Absorbent articles and methods of making

A process for making an absorbent article comprising one or more channels, the method comprising the steps of:

• i. providing a mold comprising a non-porous insert therein, said insert having the inverse shape of said channel(s), wherein the mold is in fluid communication with an under-pressure source except for said insert;
• ii. applying a first nonwoven web to said mold;
• iii. applying an absorbent material, comprising cellulose fibers and/or superabsorbent polymer particles, over at least a portion of said nonwoven web;
• iv. removing said absorbent material from areas of the nonwoven web corresponding to said insert;
• v. applying a second nonwoven web directly or indirectly over the absorbent material, or folding said first nonwoven web, such to sandwich said absorbent material between an upper and lower layers of said nonwoven web(s);
• vi. joining said upper and lower layers together at least in the areas of the nonwoven web corresponding to the insert to form an absorbent core having one or more channels substantially free of absorbent material and having the inverse shape of said insert, wherein said channel(s) (106) have a length extending along a longitudinal axis (48) and the absorbent core (101, 501, 601) has a length extending along said longitudinal axis (48) and wherein the length of said channels (106) is from 10% to 95% of the length of said absorbent core (101, 501, 601);
• vii. joining an acquisition distribution layer to said absorbent core at a skin facing surface of said upper layer;
• viii. laminating said absorbent core and acquisition distribution layer between a liquid pervious topsheet and a liquid impervious backsheet;
• characterized in that step vii. comprises the step of applying an adhesive pattern onto the acquisition distribution layer or a skin facing surface of said upper layer of the core and laminating said acquisition distribution layer to said absorbent core wherein said adhesive pattern is positioned inboard and/or outboard of the channel(s) such that substantially no adhesive pattern overlaps with said channel(s), and in that the acquisition distribution layer is a spunbond nonwoven layer, and wherein said acquisition distribution layer is positioned between said absorbent core and said topsheet such that at least a substantial portion of said acquisition layer is in direct contact with said skin facing surface of said upper layer and said topsheet, and wherein the acquisition distribution layer comprises synthetic fibers, wherein said synthetic fibers are comprised at a level of greater than 80% wt by weight of said acquisition distribution layer (522, 622), and wherein said acquisition distribution layer (522, 622) has a basis weight of from 15 to 40 g/m2.