Patent Application
20140345786
The present invention generally relates to a method for dispensing adhesive and more particularly, to a method for dispensing adhesive onto at least one elastic strand during construction of a personal disposable hygiene product.
Liquid adhesive, such as hot melt adhesive, is applied onto various components during manufacture of disposable personal hygiene products such as diapers, adult incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products. Dispensing methods and systems have been developed for applying hot melt adhesive onto various components of the disposable personal hygiene product. In one example, these dispensing systems apply a hot melt adhesive filament to one or more stretched elastic strands, which are then adhered to a nonwoven substrate to form an elasticized portion of the disposable personal hygiene product. Downstream of the dispensing system, the various components (e.g., flat substrate layers and elastic strands) pass through a pressure nip to secure the components together.
Many disposable personal hygiene products include elasticized leg gathers adjacent to leg openings to secure the personal hygiene product against the user's legs and to contain any waste material captured by the personal disposable hygiene product. In these applications, a high level of creep resistance is desirable. “Creep” of an elastic strand is defined as the movement of either end of the elastic strand from an initial location where the end is adhered to a substrate. If an elastic strand undergoes any significant amount of creep after assembly, at least one end of the elastic strand will effectively de-bond from the substrate and reduce the ability of the elasticized portion to remain firmly engaged with the skin surface. To avoid this undesirable creep, a high quality bond must be formed by the adhesive applied to the elastic strand so that the elastic strand does not de-bond from the substrate.
One well understood method of improving the quality of an adhesive bond and thereby reducing creep is by applying additional adhesive on the substrate or the elastic strand(s). However, applying too much adhesive to the elastic strand locks the elastic strand along its length and thereby reduces the effectiveness of the elastic material to apply force to the substrate. In other words, the elastic strand loses the ability to apply sufficient retraction force to the substrate. Moreover, increasing the amount of adhesive used in disposable personal hygiene product manufacturing significantly increases cost and also reduces the “hand” or softness of the resulting product. Applying too much adhesive material may also lead to “burn through,” which occurs when the adhesive material burns or melts through the adhered substrate. Consequently, the amount of adhesive used to adhere elastic strands to substrates should be minimized while also maintaining a high level of creep resistance, a high retraction force, and minimized burn through and stiffness.
However, conventional dispensing methods and systems for coating elastic strands in personal disposable hygiene products utilize a constant volume or coating of adhesive along the entire length of the elastic strand(s). As described above, the coating must be sufficient to prevent creep at the opposing ends of the elastic strand(s), and thus, the constant coating adds significant add on weight to the final personal disposable hygiene product. As described above, any excess adhesive add on is undesirable for multiple reasons, including reduced force retraction capability and softness and increased manufacturing cost.
There is a need, therefore, for an adhesive dispensing method and apparatus that addresses one or more of these difficulties and reduces the amount of adhesive used to form elasticized portions of personal disposable hygiene products.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method of dispensing adhesive onto a stretched elastic strand and manufacturing a personal disposable hygiene product includes moving the stretched elastic strand along a machine direction and dispensing a first, second, and third volume of adhesive onto the elastic strand by a single dispensing nozzle including first and second valves controlling flow from corresponding first and second adhesive supplies. The dispensing further includes opening the first valve while leaving the second valve closed to apply the first volume of adhesive onto a first portion of the elastic strand; closing the first valve to stop applying the first volume of adhesive; opening the second valve and keeping the first valve closed to apply the second volume of adhesive onto a second portion of the elastic strand located downstream from the first portion relative to the machine direction; closing the second valve to stop applying the second volume of adhesive; and opening the first valve and closing the second valve to apply the third volume of adhesive onto a third portion of the elastic strand located downstream from the second portion relative to the machine direction. The second volume is less than the first volume and less than the third volume. The method also includes contacting the stretched elastic strand with first and second substrate layers to adhesively secure the stretched elastic strand between the first and second substrate layers, and releasing the stretched elastic strand to allow the elastic strand to retract from a stretched condition, thereby collectively defining an elasticized portion of the hygiene product with the first and second substrate layers. When the elastic strand is adhered to the substrate, the first and third portions define opposing ends of the elastic strand and the second portion defines a central portion of the elastic strand extending between the opposing ends. The first and third volumes of adhesive are sufficient to limit movement of the opposing ends of the elastic strand while maintaining the bond under normal wear conditions for the hygiene product. The second volume of adhesive is sufficiently low to allow the elastic strand to retract from the stretched condition.
