An apparatus for manufacturing a composite article from a composite material. The apparatus comprising: a pulsed broadband radiation source comprising a flashlamp and a light guide adapted to guide light emitted by the pulsed broadband radiation source to a target area. The light guide comprises at least a portion ahead of the pulsed broadband radiation source, relative to the target area, comprising a light transmitting material.

A lamination system includes a film supply, a non-woven material supply, and a laminator. The laminator causes a film from the film supply to be laminated to a sheet from the non-woven material supply to establish a laminated sheet.

A composite tape comprising a first web and a second web welded together according to a welding pattern comprising a plurality of welding points arranged in arrays extending along a first direction and spaced apart in a second direction, perpendicular to said first direction, with adjacent arrays offset from each other in said first direction, and with said welding points in each array arranged in groups spaced apart in said first direction, wherein the first web has a plurality of hollow protrusions alternating with welding points, both in said first direction and in said second direction, and wherein the second web has a plurality of ribs extending along said first direction and separated from each other by said arrays of welding points.

Herein are disclosed apparatus and methods for impinging fluids, e.g. heated fluids, onto the surface of substrates and then locally removing the impinged fluid. The apparatus may comprise at least first and second fluid delivery outlets that are in diverging relation to each other. The apparatus may comprise at least first and second fluid capture inlets that are locally positioned relative to the first and second fluid delivery outlets, respectively. The apparatus and method may be used e.g. to impinge fluids onto two converging substrates and may be used to heat the surfaces of the substrates so as to facilitate melt-bonding the substrates to each other.

An elastic film stretchable structure in which an elastic film is stacked between a first sheet layer having air permeability and a second sheet layer having air permeability, the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are bonded through bonding holes penetrating the elastic film at a number of sheet bonded portions arranged at intervals. A region having the elastic film stretchable structure has a stretchable region that is stretchable in a stretchable direction, and the stretchable region is contracted in the stretchable direction by a contraction force of the elastic film and is extensible in the stretchable direction, and vent holes are formed on the elastic film at sites where the elastic film does not overlap with the sheet bonded portions.

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.

To acquire a stretchable sheet having air permeability due to the presence of through-holes, with no hole formed through outer layers. There are provided: interposing a resilient film (30) that stretches and contracts, in a stretched state between a first sheet layer (21) having no elasticity and a second sheet layer (22) having no elasticity; and joining the first sheet layer (21) and the second sheet layer (22) together with a number of joints directly or through the resilient film by melting the resilient film (30) with ultrasonic fusion energy applied by a thermal fusion device from the outside of the first sheet layer (21) and the outside of the second sheet layer (22) to a number of joint regions with intervals, during the interposing. The resilient film (30) is supplied around a counter roll (63) so as to be supplied around the anvil roll (60), and the anvil roll (60) is accelerated to be faster than the counter roll (63) in peripheral speed to stretch the resilient film (30).

An apparatus for manufacturing an elastic composite structure for an absorbent sanitary product includes an anvil with weld pattern comprising at least one anchoring region and at least one deactivating region. The anchoring region includes anchoring welds that form anchoring bonds that fuse facing web layers and anchor elastic thread(s) in position relative to the facing web layers. The deactivating region includes a break bar constructed to sever the thread(s). A method of manufacturing the elastic composite structure includes positioning a tensioned elastic thread between web layers, fusing the web layers to form an anchored zone that includes anchoring bonds that fuse the web layers and anchor the tensioned elastic thread therebetween, and cutting the thread to form a deactivated zone between adjacent portions of the anchored zone that is free of tensioned threads. The method further includes fusing the web layers within the deactivated zone.

A lamination system includes a film supply, a non-woven material supply, and a laminator. The laminator causes a film from the film supply to be laminated to a sheet from the non-woven material supply to establish a laminated sheet.

In an underpants-type disposable diaper, three-dimensional gathers are provided on both sides in the width direction of an inner member. A fallen portion of each of the three-dimensional gather has a fallen non-stretchable portion to which a contraction force of gather elastic members does not act. A character representation is printed at a position in the fallen non-stretchable portion of the inner member, and this character representation is made visible from the inside of the diaper.