Garment side panel conveyor system and method

A method for making a prefastened and refastenable pant, comprising:

• transporting a folded pant in a machine direction, the folded pant having opposite first and second waist regions in facing relation, the first waist region comprising first side panels and the second waist region comprising second side panels, the first side panels comprising initially inward-facing fastening components, and the second side panels comprising initially outward-facing fastening components;
• inverting the initially outward-facing fastening components;
• transporting the first side panels on side panel transfer devices while the folded pant is transported in the machine direction;
• moving the initially inward-facing fastening components toward the inverted initially outward-facing fastening components while the first side panels are transported on the side panel transfer devices;
• and
• engaging the initially inward-facing and initially outward-facing fastening components.

A method for making a pant, comprising:

• providing a pant chassis defining a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region which extends between and interconnects the waist regions, first side panels disposed in the first waist region and second side panels disposed in the second waist region, the first and second waist regions having substantially the same transverse width dimension;
• folding the pant chassis about a fold line extending in a lateral direction through the crotch region, thereby positioning the waist regions and first and second side panels in a facing relation;
• transporting the folded pant chassis in a machine direction thus defining a pant transport plane and a z-direction perpendicular to the pant transport plane;
• transporting the first side panels on side panel transfer devices while the folded pant chassis is transported in the machine direction, each side panel transfer device defining a side panel transport path which intersects the pant transport plane;
• moving the first side panels in the z-direction toward the second side panels while the first side panels are transported on the side panel transfer devices;
• and
• refastenably engaging the first and second side panels.

A method for making a pant, comprising:

• providing a pant chassis defining a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region which extends between and interconnects the waist regions, first side panels disposed in the first waist region and second side panels disposed in the second waist region;
• folding the pant chassis about a fold line extending in a lateral direction through the crotch region, thereby positioning the waist regions and first and second side panels in a facing relation;
• transporting the folded pant chassis in a machine direction thus defining a pant transport plane and a z-direction perpendicular to the pant transport plane;
• transporting the first side panels on side panel transfer devices while the folded pant chassis is transported in the machine direction, each side panel transfer device defining a side panel transport path which intersects the pant transport plane;
• moving the first side panels in the z-direction toward the second side panels while the first side panels are transported on the side panel transfer devices;
• and
• refastenably engaging the first and second side panels;
• and
• further comprising folding the second side panels prior to refastenably engaging the first and second side panels.

A method for making a pant, comprising:

• providing a pant chassis defining a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region which extends between and interconnects the waist regions, first side panels disposed in the first waist region and second side panels disposed in the second waist region;
• folding the pant chassis about a fold line extending in a lateral direction through the crotch region, thereby positioning the waist regions and first and second side panels in a facing relation;
• transporting the folded pant chassis in a machine direction thus defining a pant transport plane and a z-direction perpendicular to the pant transport plane;
• transporting the first side panels on side panel transfer devices while the folded pant chassis is transported in the machine direction, each side panel transfer device defining a side panel transport path which intersects the pant transport plane;
• moving the first side panels in the z-direction toward the second side panels while the first side panels are transported on the side panel transfer devices;
• and
• refastenably engaging the first and second side panels;
• wherein the second side panels comprise initially outward-facing fastening components and the second side panels are inwardly folded such that the initially outward-facing fastening components are facing the first side panels.