According to another embodiment, a method of dispensing adhesive onto at least one stretched elastic strand to be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product includes moving the stretched elastic strand along a machine direction and applying a first volume of adhesive onto a first portion of the elastic strand. The method also includes applying a second volume of adhesive onto a second portion of the elastic strand located downstream from the first portion relative to the machine direction, and applying a third volume of adhesive onto a third portion of the elastic strand located downstream from the second portion relative to the machine direction. The second volume is less than the first volume and less than the third volume. When the elastic strand is adhered to the substrate, the first and third portions define opposing ends of the elastic strand and the second portion defines a central portion of the elastic strand extending between the opposing ends.
In one aspect, the first and third portions of the elastic strand collectively define a first length and the second portion of the elastic strand defines a second length longer than the first length. Thus, the second volume of adhesive is applied over a majority of the elastic strand. In another aspect, applying the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive includes dispensing a first quantity of adhesive onto the first and third portions of the elastic strand, and dispensing a second quantity of adhesive onto the first, second, and third portions of the elastic strand. The second quantity defines the second volume of adhesive on the second portion of the elastic strand. The first and second quantities collectively define the first volume of adhesive on the first portion of the elastic strand and the third volume of adhesive on the third portion of the elastic strand. Alternatively, applying the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive includes dispensing a first quantity of adhesive onto the first and third portions of the elastic strand and dispensing a second quantity of adhesive onto the second portion of the elastic strand. In this alternative, the first quantity of adhesive defines the first volume of adhesive on the first portion of the elastic strand and the third volume of adhesive on the third portion of the elastic strand, while the second quantity of adhesive defines the second volume on the second portion of the elastic strand.
The first and second quantities of adhesive may be dispensed simultaneously onto the first portion and then onto the third portion of the elastic strand, or one of the first and second quantities may be dispensed onto the elastic strand before the other quantity. In one example, the first and second quantities are dispensed by respective first and second dispensing nozzles, which are fed adhesive at first and second predetermined or adjustable flow rates.
In another aspect, the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive are dispensed by a single dispensing nozzle including first and second valves that control flow from corresponding first and second adhesive supplies. To this end, the first and second valves are opened to apply the first volume of adhesive to the first portion of the elastic strand. Closing the second valve while leaving the first valve open causes the second volume of adhesive to be applied to the second portion of the elastic strand. Opening the first and second valves causes the third volume of adhesive to be applied to the third portion of the elastic strand. In some embodiments with a single dispensing nozzle, adhesive is pumped at an adjustable first flow rate to the first valve and adhesive is pumped at an adjustable second flow rate to the second valve.
In another embodiment of the invention, a method of dispensing adhesive onto a plurality of stretched elastic strands to be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product includes moving each of the stretched elastic strands along a machine direction. The method further includes applying a first volume of adhesive onto a first portion of each of the elastic strands, applying a second volume of adhesive onto a second portion of each of the elastic strands located downstream from the first portion, and applying a third volume of adhesive onto a third portion of each of the elastic strands located downstream from the second portion. The second volume is less than the first volume and less than the third volume. When the elastic strand is adhered to the substrate, the first and third portions define opposing ends of the elastic strand and the second portion defines a central portion of the elastic strand extending between the opposing ends. Applying the first, second, and third volumes of adhesive may include dispensing at least one quantity of adhesive individually onto each of the plurality of elastic strands, or dispensing at least one quantity of adhesive collectively onto all of the plurality of elastic strands.
