Patent Grant
9701510
The present disclosure relates to methods for manufacturing absorbent articles, and more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for making elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles.
Along an assembly line, various types of articles, such as for example, diapers and other absorbent articles, may be assembled by adding components to and/or otherwise modifying an advancing, continuous web of material. For example, in some processes, advancing webs of material are combined with other advancing webs of material. In other examples, individual components created from advancing webs of material are combined with advancing webs of material, which in turn, are then combined with other advancing webs of material. In some cases, individual components created from an advancing web or webs are combined with other individual components created from other advancing webs. Webs of material and component parts used to manufacture diapers may include: backsheets, topsheets, leg cuffs, waist bands, absorbent core components, front and/or back ears, fastening components, and various types of elastic webs and components such as leg elastics, barrier leg cuff elastics, stretch side panels, and waist elastics. Once the desired component parts are assembled, the advancing web(s) and component parts are subjected to a final knife cut to separate the web(s) into discrete diapers or other absorbent articles.
Some absorbent articles have components that include elastomeric laminates. Such elastomeric laminates may include an elastic material bonded to one or more nonwovens. The elastic material may include an elastic film and/or elastic strands. In some laminates, a plurality of elastic strands are joined to a nonwoven while the plurality of strands are in a stretched condition so that when the elastic strands relax, the nonwoven gathers between the locations where the nonwoven is bonded to the elastic strands forming corrugations. The resulting elastomeric laminate is stretchable to the extent that the corrugations allow the elastic strands to elongate.
During the manufacture of elastic laminates, problems can be encountered in the manufacturing process when bonding elastic strands to substrates. For example, tensioned elastic strands may break during the assembly process. If a strand breaks under tension, a loose end of the broken strand may tend to snap back a significant distance toward an upstream portion of the manufacturing process. As such, the loose end may become entangled in other upstream manufacturing components, which in turn, may necessitate stopping the process in order to properly rethread the elastic strand to the intended position on the production machinery. In some configurations, several strands may advance through a manufacture process in close proximity to one another. Thus, a violent and uncontrolled retraction of a loose end of a broken strand may also cause additional strands to become broken. Consequently, it would be beneficial to provide a method and apparatus for producing an elastomeric laminate that is capable of automatically capturing and isolating upstream end portions of elastic strands that break during the production process to help reduce the amount of rethreading that would otherwise be necessary and to help reduce the likelihood of causing adjacent elastic strands in the process to become broken. Such methods and apparatus may also be used as a troubleshooting device to help identify the specific locations along the assembly line where elastic strands are breaking.
The present disclosure relates to methods for making elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. During the process of making the elastomeric laminate, elastic material may be advanced and stretched in a machine direction and may be joined with one or more substrates advancing the machine direction. The methods and apparatuses according to the present disclosure may be configured to automatically isolate elastic materials that may break during the assembly process. The apparatuses may include a base member and one or more one-way snares projecting from the outer surface of the base member. The one-way snares are adapted to permit advancement of continuous elastic strands in a first direction, and are also adapted to prevent an end portion a broken elastic strand from retracting in a second direction, wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.
In one form, an apparatus for isolating a broken elastic strand includes: a base member including an outer surface; an aperture extending through the base member and defining a perimeter; a one-way snare projecting from the outer surface of the base member and arranged along the perimeter of the aperture, wherein the one-way snare is adapted to permit advancement of a continuous elastic strand in a first direction through the aperture, and is adapted to prevent an end portion a broken elastic strand from retracting in a second direction through the aperture, wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.
In another form, an apparatus for isolating a broken elastic strand, the apparatus comprising: a base member including an outer surface; an aperture extending through the base member and defining a perimeter; a plurality of projections, each projection having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, the proximal end portion connected with the base, wherein the projections are arranged along the perimeter of the aperture; a gap separating the distal end portions of two neighboring projections, the gap extending from the distal end portions of the two neighboring projections toward the proximal end portions of the two neighboring projections; an opening in the outer surface of the base member; and a channel extending through the base member and connecting the opening with the gap.
