Method and apparatus for bonding elastic parts under tension to an advancing carrier

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for stretching, transferring, and bonding elastic parts under tension to an advancing carrier substrate during the assembly of absorbent articles. A continuous carrier substrate may be advanced in a machine direction at a first speed, and a discrete elastic part may be cut from a continuous elastic substrate having a direction of stretch in a cross direction. The speed of the discrete elastic part is changed from a second speed to the first speed, and the central region of the discrete elastic part is stretched in the cross direction. The discrete elastic part is bonded with the continuous carrier substrate such that the stretched central region extends in the cross direction between the first and second longitudinal edges of the continuous carrier substrate. The discrete elastic part may also be bonded with the carrier substrate with adhesive and/or mechanical bonds.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.