In another embodiment, a personal disposable hygiene product includes a nonwoven substrate with first and second longitudinal sides. The hygiene product also includes first and second stretched elastic strands adhered to the nonwoven substrate respectively along the first and second longitudinal sides. Each of the elastic strands includes a first portion defining an end of the elastic strand, a second portion defining a central portion of the elastic strand, and a third portion defining another end of the elastic strand. The first portions are coated with a first volume of adhesive, the second portions are coated with a second volume of adhesive, and the third portions are coated with a third volume of adhesive. The second volume of adhesive is less than each of the first and third volumes of adhesive.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a dispensing apparatus applies adhesive to at least one stretched elastic strand including first, second, and third portions along a length of the elastic strand that are to be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product. The apparatus includes a first dispensing nozzle for dispensing a first volume of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the first portion and for dispensing a third volume of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the third portion. The apparatus also includes a second dispensing nozzle for dispensing a second volume of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at a second portion extending between the first and third portions. The second volume of adhesive is less than each of the first and third volumes of adhesive.
In one aspect, the first dispensing nozzle includes a strand guide, while the second dispensing nozzle does not include a strand guide. In one aspect, the dispensing nozzles may include the same type of dispensing nozzle or different types of dispensing nozzles. The dispensing apparatus also includes a first adhesive supply for pumping adhesive to the first dispensing nozzle, a second adhesive supply for pumping adhesive to the second dispensing nozzle, and a control for selectively actuating the first and second adhesive supplies.
In another embodiment, a dispensing apparatus applies adhesive to at least one stretched elastic strand including first, second, and third portions along a length of the elastic strand that are to be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product. The apparatus includes a first dispensing nozzle for dispensing a first quantity of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the first and third portions. The apparatus also includes a second dispensing nozzle for dispensing a second quantity of adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at the first, second, and third portions. The first and second quantities of adhesive collectively define a first volume of adhesive on the first portion of the elastic strand and a third volume of adhesive on the third portion of the elastic strand. The second quantity of adhesive defines a second volume of adhesive on the second portion of the elastic strand that is less than each of the first and third volumes of adhesive.
In another embodiment of the invention, a dispensing apparatus applies adhesive to at least one stretched elastic strand that is to be adhered to a substrate to form a personal disposable hygiene product. The apparatus includes a single dispensing nozzle for dispensing adhesive onto the stretched elastic strand at first, second, and third portions located in sequence along the length of the elastic strand. The dispensing apparatus also includes a first valve adapted to control flow from a first adhesive supply through the dispensing nozzle and a second valve adapted to control flow from a second adhesive supply through the dispensing nozzle. The first and second valves are opened to apply a first volume of adhesive on the first portion or to apply a third volume of adhesive on the third portion. The first valve is opened while the second valve is closed to apply a second volume of adhesive on the second portion that is less than the first or third volumes of adhesive.
Various additional features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
More particularly, each of the elastic strands 28 is advantageously adhered to the nonwoven substrate 18 by a varying amount of hot melt adhesive 30 applied along the length of the elastic strand 28. As described in further detail below, this varying amount of adhesive 30 may be applied by first and second dispensing nozzles in series, wherein the first dispensing nozzle may include a strand guide in some embodiments while the second dispensing nozzle cannot include a strand guide. To this end, each elastic strand 28 includes a first portion 32 adjacent the first end 12, a second portion 34 extending from the first portion 32 and adjacent the central portion 16, and a third portion 36 located adjacent to the second portion 34 and the second end 14. To this end, the first and third portions 32, 36 define opposing ends of the elastic strand 28 when adhered to the nonwoven substrate 18, while the second portion 34 defines a central portion of the elastic strand 28 during adherence. The first portion 32 is coated with a first volume of adhesive 30a, the second portion 34 is coated with a second volume of adhesive 30b, and the third portion 36 is coated with a third volume of adhesive 30c. The second volume of adhesive 30b is less than each of the first and third volumes of adhesive 30a, 30c. As well understood, the elastic strands 28 also include small free ends 38 beyond the first and second end portions 32, 34 that are not coated with adhesive 30 and thus retract or curl up when the remainder of the elastic strands 28 is adhered to the substrate 18. In the preceding and following description, the term “volume” is used as shorthand to describe an average volume of adhesive per unit length over the corresponding strand portion. Thus, the average volume of adhesive per unit length applied to the first and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strand 28 is higher than the average volume of adhesive per unit length applied to the second portion 34.