In yet another form, a method for isolating broken strands of elastic includes the steps of: advancing an elastic strand in a first direction through an aperture in a base member and along a plurality of projections, each projection having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, the proximal end portion connected with the base; separating the elastic strand in the first direction to create an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion; retracting the upstream end portion in a second direction toward the aperture; and capturing the upstream end portion in a gap separating the distal end portions of two neighboring projections.
The following term explanations may be useful in understanding the present disclosure:
“Absorbent article” is used herein to refer to consumer products whose primary function is to absorb and retain soils and wastes. “Diaper” is used herein to refer to an absorbent article generally worn by infants and incontinent persons about the lower torso. The term “disposable” is used herein to describe absorbent articles which generally are not intended to be laundered or otherwise restored or reused as an absorbent article (e.g., they are intended to be discarded after a single use and may also be configured to be recycled, composted or otherwise disposed of in an environmentally compatible manner).
An “elastic,” “elastomer” or “elastomeric” refers to materials exhibiting elastic properties, which include any material that upon application of a force to its relaxed, initial length can stretch or elongate to an elongated length more than 10% greater than its initial length and will substantially recover back to about its initial length upon release of the applied force.
As used herein, the term “joined” encompasses configurations whereby an element is directly secured to another element by affixing the element directly to the other element, and configurations whereby an element is indirectly secured to another element by affixing the element to intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the other element.
“Longitudinal” means a direction running substantially perpendicular from a waist edge to a longitudinally opposing waist edge of an absorbent article when the article is in a flat out, uncontracted state, or from a waist edge to the bottom of the crotch, i.e. the fold line, in a bi-folded article. Directions within 45 degrees of the longitudinal direction are considered to be “longitudinal.” “Lateral” refers to a direction running from a longitudinally extending side edge to a laterally opposing longitudinally extending side edge of an article and generally at a right angle to the longitudinal direction. Directions within 45 degrees of the lateral direction are considered to be “lateral.”
The term “substrate” is used herein to describe a material which is primarily two-dimensional (i.e. in an XY plane) and whose thickness (in a Z direction) is relatively small (i.e. 1/10 or less) in comparison to its length (in an X direction) and width (in a Y direction). Non-limiting examples of substrates include a web, layer or layers or fibrous materials, nonwovens, films and foils such as polymeric films or metallic foils. These materials may be used alone or may comprise two or more layers laminated together. As such, a web is a substrate.
The term “nonwoven” refers herein to a material made from continuous (long) filaments (fibers) and/or discontinuous (short) filaments (fibers) by processes such as spunbonding, meltblowing, carding, and the like. Nonwovens do not have a woven or knitted filament pattern.
The term “machine direction” (MD) is used herein to refer to the direction of material flow through a process. In addition, relative placement and movement of material can be described as flowing in the machine direction through a process from upstream in the process to downstream in the process.
The term “cross direction” (CD) is used herein to refer to a direction that is generally perpendicular to the machine direction.
The term “pant” (also referred to as “training pant”, “pre-closed diaper”, “diaper pant”, “pant diaper”, and “pull-on diaper”) refers herein to disposable absorbent articles having a continuous perimeter waist opening and continuous perimeter leg openings designed for infant or adult wearers. A pant can be configured with a continuous or closed waist opening and at least one continuous, closed, leg opening prior to the article being applied to the wearer.
The present disclosure relates to methods for manufacturing absorbent articles, and in particular, to methods for making elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. The elastomeric laminates may include a first substrate, a substrate, and an elastic material located between the first substrate and second substrate. During the process of making the elastomeric laminate, the elastic material may be advanced and stretched in a machine direction and may be joined with either or both the first and second substrates advancing the machine direction. The methods and apparatuses according to the present disclosure may be configured to automatically isolate elastic materials that may break during the assembly process. As discussed in more detail below, the apparatuses may include a base member and one or more one-way snares projecting from the outer surface of the base member. More particularly, one or more apertures may extend through the base member, and the snares may be arranged along the perimeters of the one or more apertures and project outward from the base. As discussed in more detail below, the one-way snares are adapted to permit advancement of continuous elastic strands in a first direction through the apertures. The one-way snares are also adapted to prevent an end portion a broken elastic strand from retracting in a second direction through the aperture, wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction. Thus, during the manufacture process, stretched elastics strands may advance in a machine direction MD through the one or more apertures in the base member before being joined with a substrate. In the event that an elastic strand breaks, an upstream end portion of the elastic strand may retract back toward the base member and is captured and isolated by the snare. As such, the snares may help prevent loose ends of the broken strands from snapping back a significant distance toward an upstream portion of the manufacturing process. In some manufacturing configurations where several strands may advance in close proximity to one another, the snares may help reduce the likelihood of a single broken strand causing adjacent elastic strands in the process to become broken. Further, snares may also be placed in various locations along a manufacturing line as a troubleshooting tool to help more easily identify the specific causes of and/or locations where elastic strands are breaking.
