Method of Manufacturing a Body Adhering Absorbent Article Orientated in the Cross-Machine Direction with Reduced Curl

• US 20120199268A1
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Popp, Robert Lee, Gottleib, Jay David, Coenen, Joseph Daniel, Turchan, Gary Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,758,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/73.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15699 Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15723 Partitioning batts; Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15739 Sealing, e.g. involving cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15764 Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15804 Plant, e.g. involving several steps
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/82 with means for attaching to the body
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/74 by welding and severing , or by joining and severing, the severing being performed in the area to be joined, next to the area to be joined, in the joint area or next to the joint area
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/741 characterised by the relationships between the joining step and the severing step cutting as mechanical pre-treatment B29C66/02241; cutting as thermal pre-treatment B29C66/0246; cutting as mechanical after-treatment B29C66/0326; cutting as thermal after-treatment B29C66/0346
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/4878 Diapers, napkins
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/02 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/04 Time
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/028 using vibration, e.g. sonic or ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2555/02 Diapers or napkins
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/1292 selectively, e.g. in stripes, in patterns B32B37/0076 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0004 Cutting, tearing or severing, e.g. bursting; Cutter details cutting in general B26D; laminating combined with punching or perforating B32B38/04; removing all or part of the layers B32B38/10; cutting in combination with laying up and registration B32B38/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0008 Electrical discharge treatment, e.g. corona, plasma treatment; wave energy or particle radiation heat treatment B32B38/0036
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/06 Embossing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/145 Printing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/108 Flash, trim or excess removal

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing body adhering absorbent articles orientated in the cross-machine direction, body adhering absorbent article having reduced or eliminated curl. The articles are manufactured with reduced curl by selectively reducing or eliminating the shell elastic tension in regions where components of the body adhering absorbent article are to be attached to form the composite absorbent article web. In certain aspects the body adhering absorbent articles are manufactured by supplying an elastic web of shell material having a longitudinal and transverse direction, that is stretchable only in the transverse direction, attaching at least one component to form a composite web material, and cutting the composite web material to form a body adhering absorbent article.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing body adhering absorbent articles orientated in the cross-machine direction comprising the steps of:

a. supplying a pair of adhesive webs comprising a body attachment adhesive;

b. supplying an elastic shell web having a longitudinal and transverse direction and a pair of opposing peripheral edges extending in the longitudinal direction;

c. attaching the pair of adhesive webs to the opposing peripheral edges of the elastic shell web;

d. attaching at least one absorbent structure component to the shell web interior to the opposing peripheral edges to form a composite web material; and

e. cutting the composite web material to form a body adhering absorbent article having a predetermined size and shape.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the absorbent article components are selected from the group consisting of a composite absorbent structure, a barrier layer, a body adhering adhesive, an absorbent and containment flaps.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of attaching comprise laminating, adhesive attachment, thermal bonding, pressure bonding or ultrasonic bonding.

4. A method of manufacturing body adhering absorbent articles orientated in the cross-machine direction comprising the steps of:

a. supplying an activatable web of shell material having a longitudinal and transverse direction;

b. intermittently activating a portion of the web of shell material in the longitudinal direction to create activated and nonactivated portions of the web of shell material in the lateral direction;

c. attaching at least one component to the at least one nonactivated portion of the web of shell material to form a composite web material; and

d. cutting the composite web material to form a body adhering absorbent article having a predetermined size and shape.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one component is selected from the group consisting of an adhesive transfer layer, an absorbent structure, a barrier layer, a body adhering adhesive, an absorbent and containment flaps.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the activatable web of shell material is a mechanically activatable web of shell material.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the mechanically activatable web of shell material is a composite comprising at least one inelastic material and at least one elastic material.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the activatable web of shell material is a mechanically activatable web of shell material and the step of activating comprises mechanically activating the web of shell material by passing the web of shell material through a pair of interconnecting grooved rolls.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the activatable web of shell material is a heat activatable web of shell material.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the activatable web of shell material is a heat activatable web of shell material and the step of activating comprises intermittently heating the web of shell material.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of activating comprises passing the web of shell material through an apparatus configured for zoned heated compression of the web of shell material.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of attaching comprises laminating, adhesive attachment, thermal bonding, pressure bonding or ultrasonic bonding.

13. A method of manufacturing a body adhering absorbent article orientated in the cross-machine direction comprising the steps of:

a. supplying a web of shell material having elastic and inelastic zones;

b. attaching at least one component to the inelastic zone of the web of shell material to form a composite web material; and

c. cutting the composite web material to form a body adhering absorbent article having a predetermined size and shape.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the at least one component is selected from the group consisting of an absorbent structure, an adhesive transfer layer, a barrier layer, a body adhering adhesive, an absorbent and containment flaps.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of attaching comprises laminating, adhesive attachment, thermal bonding, pressure bonding or ultrasonic bonding.

16. A method of manufacturing a segmented body adhering absorbent article comprising the steps of:

a. supplying two webs of activatable shell material;

b. activating the two webs of shell material;

c. attaching a web comprising an adhesive transfer layer to the two activated webs of shell material;

d. attaching an absorbent component to the two webs of shell material to form a composite web material; and

e. cutting the composite web material to form a segmented body adhering absorbent article having a predetermined size and shape.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the absorbent component is selected from the group consisting of an absorbent structure, an adhesive transfer layer, a barrier layer, a body adhering adhesive, an absorbent and containment flaps.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the activatable web of shell material is a mechanically activatable web of shell material and the step of activating comprises mechanically activating the web of shell material by passing the web of shell material through a pair of interconnecting grooved rolls.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the activatable web of shell material is a heat activatable web of shell material and the step of activating comprises intermittently heating the web of shell material.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of attaching the absorbent component comprises laminating, adhesive attachment, thermal bonding, pressure bonding or ultrasonic bonding.