Single transfer insert placement method and apparatus

A system comprising:

• a puck wheel stationarily mounted to a system drive shaft, said system drive shaft being rotatable about a transfer axis;
• a plurality of pucks, each puck coupled to a puck support member slidably disposed on a first and a second rail, each rail being stationarily fastened to said puck wheel, said pucks adapted to travel through a circumferential transfer path about said transfer axis from at least a web receiving location to a pad placement location;
• each of said puck support members comprising a puck support surface, a puck support member base and two fluid flow conduits running between and through said puck support surface and said puck support member base;
• a cam plate stationarily situated about said transfer axis, said cam plate having a cam face and a circumferential edge, said cam face including a pitch cam race and said circumferential edge including a spin cam race;
• each of said pucks being coupled to a spin cam adapted to follow said spin cam race and a pitch cam adapted to follow said pitch cam race, wherein said spin cam is adapted to spin said puck at least partially about a spin axis that is at least substantially perpendicular to said transfer axis and said pitch cam is adapted to slide said puck support member on said first and second rails;
• a rotating vacuum manifold, said rotating vacuum manifold comprising a disc having a system interface in slidable contact with at least a portion of each puck support member base, a vacuum interface and a plurality of apertures extending between and through said system interface and said vacuum interface, said rotating vacuum manifold adapted to rotate about said transfer axis;
• a stationary vacuum manifold, said stationary vacuum manifold coupled to a vacuum source and being in slidable contact with at least a portion of the vacuum interface of said rotating vacuum manifold;
• a first cutter component, a majority of which is situated within said circumferential transfer path;
• and
• a second cutter component, a majority of which is situated outside said circumferential transfer path, said second cutter component adapted to periodically cooperate with said first cutter component to form a cutting nip.

A method for processing a continuous web, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a continuous web onto a first web surface;
• cutting a discrete section from said continuous web, thereby forming a pad, wherein said pad is supported by said first web surface;
• and
• transporting said pad on said first web surface towards a receiving surface through a transfer path.