It is to be appreciated that the snares may be configured in various ways to capture the retracting upstream end portions of broken elastic strands. For example, in some configurations, the snare may include a plurality of projections, each projection having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion connected with the base. A gap may separate the distal end portions of two neighboring projections, wherein the gap extends from the distal end portions of the two neighboring projections toward the proximal end portions of the two neighboring projections. In addition, the gap may be tapered and/or may be relatively wider at the distal end portions. As discussed below, during the manufacturing process, stretched elastic strands may advance in a machine direction MD through the base member and past the projections. In the event that an elastic strand breaks, the retracting upstream end portion of the broken elastic strand may be captured by becoming wedged in one or more gaps. In some configurations, the snare may include a plurality of projections configured as bristles and/or tufts of bristles arranged along the perimeter of the aperture. In such an arrangement, the retracting upstream end portion of the broken elastic strand may be captured by becoming entangled in the bristles.
As previously mentioned, the elastomeric laminates made according to the processes and apparatuses discussed herein may be used as to construct various types of components used in the manufacture of different types of absorbent articles. To help provide additional context to the subsequent discussion of the process embodiments, the following provides a general description of absorbent articles in the form of diapers that include components including the elastomeric laminates that may be produced with the methods and apparatuses disclosed herein.
With continued reference to
As shown in
As shown in
It is to also be appreciated that a portion or the whole of the diaper 100 may also be made laterally extensible. The additional extensibility may help allow the diaper 100 to conform to the body of a wearer during movement by the wearer. The additional extensibility may also help, for example, allow the user of the diaper 100 including a chassis 102 having a particular size before extension to extend the front waist region 116, the back waist region 118, or both waist regions of the diaper 100 and/or chassis 102 to provide additional body coverage for wearers of differing size, i.e., to tailor the diaper to an individual wearer. Such extension of the waist region or regions may give the absorbent article a generally hourglass shape, so long as the crotch region is extended to a relatively lesser degree than the waist region or regions, and may impart a tailored appearance to the article when it is worn.
As previously mentioned, the diaper pant 100 may include a backsheet 136. The backsheet 136 may also define the outer surface 134 of the chassis 102. The backsheet 136 may be impervious to fluids (e.g., menses, urine, and/or runny feces) and may be manufactured from a thin plastic film, although other flexible liquid impervious materials may also be used. The backsheet 136 may prevent the exudates absorbed and contained in the absorbent core from wetting articles which contact the diaper 100, such as bedsheets, pajamas and undergarments. The backsheet 136 may also comprise a woven or nonwoven material, polymeric films such as thermoplastic films of polyethylene or polypropylene, and/or a multi-layer or composite materials comprising a film and a nonwoven material (e.g., having an inner film layer and an outer nonwoven layer). The backsheet may also comprise an elastomeric film. An example backsheet 136 may be a polyethylene film having a thickness of from about 0.012 mm (0.5 mils) to about 0.051 mm (2.0 mils). Exemplary polyethylene films are manufactured by Clopay Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio, under the designation BR-120 and BR-121 and by Tredegar Film Products of Terre Haute, Ind., under the designation XP-39385. The backsheet 136 may also be embossed and/or matte-finished to provide a more clothlike appearance. Further, the backsheet 136 may permit vapors to escape from the absorbent core (i.e., the backsheet is breathable) while still preventing exudates from passing through the backsheet 136. The size of the backsheet 136 may be dictated by the size of the absorbent core 142 and/or particular configuration or size of the diaper 100.