With continued reference to
Also as shown in
Turning to
In the illustrated embodiment, the first dispensing nozzle 42 is incorporated into a first dispensing module 48 and the second dispensing nozzle 44 is incorporated into a second dispensing module 50 separate from the first dispensing module 48. In this embodiment, the first dispensing module 48 includes a contact nozzle and the second dispensing module includes a non-contact nozzle, each nozzle being configured to apply a filament, bead, coating, or other amount of adhesive (hereinafter referred to as a “quantity”) to the elastic strands 28. More specifically, the first dispensing nozzle 42 shown is a contact nozzle as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/474,129 to Saine, filed Apr. 11, 2011, which is assigned to the assignee of the current invention and the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The second dispensing nozzle 44 shown is a non-contact swirl nozzle such as the Universal™ CF nozzle commercially available from Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,996 to Ziecker et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
It will be understood that other types of non-contact nozzles (e.g., the Signature™ and Summitt™ Mini Swirl nozzles commercially available from Nordson Corporation of Westlake, Ohio) or other types of contact nozzles such as slot coaters may be used in other embodiments within the scope of this invention. Furthermore, even though the first and second dispensing nozzles 42, 44 are illustrated as different types of nozzles in this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the first dispensing nozzle 42 may be the same type of nozzle as the second dispensing nozzle 44 in other embodiments of the invention, assuming both dispensing nozzles 42, 44 are non-contact nozzles. Some of these alternatives are presented in further detail below with reference to
With continued reference to
The operation of the dispensing apparatus 40 is shown schematically in
In a similar manner, the plurality of elastic strands 28 coated with the first quantity 56 of adhesive then passes the second dispensing nozzle 44 while moving along the machine direction 46. The second dispensing nozzle 44 operates to dispense a second quantity 58 of adhesive onto the plurality of elastic strands 28 at the second portion 34. In this embodiment, the second quantity 58 is a filament forming a swirl pattern extending across all of the elastic strands 28. The second dispensing nozzle 44 is cycled on and off to apply the second quantity 58 onto the second portions 34 of the elastic strands 28, leaving the first and third portions 32, 36 and the free ends 38 substantially uncoated with the second quantity 58.
As shown schematically in
In one example, the first dispensing nozzle 42 is configured to dispense a coating that defines a volume (i.e., an average volume per unit length) of 0.2 g/m or 0.2 mg/mm on each elastic strand 28. The second dispensing nozzle 44 is configured to dispense a coating that defines a volume of 0.1 g/m or 0.1 mg/mm on each elastic strand 28. As a result, the first and third portions 32, 36 are coated with an equal volume of 0.2 mg/mm, while the second portion 34 is coated with a volume of 0.1 mg/mm. In other words, the first and third volumes of adhesive 30a, 30c are equivalent to 0.2 mg/mm and the second volume of adhesive 30b is equivalent to 0.1 mg/mm. Assuming approximate lengths of L1=L3=50 mm for the first and third portions 32, 36 and L2=300 mm for the second portion 34, the total adhesive add on per elastic strand is 50 mg of adhesive: (0.2 mg/mm)*(50 mm)=10 mg for each of the first and third portions 32, 36; plus (0.1 mg/mm)*(300 mm)=30 mg for the second portion 34.
By contrast, a conventional constant volume coating having the same bond strength at the first and third portions 32, 36 would require a volume of 0.2 mg/mm over the entire 400 mm length of the elastic strand, which equates to 80 mg of adhesive add on per strand. Thus, the dispensing apparatus 40 of the current invention advantageously reduces the adhesive add on by nearly 40% in this example compared to an analogous conventional coating. It will be understood that the relative values of the first, second, and third volumes 30a, 30b, 30c and the relative lengths of the strand portions 32, 34, 36 may be modified in other examples within the scope of the invention to produce adhesive savings of 40%-60% or even more, depending on the application. This level of adhesive reduction significantly reduces the manufacturing cost for each disposable personal hygiene product 10 and increases the hand or softness of the product 10 while maintaining the same high quality bonds as in conventional methods and dispensing apparatuses.
