Method of producing composite sheet, method of producing absorbing article using composite sheet and apparatus that produces composite sheet

A method of producing an absorbent article, comprising:

• producing a composite sheet having stretchability, the producing including joining a first sheet in which stretchability in a longitudinal direction of the first sheet is developed by being subjected to a drawing process in the longitudinal direction and a second sheet having stretchability in a longitudinal direction of the second sheet that is lower than the stretchability of the first sheet, the longitudinal directions being aligned with each other;
• wherein the producing further comprises:
• extending the first sheet in the longitudinal direction of the first sheet, while transporting the first sheet in the longitudinal direction of the first sheet with the first sheet being in contact with an upstream roll and a downstream roll that rotate adjacent to each other, by providing a difference in peripheral speeds between the upstream roll and the downstream roll, and
• joining the second sheet to a portion of the first sheet in an overlapped manner by pressing the second sheet against the downstream roll;
• on an upstream side of the upstream roll, passing the first sheet that has not been subject to a drawing process through a gap between a pair of gear rolls, the gear rolls rotating with a plurality of teeth formed on each peripheral surface mating with each other,
• drawing the first sheet in a peripheral direction of one of the gear rolls by the teeth to develop stretchability in the first sheet, and
• joining an absorbent body to a skin-contacting side of the composite sheet,
• wherein the first sheet in which the stretchability has been developed is supplied to the upstream roll,
• wherein an extending multiple Ms is less than or equal to a drawing multiple Mg,
• wherein the extending multiple Ms is a total length in the longitudinal direction after the extending divided by a total length in the longitudinal direction before the extending,
• wherein the drawing multiple Mg is a total length in the longitudinal direction after the drawing divided by a total length in the longitudinal direction before the drawing, and
• wherein the extending multiple Ms is greater than 1.