Absorbant laminates and method of making same

A method of forming an absorbent laminate comprising an oriented, fluid pervious plastic substrate bonded to a nonwoven absorbent member, said nonwoven absorbent member including bi-component fibers having a heat-softenable outer skin thereon, said method including the steps of:

• forming an array of fibers including said bi-component fibers therein,
• heating the array of fibers to a temperature for softening the outer skin of the bi-component fibers to a sufficient degree for bonding said array of fibers together to form said nonwoven absorbent member and for bonding said nonwoven absorbent member to the oriented plastic substrate, wherein said temperature for bonding the fibers together and for bonding the absorbent member to the oriented plastic substrate is below the temperature at which the oriented plastic substrate will shrink or otherwise become distorted,
• positioning said array of fibers contiguous to the plastic substrate, and
• applying pressure to said array of fibers and plastic substrate after said array of fibers has been heated to said sufficient degree to thereby bond the array of fibers together into said nonwoven absorbent member and to bond the nonwoven absorbent member to the plastic substrate.

A method of forming an absorbent laminate comprising a pair of oriented plastic substrates, at least one of said plastic substrates being fluid pervious, said substrates being bonded to opposed surfaces of a nonwoven absorbent member, said nonwoven absorbent member including bi-component fibers having a heat-softenable outer skin thereon, said method including the steps of:

• forming an array of fibers including said bi-component fibers therein,
• heating the array of fibers to a temperature for softening the outer skin of the bi-component fibers to a sufficient degree for bonding said array of fibers together to form said nonwoven absorbent member and for bonding said nonwoven absorbent member to each one of the pair oriented plastic substrates, wherein said temperature for bonding the fibers together and for bonding the absorbent member to the pair of oriented plastic substrates is below the temperature at which the oriented plastic substrates will shrink or otherwise become distorted,
• positioning said array of fibers contiguous to an between the pair of plastic substrates, and
• applying pressure to said array of fibers and plastic substrates after said array of fibers has been heated to said sufficient degree to thereby bond the array of fibers together into said nonwoven absorbent member and to bond the nonwoven absorbent member to the plastic substrates.