Surface protrusion formations and methods of manufacturing

A method for assembling elastic laminates and mechanically forming one or more surface protrusions integrally from a garment material, the one or more surface protrusions extending outwardly from a first surface of the garment material, the method comprising:

• (i) wrapping the first surface of a first substrate of the garment material onto an outer circumferential surface of a forming die, the forming die having a first surface, the first surface having a plurality of openings which have a configuration and orientation corresponding with the configuration and orientation of the one or more surface protrusions of the garment material;
• (ii) advancing an elastic film to a spreader mechanism, the elastic film comprising a first edge and a second edge separated from the first edge in a cross direction by a central region;
• stretching the elastic film at the spreader mechanism in the cross direction to a first elongation;
• advancing the elastic film from the spreader mechanism to the forming die and positioning the elastic film in contact with a second surface of the first substrate on the forming die;
• and consolidating the elastic film to a second elongation in the cross direction, wherein the second elongation is less than the first elongation, and wherein the elastic film remains stretched in the cross direction at the second elongation;
• (iii) advancing a second substrate to position a first surface of the second substrate in contact with the elastic film and the second surface of the first substrate on the forming die;
• (iv) ultrasonically bonding by a source of energy the first substrate together with the second substrate with the elastic film positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate;
• (v) softening the first surface of the first substrate by the source of energy;
• (vi) positioning at least some of the softened first surface into at least one opening of the plurality of openings from the first surface of the forming die;
• and
• separating the forming die from the garment material to form the one or more surface protrusions integrally from the first surface of the first substrate of the garment material.