sources. The ultra short pulse laser source imparts a line of weakness into the belt assembly. A trim removal member may be used to separate the line of weakness forming a trim portion and a separation edge.

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.

A device for forming and applying accessory elements to a continuous band of absorbent material, includes a unit for feeding a continuous strip to a conveyor roller, a unit for cutting the strip in a continuous and alternating succession of first and second pieces, a first and a second roller rotating about respective axes parallel to the first direction, each including a movement device acting along a circumferential direction around the respective axis and configured for imparting to each unit a respective motion between positions for picking up and releasing the pieces. A unit for applying a pair of pieces to the band is equipped with a separating unit equipped with a spacer device for moving first and/or second carriages along a separating direction between closed and far axial positions, wherein the spacer device includes a plurality of linear actuators each associated with a respective first carriage.

A method of manufacturing an absorbent article includes feeding a first web of material in a machine direction, feeding a second web of material in the machine direction, the second web being spaced from the first web by a gap, attaching an absorbent assembly to the first web and the second web such that the absorbent assembly spans the gap between the first and second webs, forming a partial cut line through the second web, folding the first web into face-to-face relationship with the second web after forming the partial cut line, and cutting the first and second webs after folding the first web into face-to-face relationship with the second web to separate the absorbent article from the first and second webs. The partial cut line defines at least one finger tab on the absorbent article.

Absorbent articles comprising connecting portions and methods of manufacture are disclosed. In an embodiment an absorbent article may comprise a chassis having a front half section, a rear half section, a body facing surface, and a garment facing surface. The article further comprises an absorbent body and a of containment flaps attached to the body facing surface of the chassis, each of the pair of containment flaps having a flap distal edge. The article may further comprise a connecting portion in the rear half section where the containment flaps and connecting portion define an opening to the body facing surface. The opening may be defined by a pair of laterally opposed edges having a minimum separation distance within the rear end section of between about one-quarter and about three-quarters of a distance between the flap distal edges of the containment flaps.

A method for manufacturing absorbent articles comprises delivering a continuous web assembly including a backsheet material, a liquid permeable bodyside liner material, and an absorbent structure interposed between the backsheet material and the bodyside liner material, the web assembly having a body-facing side and a garment-facing side; attaching a discrete segment of first waist elastic material to the body-facing side of the web assembly; attaching a discrete segment of second waist elastic material to the garment-facing side of the web assembly such that the web assembly is interposed between the discrete segments of first and second waist elastic materials; and cutting the web assembly to form a plurality of absorbent articles.

A device for applying segments of absorbent articles includes a cutting station for cutting a continuous web into segments and an applicator station for applying each segment on a respective absorbent article. A plurality of carrier units, each includes a pad for retaining and transferring a segment from the cutting station to the applicator station. The pad fully rotates about a main axis to transfer the segment from the cutting station to the applicator station and return to the cutting station and, from the cutting station to the applicator station, rotates at least 90° about its axis of rotation to orient the segment transverse to the feed direction of the absorbent article. A first movement member moves one or more first carrier units about the main axis and a second movement member moves one or more second carrier units separately from the first carrier units about the main axis.

An absorbent member manufacturing method of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an absorbent member (100) for an absorbent article and including synthetic fibers (10b) and hydrophilic fibers (10a). The method involves: a transporting step of transporting the hydrophilic fibers (10a) and a plurality of sheet fragments (10bh) to an accumulating depression (41) by using a duct (3); an accumulating step of accumulating, in the accumulating depression (41), the plurality of sheet fragments (10bh) and the hydrophilic fibers (10a), and obtaining an accumulation (100a) which is a constituent member of the absorbent member (100); and a depression forming step of forming a depression (100e) in the accumulation (100a) by applying pressure to a portion thereof. In the transporting step, the sheet fragments (10bh) and the hydrophilic fibers (10a) are brought into contact with one another in an airflow created inside the duct (3), and the sheet fragments (10bh) and the hydrophilic fibers (10a) are transported by the airflow in a dispersed and airborne state in which the sheet fragments and the hydrophilic fibers are mixed.

An absorbent member manufacturing method of the invention is a method for manufacturing an absorbent member (100) for an absorbent article and including synthetic fibers (10b). The method involves: a cutting step of cutting a continuous synthetic fiber sheet (10bs) at predetermined lengths in a first direction and a second direction intersecting with the first direction, and forming sheet fragments (10bh) including the synthetic fibers (10b); a transporting step of transporting the formed sheet fragments (10bh) to an accumulating portion (41); and an accumulating step of accumulating, in the accumulating portion (41), the sheet fragments (10bh) transported in the transporting step, and obtaining an accumulation (100a) which is a constituent member of the absorbent member (100).