Also described above, the diaper pant 100 may include a topsheet 138. The topsheet 138 may also define all or part of the inner surface 132 of the chassis 102. The topsheet 138 may be compliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. It may be elastically stretchable in one or two directions. Further, the topsheet 138 may be liquid pervious, permitting liquids (e.g., menses, urine, and/or runny feces) to penetrate through its thickness. A topsheet 138 may be manufactured from a wide range of materials such as woven and nonwoven materials; apertured or hydroformed thermoplastic films; apertured nonwovens, porous foams; reticulated foams; reticulated thermoplastic films; and thermoplastic scrims. Woven and nonwoven materials may comprise natural fibers such as wood or cotton fibers; synthetic fibers such as polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene fibers; or combinations thereof. If the topsheet 138 includes fibers, the fibers may be spunbond, carded, wet-laid, meltblown, hydroentangled, or otherwise processed as is known in the art.
Topsheets 138 may be selected from high loft nonwoven topsheets, apertured film topsheets and apertured nonwoven topsheets. Apertured film topsheets may be pervious to bodily exudates, yet substantially non-absorbent, and have a reduced tendency to allow fluids to pass back through and rewet the wearer's skin. Exemplary apertured films may include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,628,097; 5,916,661; 6,545,197; and 6,107,539.
As mentioned above, the diaper pant 100 may also include an absorbent assembly 140 that is joined to the chassis 102. As shown in
Some absorbent core embodiments may comprise fluid storage cores that contain reduced amounts of cellulosic airfelt material. For instance, such cores may comprise less than about 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 5%, or even 1% of cellulosic airfelt material. Such a core may comprises primarily absorbent gelling material in amounts of at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or even about 100%, where the remainder of the core comprises a microfiber glue (if applicable). Such cores, microfiber glues, and absorbent gelling materials are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,599,335; 5,562,646; 5,669,894; and 6,790,798 as well as U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2004/0158212 and 2004/0097895.
As previously mentioned, the diaper 100 may also include elasticized leg cuffs 156. It is to be appreciated that the leg cuffs 156 can be and are sometimes also referred to as leg bands, side flaps, barrier cuffs, elastic cuffs or gasketing cuffs. The elasticized leg cuffs 156 may be configured in various ways to help reduce the leakage of body exudates in the leg regions. Example leg cuffs 156 may include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,860,003; 4,909,803; 4,695,278; 4,795,454; 4,704,115; 4,909,803; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0312730A1; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/435,503, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR MAKING LEG CUFFS FOR ABSORBENT ARTICLES”, filed on Mar. 30, 2012.
As mentioned above, diaper pants may be manufactured with a ring-like elastic belt 104 and provided to consumers in a configuration wherein the front waist region 116 and the back waist region 118 are connected to each other as packaged, prior to being applied to the wearer. As such, diaper pants may have a continuous perimeter waist opening 110 and continuous perimeter leg openings 112 such as shown in
As previously mentioned, the ring-like elastic belt 104 is defined by a first elastic belt 106 connected with a second elastic belt 108. As shown in
The central region 106c of the first elastic belt is connected with the first waist region 116 of the chassis 102, and the central region 108c of the second elastic belt 108 is connected with the second waist region 118 of the chassis 102. As shown in
As shown in
The first and second elastic belts 106, 108 may also each include belt elastic material interposed between the outer layer 162 and the inner layer 164. The belt elastic material may include one or more elastic elements such as strands, ribbons, or panels extending along the lengths of the elastic belts. As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the elastic strands 168 may be disposed at a constant interval in the longitudinal direction. In other embodiments, the elastic strands 168 may be disposed at different intervals in the longitudinal direction. As discussed in more detail below, the belt elastic strands 168, in a stretched condition, may be interposed and joined between the uncontracted outer layer and the uncontracted inner layer. When the belt elastic material is relaxed, the belt elastic material returns to an unstretched condition and contracts the outer layer and the inner layer. The belt elastic material may provide a desired variation of contraction force in the area of the ring-like elastic belt.
