US-12616614-B2 - Absorbent articles with corrugated elastomeric laminates and methods for making corrugated elastomeric laminates

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles and methods for manufacturing absorbent articles, and elastomeric laminates and methods for making corrugated elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles.

Inventors

• Uwe Schneider
• Joseph Allen Eckstein
• Todd Leon Mansfield

Assignees

• THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230519

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A method for making an elastomeric laminate, the method comprising steps of: providing a first corrugated substrate by forming ridges that alternate with depressions along a machine direction in a first substrate; providing a second corrugated substrate by forming ridges that alternate with depressions along the machine direction in a second substrate; advancing elastic strands in the machine direction; stretching the elastic strands in the machine direction; subsequent to the step of stretching the elastic strands, applying a first adhesive intermittently to the elastic strands to form discrete regions of the first adhesive on the elastic strands; bonding discrete lengths of the elastic strands with and between the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate with first bonds formed with the discrete regions of the first adhesive; and bonding the depressions of the first corrugated substrate directly with the depressions of the second corrugated substrate with second bonds along the machine direction between consecutive first bonds.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the elastic strands extend through the second bonds and wherein the elastic strands can retract and stretch through the second bonds.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second bonds comprise a second adhesive.
4. 4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising a step of applying the second adhesive to at least one of the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate.
5. 5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of applying the second adhesive to at least one of the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate further comprises applying the second adhesive to the depressions of at least one of the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate.
6. 6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the first adhesive is applied with a first basis weight and wherein the second adhesive is applied with a second basis weight, and wherein the second basis weight is less than the first basis weight.
7. 7 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second adhesive is positioned between the elastic strands and at least one of the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate without adhering the elastic strands to the at least one of the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate.
8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second bonds comprise mechanical bonds.
9. 9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the mechanical bonds comprise ultrasonic bonds.
10. 10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the mechanical bonds comprise heat or pressure bonds.
11. 11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of stretching comprises advancing the elastic strands from a first metering device at a first speed to a second metering device at a second speed, wherein the second speed is greater than the first speed.
12. 12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the first metering device comprises individual spools of elastic strands.
13. 13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the first metering device comprises a beam with a plurality of elastic strands wound thereon.
14. 14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second metering device comprises a first roller adjacent a second roller defining a nip therebetween, and wherein the elastic strands advance through the nip and are sandwiched between the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate.
15. 15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first roller is adjacent a third roller, wherein the first roller and third roller each comprise a plurality of protrusions that intermesh when the first roller and the third roller rotate in opposite directions, and wherein the step of providing the first corrugated substrate further comprises advancing the first substrate between the intermeshing protrusions of the first roller and the third roller.
16. 16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the elastic strands comprise a decitex less than about 300.
17. 17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of separating the elastic strands from each other by about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm in a cross direction.
18. 18 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising steps of: forming a deactivated region by cutting the elastic strands between consecutive first bonds, wherein cut elastic strands retract to the consecutive first bonds; and bonding an absorbent chassis to the deactivated region.
19. 19 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising steps of: bonding the elastomeric laminate with a second elastomeric laminate with side seam bonds, wherein the first bonds are located in regions where the side seam bonds are located; and cutting the elastomeric laminate and the second elastomeric laminate through the side seam bonds and the first bonds to form discrete diaper pants.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/349,609, filed Jun. 7, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles and methods for manufacturing absorbent articles, and more particularly, to elastomeric laminates and methods for making corrugated elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 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 elastic laminates. Such elastic laminates may include an elastic material bonded between two substrates. The elastic material may include an elastic film and/or elastic strands. In some laminates, two nonwovens may be deformed to create corrugations, and elastic strands are joined between two corrugated nonwovens while the elastic strands are in a stretched condition. As such, the nonwovens gather between the locations where the nonwovens are bonded to each other and the elastic strands. The resulting elastic laminate is stretchable to the extent that the corrugations allow the elastic strands to elongate. However, processes for assembling such laminates may utilize adhesives that are coated over the full length of the elastic strands to anchor the elastic strands and to connect the two nonwovens together. As such, relatively large amounts of adhesive may be utilized to help ensure attachment of the elastic strands to the corrugations. As a result, when the laminate is stretched at relatively high rates, the relatively large coating of adhesive may hinder the contraction rates of the elastics. Consequently, it would be beneficial to provide elastic laminates and methods and apparatuses for producing such elastic laminates wherein the elastic strands may be bonded between corrugated substrates in desired locations so as to help reduce negative impacts on contraction rates of the laminates. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one form, a method for making an elastomeric laminate comprises steps of: providing a first corrugated substrate by forming ridges that alternate with depressions along a machine direction in a first substrate; providing a second corrugated substrate by forming ridges that alternate with depressions along the machine direction in a second substrate; advancing elastic strands in the machine direction; stretching the elastic strands in the machine direction; subsequent to the step of stretching the elastic strands, applying a first adhesive intermittently to the elastic strands to form discrete regions of the first adhesive on the elastic strands; bonding discrete lengths of the elastic strands with and between the first corrugated substrate and the second corrugated substrate with first bonds formed with the discrete regions of the first adhesive; and bonding the depressions of first corrugated substrate directly with the depressions of the second corrugated substrate with second bonds along the machine direction between consecutive first bonds. In another form, a method for making an elastomeric laminate comprises steps of: providing a first corrugated substrate by forming ridges that alternate with depressions along a machine direction in a first substrate; providing a second substrate, wherein the second substrate is not corrugated; advancing elastic strands in the machine direction; stretching the elastic strands in the machine direction; subsequent to stretching the elastics strands, applying a first adhesive intermittently to the elastic strands to form discrete regions of the first adhesive on the elastic strands; bonding discrete lengths of the elastic strands with and between the first corrugated substrate and the second substrate wi