The first and second dispensing nozzles 42, 44 are controlled by internal valves (not shown in this embodiment) in the first and second dispensing modules 48, 50, as well understood in the art. These valves are operable to cycle on and off for the required lengths of time to dispense the first and second quantities 56, 58 onto enough continuous elastic strand stock to form 400-1500 products (diapers) per minute. Assuming the same portion lengths as described above with a 25 mm gap defining the free ends 38, the valves would operate as follows for producing 500 products (diapers) per minute. The valve of the first dispensing module 48 would open for about 14 milliseconds to apply adhesive 30 to each first portion 32 and each third portion 36, separated by closed times of about 85 milliseconds for each second portion 34 and about 7 milliseconds for each free end 38 location. The valve of the second dispensing module 50 would open for about 85 milliseconds to apply adhesive 30 to each second portion 34, separated by closed times of about 35 milliseconds for the other portions 32, 36, 38 of the elastic strands 28. It will be understood that the cycling rates of the valves may be modified in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
As described in further detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/474,129 to Saine, the first dispensing nozzle 42 may be connected to the first dispensing module 48 by a clamping mechanism 60 or a similar device. The first dispensing nozzle 42 defines a strand guide portion 62 for guiding each of the elastic strands 28 past the corresponding air and adhesive outlets (not shown) of the first dispensing nozzle 42. These strand guide portions 62 also align the plurality of strands 28 for passage under the air and adhesive outlets (not shown) of the second dispensing nozzle 44 because the second dispensing nozzle 44 cannot include a strand guide portion (e.g., such a strand guide portion would strip adhesive from the first dispensing nozzle 42 from the elastic strands 28). Further details of each of the first and second dispensing nozzles 42, 44 of this embodiment are described in the corresponding documents incorporated by reference above, and thus no further explanation of structure is provided here. It will be understood that in this and other embodiments described below, the first dispensing nozzle 42 may selectively include a strand guide portion 62, but the second dispensing nozzle 44 will not include a strand guide portion 62, regardless of the type of dispensing nozzles used in those embodiments. Examples of this arrangement are shown in
Although the embodiment of the dispensing apparatus 40 shown in
More particularly, and as described in further detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/474,129 to Saine, the first dispensing module 148 applies a first quantity 156 of adhesive, which is a quantity applied by contacting the elastic strand 28 with an extruded adhesive 30 and then blowing air onto the elastic strand 28 to spread the adhesive 30 around the elastic strand 28. The second dispensing module 150 applies a second quantity 158 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament of adhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, each of the first and second dispensing modules 148, 150 in this embodiment apply adhesive 30 individually onto each elastic strand 28.
As shown in
With reference to
More particularly, and as described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,578,882 to Harris, the first dispensing nozzle 242 applies a first quantity 256 of adhesive formed by a filament impacted by a plurality of air jets to each elastic strand 28. The elastic strands 28 move faster than the first quantity 256 of adhesive, which causes the quantity 256 to stretch out during application onto the strands 28. As shown in
As shown in
With reference to
More particularly, and as described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,578,882 to Harris, the first dispensing module 348 applies a first quantity 356 of adhesive formed by a filament impacted by a plurality of air jets to each elastic strand 28. The elastic strands 28 move faster than the first quantity 356 of adhesive, which causes the first quantity 356 to stretch out during application into discrete localized increased masses 74 on the strands 28 that are separated from one another by thinner (or broken) areas 76 of adhesive 30 running between adjacent masses 74. The second dispensing module 350 applies a second quantity 358 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament of adhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, each of the first and second dispensing modules 348, 350 in this embodiment apply adhesive 30 individually onto each elastic strand 28.
As shown in
With reference to
More particularly, the first dispensing module 448 applies a first quantity 456 of adhesive which is formed by a filament swirled by air jets onto all of the elastic strands 28 collectively. Similarly, the second dispensing module 450 applies a second quantity 458 of adhesive which is formed by a filament swirled by air jets onto all of the elastic strands 28 collectively. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, each of the first and second dispensing modules 448, 450 in this embodiment apply adhesive 30 collectively onto all of the elastic strands 28.
