METHOD OF MAKING A PRINTED ELASTIC LAMINATE

Abstract

A method of making a printed, elastic laminate has the steps of transversely stretching and then relaxing a longitudinally elongated elastic film then printing a motif on the film. The printed elastic film is cut into longitudinally extending strips that are then bonded transversely next to each other between two surface webs through at least one of which the motif is visible to form a laminate. The laminate is then transversely stretched at least at the strips.

Claims

1. A method of making a printed, elastic laminate, the method comprising the steps of: transversely stretching a longitudinally elongated elastic film; transversely elastically relaxing the transversely stretched film; printing a motif on the relaxed film; cutting the printed elastic film into longitudinally extending strips; bonding the strips transversely next to each other between two surface webs through at least one of which the motif is visible to form a laminate; and transversely stretching the laminate at least at the strips.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the motif is formed as a pair of parallel longitudinally extending colored stripes.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the printing is done printed by flexography.

4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the printing is dome by gravure or digital printing.

5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein stretching transversely stretches the elastic film by more than 50% to have a width after elastic relaxation that is larger by 10% to 30% than a width of the elastic film prior to stretching.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the stretching is effected by profile rollers that mesh with each other.

8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the elastic film is a polyolefin elastomer.

9. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the elastic film has an elastomer core layer made from styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene-block copolymers, polyurethanes, ethylene-copolymers or polyether block amides.

10. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step before laminating of: guiding the strips over a deflector and thereafter sandwiching the strips between the surface webs before laminating the surface webs and strips to form the laminate.

11. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the strips are spaced transversely from each other by a longitudinally extending gap when they are laminated between the surface webs, to form longitudinally extending and spaced elastic and inelastic regions in the laminate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0019] The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing whose sole figure is a schematic top view of an apparatus for carrying out the method of this invention.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] As seen in the drawing, an elastic film 1 moving in a first travel direction D.sub.1 is cut at 14 into strips 2 that are guided across a deflector 3 and supplied in a second direction D.sub.2 perpendicular to the direction D.sub.1 to a laminator 4 as parallel strips 2. The strips 2 are laminated between textile surface webs 5 and 6 that are pulled off a supply 15 then fed from above and below to the strips 2. The strips 2 and the textile surface webs 5 and 6 are glued together or connected to each other thermally in the laminator 4. The view shows that the elastic strips 2 are laminated in longitudinally extending regions 8 at a spacing from each other between the surface webs 5 and 6 and that the textile surface webs 5 and 6 are directly connected to each other in gaps 9 between the elastic strips 2 and in edge regions 9 flanking the regions 8. This way, elastic regions 8 as well as inelastic regions 9 are created in the laminate 7.

[0021] The laminate is then supplied to an activator 10 in which the laminate 7 is stretched transversely at the regions 8 rendered elastic by the laminated strips 2 relative to the travel direction D.sub.2 of the web. As disclosed in copending application attorney's docket 30677 (incorporated herein by reference), a stretch-roller apparatus having profile rollers that mesh with each other is used for stretching the laminate 7. Stretching modifies the textile structures of the surface webs, and the expansion property of the laminate 7 is improved transversely of the longitudinal web direction that here is also the travel direction D.sub.2. Following activation, the laminate is easily expandable in the CD direction by minimal force to an expansion limit that is determined by the activation.

[0022] The textile surface webs 5 and 6 are made of, in particular, nonwoven fabric; woven or knitted fabrics are also possible. A single-layer or multilayer elastomer film can be used as elastic film 1 having an elastomer core layer made of styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymers, polyurethanes, ethylene copolymers, or polyether block amides. An elastic blown film made of a polyolefin elastomer is preferred.

[0023] Before cutting the film into strips 2, the elastic film 1 is printed in a printing station 11 with a motif shown only at 13 downstream of the deflector 3. This motif 13 is visible through the textile surface webs 5 and 6 of the laminate 7. Printing is preferably done by a rotary printing method, particularly flexography. The printed motif can be, for example, a striped motif made of parallel colored stripes that extend in the longitudinal direction of the elastic film of the web.

[0024] Before printing, the elastic film 1 is stretched at a station 12 transversely of the web by more than 50%. Preferably, an expansion by 100% to 500% is effected relative to a starting width of the elastic film. After the elastic relaxation, the elastic film 1 has a width B.sub.2 that is larger by 10% to 30% than a starting width B.sub.1 of the elastic film. Following the relaxation, the elastic film 1 is printed and subsequently cut into strips 2.

[0025] Expanding and/or stretching the elastic film 1 in the transverse-stretching station 12 constitutes preactivation, which has considerable advantages with regard to the expansion values of the laminate 7. Due to preactivation of the elastic film 1 prior to the printing process, it is also possible to improve the printed image of the elastic laminate 7, the reason for this being that during stretching of the laminate 7, the printed image is evenly and reversibly expanded along with the laminate, and preactivation of the elastic film 1 results in the laminate 7 completely resetting itself following stretching in the activation apparatus 10.