Patterned apertured nonwoven

A method for manufacturing an apertured nonwoven substrate, comprising the steps of:

• providing a nonwoven substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface;
• and
• forming a plurality of apertures that each extends from the top surface through said nonwoven substrate to the bottom surface,
• wherein said plurality of apertures define a plurality of discrete non-aperture zones;
• wherein each of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones has a periphery formed by a continuous line of apertures;
• wherein each of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones is substantially free of apertures within the periphery;
• wherein the area ratio of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones over said nonwoven substrate ranges from 60% to 90%;
• and wherein some of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones have an area of 100 mm2 or more,
• wherein each of said plurality of apertures has a size greater than about 0.2 mm2, and
• wherein said plurality of apertures further define one or more aperture zones;
• wherein each of said one or more aperture zones comprises four or more apertures therein;
• wherein each aperture within each of said aperture zones has at least three adjacent apertures.

A nonwoven substrate comprising:

• a) a top surface;
• b) a bottom surface;
• and
• c) a plurality of apertures, each of which extends from the top surface through said nonwoven substrate to the bottom surface,
• wherein said plurality of apertures define a plurality of discrete non-aperture zones;
• wherein each of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones has a periphery formed by a continuous line of apertures;
• wherein each of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones is substantially free of apertures within the periphery;
• wherein the area ratio of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones over said nonwoven substrate ranges from 60% to 90%;
• and wherein some of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones have an area of 100 mm2 or more,
• wherein each of said plurality of discrete non-aperture zones has an area of more than 6 mm2,
• wherein each of said plurality of discrete non-aperture has a minor dimension of more than 2.5 mm, and
• wherein said plurality of apertures further define one or more aperture zones;
• wherein each of said one or more aperture zones comprises four or more apertures therein.