Method and apparatus for attaching elastic components to absorbent articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9168182-B2
Application number	US-201313929854-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2013
Priority date	Jun 29, 2012
Publication date	Oct 27, 2015
Grant date	Oct 27, 2015

Abstract

A first substrate advances in the first direction and a second substrate advances in the second direction. The first substrate advances onto an outer circumferential surface of a drum in a stretched state. The first substrate may be cut into discrete lengths of elastic substrate. The drum may be configured with vacuum to hold the discrete length of elastic substrate in a stretched state. The second substrate may advance in the second direction by a conveyor. The conveyor includes a roller having a curved outer surface that deforms the second substrate so as to define a curve in the first direction. A tamper apparatus intermittently displaces a deformed portion of the second substrate into contact with a discrete length of elastic substrate on the outer circumferential surface of the drum. The discrete length of elastic substrate bonds with the second substrate and is removed from the drum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for applying discrete lengths of a first substrate to a second substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
rotating a drum about an axis of rotation, the drum having an outer circumferential surface, wherein the outer circumferential surface has a contour;
advancing a first substrate in a first direction;
stretching the first substrate along the first direction;
advancing the stretched first substrate onto the outer circumferential surface of the drum;
cutting the stretched first substrate into discrete lengths of substrate while advancing on the outer circumferential surface of the drum, wherein each discrete length includes a first end region, a second end region, and a central region separating the first and second end regions;
advancing a second substrate in a second direction, wherein the second direction crosses the first direction;
advancing the second substrate over a roller, the roller having an outer surface, wherein the outer surface of the roller has a curved shape, and wherein the curved shape of the outer surface of the roller corresponds with at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the drum;
deforming a portion of the second substrate along the first direction to define a curve extending along the first direction, wherein the curve corresponds with at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the drum;
repeatedly displacing the deformed portion of the second substrate into contact with the discrete lengths of substrate on the outer circumferential surface of the drum; and
bonding the discrete lengths of substrate to the second substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of deforming further comprises advancing the second substrate by a conveyor.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of stopping the second substrate from advancing in the second direction prior to the step of displacing the deformed portion of the second substrate into contact with the discrete length of substrate on the outer circumferential surface of the drum.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of repeatedly displacing the deformed portion of the second substrate into contact with the discrete length of substrate further comprises the steps of:
continuously rotating a shaft of a motor at a variable angular velocity in a single direction, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the shaft in a first phase and a second phase, wherein the shaft of the motor is associated with a tamper member;
shifting the tamper member from a first position to a second position toward the second substrate and the outer circumferential surface of the drum as the shaft of the motor rotates in the first phase.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the variable angular velocity of the shaft of the motor increases in the first phase.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the variable angular velocity of the shaft of the motor decreases in the second phase.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
advancing a first substrate layer in a machine direction through a nip, the first substrate layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface;
advancing a second layer substrate layer in the machine direction through the nip, the second substrate layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface;
advancing an elastic material in a stretched state in the machine direction through the nip;
bonding the elastic material in the stretched state to the first surface of the first substrate layer and the first surface of the second substrate layer thereby forming the first substrate.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:
advancing the first substrate through a first metering device at speed, V 1 ;
advancing the first substrate through a second metering device at speed, V 2 , subsequent to advancing through the first metering device, wherein V 1 is greater than V 2 ;
stretching the elastic material to a first elongation at the first metering device; and
consolidating the first substrate to a second elongation at the second metering device.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first elongation is about 150% and the second elongation is about 80%.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first and second substrate layers are formed from a single continuous substrate.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of applying vacuum pressure to the outer circumferential surface of the drum to hold the discrete lengths of substrate in a stretched state.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:
applying vacuum pressure to the first end region, second end region, and central region of the discrete length of substrate, wherein the vacuum pressure is below atmospheric air pressure; and
changing the vacuum pressure on the first and second end regions such that the discrete length of substrate consolidates to a second length less than the first length.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
applying a first vacuum pressure to the first end region, applying a second vacuum pressure to the second end region, and applying a third vacuum pressure to the central region.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
increasing the first and second vacuum pressure above the third vacuum pressure.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the discrete lengths of substrate are spaced apart from each other along the second direction, and further comprising the step of cutting the second substrate to separate the substrate into discrete diapers.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of cutting the second substrate further comprises cutting the second substrate along the discrete length of substrate to create a first discrete diaper having a first elastic waistband and a second discrete diaper having a second elastic waistband.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the discrete length of substrate is an elastic waistband.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Hargett Mark Mason
• Kawka Paul Anthony
• Hamilton Raymond Scott
• Walsh Bradley Edward
• Thomas Terry Howard
• Mclaughlin Jon Kevin
• Ordway David Carlton

Classifications

• A61F13/15593 Primary

  having elastic ribbons fixed thereto; Devices for applying the ribbons · CPC title

• Y10T156/1002

  with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina · CPC title

• A61F13/15699 Primary

  Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs · CPC title

• A61F13/15756

  Applying tabs, strips, tapes, loops; Knotting the ends of pads · CPC title

• B32B38/1858

  using vacuum · CPC title