It is to be appreciated that the chassis 102 and elastic belts 106, 108 may be configured in different ways other than as depicted in
Components of the disposable absorbent article (i.e., diaper, disposable pant, adult incontinence article, sanitary napkin, pantiliner, etc.) described in this specification can at least partially be comprised of bio-sourced content as described in US 2007/0219521A1 Hird et al published on Sep. 20, 2007, US 2011/0139658A1 Hird et al published on Jun. 16, 2011, US 2011/0139657A1 Hird et al published on Jun. 16, 2011, US 2011/0152812A1 Hird et al published on Jun. 23, 2011, US 2011/0139662A1 Hird et al published on Jun. 16, 2011, and US 2011/0139659A1 Hird et al published on Jun. 16, 2011. These components include, but are not limited to, topsheet nonwovens, backsheet films, backsheet nonwovens, side panel nonwovens, barrier leg cuff nonwovens, super absorbent, nonwoven acquisition layers, core wrap nonwovens, adhesives, fastener hooks, and fastener landing zone nonwovens and film bases.
In at least one exemplary configuration, a disposable absorbent article component comprises a bio-based content value from about 10% to about 100% using ASTM D6866-10, method B, in another embodiment, from about 25% to about 75%, and in yet another embodiment, from about 50% to about 60% using ASTM D6866-10, method B.
In order to apply the methodology of ASTM D6866-10 to determine the bio-based content of any disposable absorbent article component, a representative sample of the disposable absorbent article component must be obtained for testing. In at least one embodiment, the disposable absorbent article component can be ground into particulates less than about 20 mesh using known grinding methods (e.g., Wiley® mill), and a representative sample of suitable mass taken from the randomly mixed particles.
As previously mentioned, the apparatuses and methods according to the present disclosure may be utilized to assemble elastic laminates 302 used in various components of absorbent articles, such as for example, elastic belts 106, 108 and/or leg cuffs 156. Although the following methods may be provided in the context of the diaper 100 shown in
As previously mentioned, apparatuses and methods according to the present disclosure may be utilized to produce elastomeric laminates that may be used to construct various components of diapers 100, such as elastic belts, leg cuffs, and the like. For example,
The elastomeric laminates 302 can be used to construct various types of diaper components. For example, the elastomeric laminates 302 may be used as a continuous length of elastomeric belt material that may be converted into the first and second elastic belts 106, 108 discussed above with reference to
As discussed in more detail below, the converting apparatuses 300 may include metering devices arranged along a process machine direction MD, wherein the metering devices may be configured to stretch the advancing elastic material and/or join stretch elastic material with one or more advancing substrates. The converting apparatuses may also include one or more broken strand isolator apparatuses arranged between metering devices. As discussed below, each broken strand isolator apparatus may include one or more one-way snares. During operation, elastic material may advance in a first direction from an upstream metering device, through the broken strand isolator, and to a downstream metering device. In the event that the stretched elastic material breaks while advancing from the upstream metering device to the downstream metering device, an upstream end portion of the broken elastic strand retracts in a second direction, opposite the first direction, toward the broken strand isolator. In turn, the one-way snare captures the upstream end portion of the broken elastic strand, preventing the upstream end portion from retracting further upstream.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
With continued reference to
As previously mentioned, the elastic strands 304 may break while the apparatus 300 is producing an elastomeric laminate 302.
As discussed in more detail below, the isolator apparatuses 400 herein may include a base member 402 and one or more one-way snares 404 projecting outward from the base member 402. In operation, such as shown in
It is to be appreciated that the isolator apparatuses 400 herein may be configured in various different ways to capture upstream end portions of broken elastic material. For example,
As previously mentioned, the one-way snares 404 of the isolator apparatus 400 may include various numbers of projections 418 extending in the first direction 353 from the base member 402. For example, as shown in
With reference to
It is to be appreciated that the isolator apparatus may be configured with various additional features to help improve ease of installation and operation. In one example, as shown in
In another example, the base member 402 shown in
In yet another example, the isolator apparatus 400 can be constructed to enable placement in different orientations while still be able to accept elastic strands 304 and function in accordance with the machine direction MD of the manufacturing process. For example, the isolator apparatus 400 shown in
It is also to be appreciated that the isolator apparatus 400 may be configured with various types of one-way snares 404 configured to capture the upstream end portions 352 of broken elastic strands 304. For example,
With respect to the embodiment 400 shown in
It is to be appreciated that the methods and apparatus specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting example embodiments. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example,
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
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