As shown in
With reference to
More particularly, the first dispensing module 548 applies a first quantity 556 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament of adhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. The second dispensing module 550 applies a second quantity 558 of adhesive, which is formed by a filament swirled by air jets onto all of the elastic strands 28 collectively. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, the first dispensing module 548 applies adhesive collectively onto all of the elastic strands 28, while the second dispensing module 550 applies adhesive individually onto each elastic strand 28.
As shown in
With reference to
More particularly, the first dispensing module 578 applies a first quantity 586 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament of adhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. The second dispensing module 580 applies a second quantity 588 of adhesive, which is a miniature swirled filament of adhesive 30, onto each elastic strand 28 individually. Thus, unlike the previous embodiment, each of the first dispensing module 578 and the second dispensing module 580 applies adhesive individually onto each elastic strand 28.
As shown in
Similar to the previous embodiment, the first dispensing nozzle 642 receives adhesive material pumped from a first adhesive supply 652 and the second dispensing nozzle 644 receives adhesive material pumped from a second adhesive supply 654. As described above, these first and second adhesive supplies 652, 654 may be separate individually adjustable pumps or may be the two output streams of a single dual stream pump. It will be understood that the first and second dispensing nozzles 642, 644 may be the same type of dispensing nozzle or different types of dispensing nozzles in various embodiments in accordance with the invention.
The simultaneous dispensing of the first and second quantities 656, 658 of adhesive is schematically shown from a front view in
It will be understood that while the first and second dispensing modules 648, 650 and the first and second adhesive outlets 680, 682 are shown as directly parallel along the machine direction 46 in
Although the previous embodiments of the dispensing apparatus have included two separate dispensing modules and dispensing nozzles, it will be understood that the same method of applying more adhesive at the end portions 32, 34 of elastic strands 28 may be performed by a single dispensing module connected to an adjustable supply of adhesive 30 or multiple supplies of adhesive 30. In this regard,
With reference to
In order to apply these adhesive portions 856, 858 with different amounts of adhesive 30, the dispensing module 848 receives adhesive from two adhesive supplies 852, 854. Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 852, 854 may include separate individually adjustable pumps or a shared dual stream pump, depending on the particular application. The dispensing module 848 includes first and second valves 890, 892 configured to control whether a dispensing outlet 880 of the dispensing nozzle 842 receives adhesive from one, both, or neither of the adhesive supplies 852, 854. One alternative arrangement of the first and second valves 890, 892 is shown in
Turning to the arrangement shown in
More particularly, the dispensing module 848 opens both valves 890, 892 to apply a thicker first adhesive portion 856 at the first and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28. The dispensing module 848 then closes one of the valves 890, 892 to apply a thinner second adhesive portion 858 at the second portion 34 of the elastic strands 28. When both valves 890, 892 are closed, substantially no adhesive 30 is extruded onto the elastic strands 28, such as for example at the free ends 38. Thus, as shown by the adhesive patterns shown in
In an alternative operation of the dispensing module 848 and valves 890, 892 shown in
It will be understood that the opening of the first valve 890 and/or the second valve 892 may be done in a continuous or intermittent manner during dispensing adhesive 30 onto the elastic strands 28. For example, the second portion 34 of the elastic strands 28 may be coated with the second adhesive portion 858 by keeping the first valve 890 closed and repeatedly opening and closing the second valve 892 to provide generally spaced-apart masses of adhesive 30 along the length of the second portion 34. Alternatively, the second portion 34 of the elastic strands 28 may be coated with the second adhesive portion 858 by keeping the second valve 892 continuously open while the first valve 890 is closed, which produces a generally uniform coating of adhesive 30 along the length of the second portion 34. It will be appreciated that the flow rate of adhesive 30 delivered by the individually adjustable pump defining the second adhesive supply 854 will be larger when the second valve 892 is to be opened intermittently than when the second valve 892 is to be opened continuously in order to provide the same level of adhesive coating on the second portion 34 of the elastic strands 28. Moreover, it will be understood that the application of adhesive 30 onto the first and third portions 32, 36 may be similarly adjusted by opening the first valve 890 intermittently or continuously in other embodiments.
