US 2013/0199696 A1Published application

Apparatuses and Methods for Fabricating Elastomeric Laminates

OwnerUwe SCHNEIDER, Jeffrey Michael KENT +1inventors

InventorsUwe SCHNEIDER, Jeffrey Michael KENT, Louis J. CEDRONE

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Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods for manufacturing absorbent articles, and in particular, to methods for making elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. The methods and apparatuses according to the present disclosure may be configured to automatically rethread elastic materials that may break during the assembly process. The apparatuses and methods herein may also utilize various types of inspection systems and methods that detect breaks in the elastic material during the manufacturing process. Such systems and methods may report on the broken elastic material, and in some instances, may stop the manufacturing process if the broken elastic material is not automatically rethreaded after a predetermined period of time. In addition, the inspection system may also track a length of the laminate containing the broken elastic material (referred to herein as a defect length) as the defect length advances through additional converting processes.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for making an elastomeric laminate, the method comprising the steps of:

rotating a first roller about a first axis of rotation, the first roller having an outer circumferential surface;
rotating a second roller about a second axis of rotation, the second roller having an outer circumferential surface, and wherein the first roller is adjacent the second roller to define a first nip between the first roller and the second roller;
rotating a third roller about a third axis of rotation, the third roller having an outer circumferential surface;
supplying a continuous length of a first substrate having a first surface and an opposing second surface;
advancing the first substrate in a machine direction, wherein the first surface of the first substrate travels in an opposing direction to and in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the second roller, and wherein the second surface of the first substrate travels in the same direction as and in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the third roller;
stretching an elastic material in the machine direction by advancing the elastic material through the first nip to the third roller;
joining the elastic material with the first surface of the first substrate after the elastic material advances through the first nip;
and
detecting an end portion of the elastic material on the first substrate.

6 more elements

A method for making an elastomeric laminate, the method comprising the steps of:

rotating a first roller about a first axis of rotation, the first roller having an outer circumferential surface;
rotating a second roller about a second axis of rotation, the second roller having an outer circumferential surface, and wherein the first roller is adjacent the second roller to define a first nip between the first roller and the second roller;
rotating a third roller about a third axis of rotation, the third roller having an outer circumferential surface;
supplying a continuous length of a first substrate having a first surface and an opposing second surface;
advancing the first substrate in a machine direction, wherein the first surface of the first substrate travels in an opposing direction to and in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the second roller, and wherein the second surface of the first substrate travels in the same direction as and in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the third roller;
advancing an elastic material in the machine direction through the first nip and to the third roller;
separating the elastic material in the machine direction between the first nip and the third roller to create an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion;
joining the downstream end portion of the elastic material with the first surface of the first substrate;
joining the upstream end portion of the elastic material with the first surface of the first substrate;
detecting a defect length, LDEF, of the first substrate between the downstream end portion and the upstream end portion of the elastic material on the first substrate;
advancing the first substrate in the machine direction from the third roller to a converting operation that manufactures absorbent articles incorporating the first substrate;
and
identifying absorbent articles that include portions of the length, L, of the first substrate.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.