Process for applying reinforcing material to a diaper cover material

An apparatus for adhering individual patches of substrate material to spaced-apart regions of a moving web layer, comprising:

• a. transporting means for moving the web layer;
• b. supplying means for providing a selected substrate material;
• c. applicating means for depositing a selected coating of adhesive onto said substrate material;
• d. regulating means for automatically traversing said applicating means to maintain a selected cross-directional registry between said applicating means and substrate material;
• e. cooling means for selectively reducing the temperature of said coated substrate material;
• f. separating means for segmenting said coated substrate material into individual patches;
• g. directing means for feeding said coated substrate material to said separating means at a selected rate;
• h. phasing means for providing a selected spatial segregation between said individual patches;
• i. assembling means for adhesively securing said segregated patches onto selected spaced regions of said moving web layer;
• and
• j. indexing means for selectively retracting said coated substrate to draw said coated substrate away from said separating means and provide a spatial separation between said coated substrate and a strike point of said separating means when said directing means is stopped.

An apparatus for adhering individual patches of substrate material to spaced-apart regions of a moving web layer, comprising:

• a. transporting means for moving the web layer;
• b. supplying means for providing a selected substrate material;
• c. applicating means for depositing a selected coating of hotmelt adhesive onto said substrate material;
• d. regulating means for automatically adjusting and maintaining a selected cross-directional registry between said applicating means and said substrate material;
• e. cooling means for selectively reducing the temperature of said coating substrate material;
• f. separating means for segmenting said coating substrate material into individual patches;
• g. directing means for engaging said coated substrate material to feed it to said separating means at a selected rate;
• h. phasing means for providing a selected spatial segregation between said individual patches;
• and
• i. assembling means for adhesively securing and transferring said segregated patches onto selected spaced regions of said moving web layer;
• j. wherein said assembling means includes a stomper roll;
• said phasing means includes a vacuum roll having a vacuum manifold;
• and wherein said vacuum roll and vacuum manifold are arranged to provide a slip vacuum surface area generally adjacent to and preceding said separating means, provide a transfer vacuum surface area generally intermediate said separating means and said stomper roll, provide a vacuum force at said slip vacuum are which is less than a vacuum force provided at said transfer vacuum area, and provide blow-off ports to remove untransferred patches from said vacuum roll.

An apparatus for adhering individual patches of substrate material to spaced-apart regions of a moving web layer, comprising:

• a. transporting means for moving the web layer;
• b. supplying means for providing a selected substrate material;
• c. applicating means for depositing a selected coating of adhesive onto said substrate material;
• d. regulating means for automatically traversing said applicating means to maintain a selected cross-directional registry between said applicating means and substrate material, wherein said regulating means inlcudes electronic sensors located at each side edge of said substrate to detect the position of said substrate and provide sensor output signals, and a signal processor for analyzing said sensor output signals and for sending a signal to a guide actuator to adjust a cross-directional positioning of said applicating means to substantially follow a centerline of said substrate, and wherein said regulating means is arranged to produce side margins of said substrate material which are uncoated with said adhesive and measure not more than about 0.6 cm in cross-directional width;
• e. cooling means for selectively reducing the temperature of said coated substrate material;
• f. separating means for segmenting said coated substrate material into individual patches;
• g. directing means for engaging said coated substrate material to feed it to said separating means at selected rate;
• h. phasing means for providing a selected spatial segregation between said individual patches;
• and
• i. assembling means for adhesively securing said segregated patches onto selected spaced regions of said moving web layer.