Thus, just as in the previous exemplary operation, the first and third portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 are coated with first and third volumes of adhesive 30a, 30c that are larger than a second volume of adhesive 30b coating the second portions 34 of the elastic strands 28. The application of a higher volume of adhesive 30 to the end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the central portions 34 maintains high quality bonds capable of preventing creep at the opposing ends of the elastic strands 28 (defined by the end portions 32, 36) when adhesively secured to the substrate(s) 18, 26 to form the elasticized leg gather 20 on the disposable diaper 10. In other words, the integrity of the bonds formed between the elastic strands 28 and the substrate(s) 18, 26 is maintained by the first and third volume of adhesive 30a, 30c during normal wear conditions for the disposable diaper 10, and these bonds limit movement of the opposing ends of the elastic strands 28. Also, the reduced use of adhesive along the second portions 34 enables increased softness and force retraction capability for the disposable diaper 10 at least along these portions, compared to conventional designs. In this regard, the stiffness of the disposable diaper 10 is limited or reduced and the elastic strands 28 are allowed to retract from the stretched condition along the second portions 28.
Turning to
In operation, opening both valves 890a, 892a again causes a maximum flow of adhesive 30 to be extruded through the dispensing outlet 880. When only the second valve 892a is open with the first valve 890a closed, a lesser flow of adhesive 30 is extruded through the dispensing outlet 880. When the second valve 892a is closed, substantially no adhesive 30 is extruded through the dispensing outlet 880 from either adhesive supply 852, 854. Consequently, the valve arrangement shown in
With reference to
In order to apply these adhesive portions 956, 958 with different amounts of adhesive 30, the dispensing module 948 receives adhesive from two adhesive supplies 952, 954. Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 952, 954 may include separate individually adjustable pumps or a shared dual stream pump, depending on the particular application. The dispensing module 948 includes first and second valves (not shown) configured to control whether a dispensing outlet (not shown) of the dispensing nozzle receives adhesive from one, both, or neither of the adhesive supplies 952, 954, as described above. Additionally, the dispensing module 948 also receives pressurized process air from two air supplies 953, 955. The pressurized air from these air supplies 953, 955 may be selectively controlled by similar valves as the adhesive 30, as well understood in the art. Accordingly, a higher amount of pressurized air may be used when a higher amount of adhesive 30 is being applied by the dispensing module 948. It will also be appreciated that the dispensing module 948 may receive a single adjustable pressurized air supply in other embodiments consistent with the scope of the invention. As with the previously described embodiments, the dispensing apparatus 940 advantageously applies more volume of adhesive to the end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the central portion 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive use while maintaining similar high bond quality.
With reference to
In order to apply these adhesive portions 1056, 1058 with different amounts of adhesive 30, the dispensing module 1048 receives adhesive from two adhesive supplies 1052, 1054. Similar to the embodiments described above, the adhesive supplies 1052, 1054 may include separate individually adjustable pumps or a shared dual stream pump, depending on the particular application. The dispensing module 1048 includes first and second valves (not shown) configured to control whether a dispensing outlet (not shown) of the dispensing nozzle receives adhesive from one, both, or neither of the adhesive supplies 1052, 1054, as described above. When both valves are open, the dispensing module 1048 applies the thicker first adhesive portion 1056 to the elastic strands 28. When only one of the valves is open, the dispensing module 1048 applies the thinner second adhesive portion 1058 to the elastic strands 28. As such, the dispensing apparatus 1040 advantageously applies more volume of adhesive to the end portions 32, 36 of the elastic strands 28 than to the central portion 34, thereby significantly reducing adhesive use while maintaining similar high bond quality.
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of specific embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. The various features discussed herein may be used alone or in any combination. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of the general inventive concept.
This application is a continuation-in-part and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/444,126, filed on Apr. 11, 2012 (pending), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13444126 | Apr 2012 | US |
| Child | 14456418 | US |
