Method of manufacturing tampons by forming a softwind with contact elements

A method of manufacturing a tampon comprising:

• forming a softwind including a core and a cover overlying and at least in part covering the core, the cover carrying an absorbent web having a free end and a bonded end wherein the free end is capable of moving relative to the cover, the absorbent web having a plurality of slits adjacent the free end;
• and
• passing the softwind through a transfer assist device to facilitate the transferring of the free end of the absorbent web without the absorbent web becoming misaligned relative to the cover wherein the free end of the absorbent web passes through the transfer assist device before the bonded end.

A method of manufacturing a tampon comprising:

• forming a softwind including a core and a cover overlying and at least in part covering the core, the cover carrying an absorbent web having a free end and a bonded end wherein the free end is capable of moving relative to the cover;
• passing the softwind through a transfer assist device to facilitate the transferring of the free end of the absorbent web without the absorbent web becoming misaligned relative to the cover wherein the softwind is pushed through the transfer assist device.