Method and apparatus for bonding elastic parts under tension to an advancing carrier

Inventors

Schneider, Uwe • Quade, Michael Brian • Naylor, Jason Edward • Raycheck, Jeromy Thomas

Assignees

Procter and Gamble Co

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for stretching, transferring, and bonding elastic parts under tension to an advancing carrier substrate during the assembly of absorbent articles. A continuous carrier substrate may be advanced in a machine direction at a first speed, and a discrete elastic part may be cut from a continuous elastic substrate having a direction of stretch in a cross direction. The speed of the discrete elastic part is changed from a second speed to the first speed, and the central region of the discrete elastic part is stretched in the cross direction. The discrete elastic part is bonded with the continuous carrier substrate such that the stretched central region extends in the cross direction between the first and second longitudinal edges of the continuous carrier substrate. The discrete elastic part may also be bonded with the carrier substrate with adhesive and/or mechanical bonds.

Core Innovation

A method of assembling absorbent articles includes advancing a carrier substrate in a machine direction at a first speed and advancing a continuous elastic substrate in the machine direction at a second speed. The carrier substrate and the continuous elastic substrate each include first and second longitudinal edges separated in a cross direction, and the continuous elastic substrate is stretchable in the cross direction. An elastic part is cut from the continuous elastic substrate, the elastic part including a first end region and a second end region separated in the cross direction by a central region.

The method changes the speed of the elastic part from the second speed to the first speed, and then stretches the central region of the elastic part in the cross direction. The stretched central region is positioned on the carrier substrate so that it extends in the cross direction between the first and second longitudinal edges of the carrier. The method bonds the stretched central region of the elastic part with the carrier substrate, maintaining the stretched central region state during bonding.

Speed change is described by rotating a first canted disk and a second canted disk at a variable angular velocity. Stretching is described in terms of advancing the first end region and advancing the second end region onto the first canted disk and the second canted disk, respectively. In implementations, bonding is performed with bonding elements and a pressing surface, including a pattern roll and optional ultrasonic bonding, to form bonding zones at the stretched central region while end regions are mechanically bonded.

In another aspect, the continuous elastic substrate includes corrugations oriented to define corrugation lines extending in the machine direction. Adhesive is applied to corrugations on a first surface such that adhesive extends in the cross direction for a second width that is less than a first width of the continuous elastic substrate. The elastic part is cut so that a zone of adhesive is positioned on the central region and not on the first and second end regions, and separating the adhesive zone into individual stripes is achieved by stretching the central region in the cross direction prior to bonding the stretched central region to the carrier substrate with the adhesive stripes.

Claims Coverage

The document includes two independent claims. Both share the core sequence of advancing carrier and continuous elastic substrate at different speeds, cutting an elastic part, changing the elastic-part speed using canted disks, stretching a central region in the cross direction, positioning the stretched central region between carrier longitudinal edges, and bonding the stretched central region to the carrier. The second independent claim adds corrugation-based adhesive zoning and the separation of adhesive into stripes by stretching.

Overall claim coverage centers on forming absorbent article assemblies where a cut elastic part has its central region stretched in the cross direction and then bonded to a carrier, with speed synchronization achieved via variable angular velocity rotation of canted disks. A further inventive layer applies corrugation-defined adhesive zoning so that adhesive is confined to the central region, then separated into stripes by stretching and used for bonding.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found