Single transfer insert placement method and apparatus

A system comprising:

• a puck wheel stationarily mounted to a system drive shaft, said system drive shaft being rotatable about a transfer axis;
• a plurality of pucks, each puck coupled to a respective puck support member slidably disposed on a first and a second rail, each rail being stationarily fastened to said puck wheel, said pucks adapted to travel through a circumferential transfer path about said transfer axis from at least a web receiving location to a pad placement location;
• each of said puck support members comprising a puck support surface, a puck support member base and two fluid flow conduits running between and through said puck support surface and said puck support member base;
• a cam plate stationarily situated about said transfer axis, said cam plate having a cam face and a circumferential edge, said cam face including a pitch cam race and said circumferential edge including a spin cam race;
• each of said pucks being coupled to a spin cam adapted to follow said spin cam race and a pitch cam adapted to follow said pitch cam race, wherein said spin cam is adapted to spin one of said pucks at least partially about a respective spin axis that is at least substantially perpendicular to said transfer axis and said pitch cam is adapted to slide said puck support member on said first and second rails;
• a rotating vacuum manifold, said rotating vacuum manifold comprising a disc having a system interface in slidable contact with at least a portion of each puck support member base, a vacuum interface and a plurality of apertures extending between and through said system interface and said vacuum interface, said rotating vacuum manifold adapted to rotate about said transfer axis;
• a stationary vacuum manifold, said stationary vacuum manifold coupled to a vacuum source and being in slidable contact with at least a portion of the vacuum interface of said rotating vacuum manifold;
• a first cutter component, a majority of which is situated within said circumferential transfer path;
• and
• a second cutter component, a majority of which is situated outside said circumferential transfer path, said second cutter component adapted to periodically cooperate with said first cutter component to form a cutting nip.