Methods for stretch-forming a thermoplastic film comprises: stretching the thermoplastic film between a first roller and a second roller, wherein the first the roller rotates at a first peripheral velocity and the second roller rotates at a second peripheral velocity that is higher than the first peripheral velocity; and advancing the thermoplastic film from the second roller to a third roller, wherein the third roller rotates at a third peripheral velocity that is lower than the second peripheral velocity, wherein a ratio of the third peripheral velocity to the second peripheral velocity is no larger than 0.95. The resulting breathable thermoplastic films may have a basis weight of no larger than 15 g/m.sup.2 and a shrinkage of no larger than 5%.

A multi-layered product having an embossed interior layer is disclosed along with a method of making the product. The multi-layered product has a first layer with an interior surface, a second layer with an interior surface, and a third layer sandwiched between the first and second layers. The third layer has a first surface and a second surface, and has a thickness there between. The third layer is embossed into a waffle pattern having a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of recesses. Each of the plurality of protrusions and recesses is adjacently aligned and horizontally offset from one another. The plurality of protrusions form a horizontal plane, at the first surface, which is positioned above a horizontal plane formed by the plurality of recesses, at the first surface. The product also has an adhesive which secures the three layers together.

A method of assembling an absorbent article having the steps of: a) providing a hot melt adhesive composition, wherein the adhesive has an amorphous polyolefin composition with more than 40% 1-butene and from about 10 wt. % to about 50 wt. % of a second amorphous polymer, and wherein the hot melt adhesive composition comprises less than 5% of a tackifier; b) providing a plurality of absorbent article components; and c) joining at least one of the absorbent article components to another of the absorbent article components using the adhesive so as to assemble the absorbent article.

An installation and a method for selectively producing a single-ply or alternatively a multi-ply nonwoven includes an inclined wire former configured to deposit a sheet of wet-laid fibre material on a first circulating belt, a further belt configured to receive the sheet of wet-laid fibre material from the first circulating belt, a roller card arranged downstream in the material transport direction and configured to introduce a roller card web into the installation, a hydroentanglement arranged downstream in the material transport direction and including at least one water beam configured to entangle, bond and/or structure a single sheet of fibres or a plurality of sheets of fibres, and a dryer arranged downstream in the material transport direction

Disclosed is a wearable article comprising a front elastic belt region, a back elastic belt region, each of the front and back elastic belt region comprises a laminate comprising an inner sheet, an outer sheet, and a plurality of elastic members running in the transverse direction, the longitudinal dimension between adjacent elastic members forming an elastic spacing; wherein the laminate is bonded by heat at the side edges to form side seams, the side seams existing no distant than about 20 mm from the side edges, and the remainder of the laminate is substantially free of heat bonds, wherein the article has a Belt Elastic Bonding Percentage of less than about 25%, and an Individual Elastic Bonding Percentage of from about 10% to about 75%, according to the measurements herein.

This invention relates to a nonwoven material consisting of one or more layers of nonwoven webs of essentially continuous cellulosic filaments, characterized in that within each layer each of the three bonding mechanisms: a) hydrogen bonding, b) filament intermingling and c) merged filament bonding occur for bonding the essentially continuous cellulosic filaments. Further it relates to a process for the manufacture and to various uses of this material.

The invention relates to a nonwoven laminated web (20) for making an elastic closure element (57) of a diaper (56) or an elastic shaping element (59) at the edge (58) of a diaper (56), having at least one laminate layer (21 and 22) of nonwoven textile (21 and 22) and a laminate layer (23) of an elastic film (23) adjacent thereto, the laminate layers (21 and 22, 23) being welded to one another at numerous spots (33) in a stretched state of the film (23). During welding, the film (23) is stretched in a central region (43) transverse to the longitudinal direction (L) of the nonwoven laminate (20) and is not stretched at the two longitudinal edge strips (50) in a width of 5-25% of the total width (G) of the film (23) in each case, so that, in the relaxed state of the film (23), the nonwoven laminate (20) forms folds (44) in the nonwoven layer (21 and 22) in the central region (43), which extend in the longitudinal direction (L) of the nonwoven laminate (20), and at the longitudinal edges (50, 51) has no folds in the nonwoven layer (21 and 22) but forms there two parallel, inelastic stiffening zones, the film (23) having a smooth, closed surface structure (49) at the longitudinal edge strips (50) and a wrinkled, furrowed surface structure (47) in the central region (43).

A breathable thermoplastic polymer film may be produced and adapted for use as a breathable diaper backsheet. The film may include a blend of LLDPE, mLLDPE and calcium carbonate, and may have improved tear strength and melt strength such that instances of tears or break offs during the machine direction orientation portion of the production process are significantly reduced or eliminated. In addition, the film may have sufficient tear strength to permit omission of CDI processing needed to strengthen weaker prior art films. In this regard, undesired streaking of colors or printed aspects of the film may be reduced or avoided completely.

A method for the production of an elastic laminate, with the following steps in a production line: coextrudeing a first web of elastic film with at least three layers, with at least two different polymer materials, to feed contemporaneously said coextruded first elastic film web and two second nonwoven webs to a thermal, binding calender, wherein the first elastic film web is arranged between said two second nonwoven webs when entering the calender; wherein said first elastic film web, during the movement from the coextrusion step to the thermal binding step, passes from a melted state, to a solidified and cold state when entering the calender, to join, through spot welding in said calender, said second nonwoven webs with respective opposite outer layers of said first elastic film web, thus producing an intermediate web, to stretch mechanically said intermediate web according to a direction transverse to the same web.

A thermoplastic film which exhibits elastic-like behavior along at least one axis when stretched or elongated and then released. The thermoplastic film comprises a plurality of raised rib-like elements extending in a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the thermoplastic film. The thermoplastic film further includes a plurality of web areas positioned about the plurality of raised rib-like elements. The plurality of raised rib-like elements and plurality of web areas are arranged in a complex pattern. The complex pattern provides visual and tactile cues as the films are stretched or elongated. The complex pattern can cause the thermoplastic film to have a complex stretch profile.