METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ELASTIC PARTS UNDER TENSION TO AN ADVANCING CARRIER

• Main Authors: FINDLEY, Daniel, Patrick, ECKSTEIN, Joseph, Allen
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 24.07.2019
• Subjects: BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; CONVEYING; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF,TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, E.G. STENTS; FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; FIRST-AID KITS; FOMENTATION; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS,CABLES; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROSTHESES; STORING; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS

The present disclosure relates to assembling, advancing, reorienting, and/or transferring stretched elastic parts during the assembly of absorbent articles. As described herein, a transfer assembly reorients a stretched elastic part from a first orientation, wherein the direction of stretch is generally parallel to the machine direction, to a second orientation, wherein the direction of stretch is generally perpendicular to the machine direction. The reoriented elastic part is then transferred to a carrier while maintaining the stretched condition of the elastic part. The orientation and/or configuration of vacuum apertures in a carrier surface relative to the direction of stretch of the elastic part and relative to the machine direction helps to prevent the elastic part from contracting, while at the same time helps to allow the elastic part to slide off the carrier surface without snagging and/or sticking to aperture perimeter edges.