System and method for making elastic panels

A method of manufacturing elastic strand nonwoven panels comprising:

• A. feeding elastic strand material from an unwind module to a lamination module, the step of feeding elastic strand material comprising:
• i. feeding the elastic strand material from one or more cores of elastic strand material disposed on a first frame member to one or more rollers disposed on a second frame member;
• and
• ii. feeding the elastic strand material from the one or more rollers to one or more guide rollers on a third frame member that angle the elastic strand material away from the unwind module towards the lamination module;
• B. attaching the elastic strand material to at least one nonwoven web at the lamination module to form an elastic strand nonwoven web;
• and
• C. folding the elastic strand nonwoven web over itself at a folding module to form an elastic strand nonwoven panel, the folding module comprising a first plate that is a vibrating inclined folding plate, a second plate attached to and extending at an angle relative to the first plate, and a third plate extending substantially parallel to a floor surface and angled relative to the first and second plates, and the step of folding comprising feeding the elastic strand nonwoven web under tension underneath the first plate, the second plate and the third plate so that the elastic strand nonwoven web curls over the third plate and folds over itself on top of the third plate so as to form the elastic strand nonwoven web panel.