Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Lars Nilsen Nordang

Charles Robert Tomsovic

Robert Lee Popp

Joseph Daniel Coenen

Mary Lou McDaniel

Steven Craig Gehling

John David Amundson

Heather Schenck Mortell

David Kevin Oldroyd

James Richard Schermerhorn

Melissa Kay Burns

James Bassey Pinkney

Brad W Schoon

Paul D Mueller

A seam bonding system includes a drum rotatable about an axis. A seam bonder is mounted to the drum such that the seam bonder is rotatable with the drum about the axis. A horn of the seam bonder is movable along a transverse direction over an anvil of the seam bonder. The seam bonding system also includes features for positioning a lobe of a web material on the drum while the horn of the seam bonder moves along the transverse direction over the anvil of the seam bonder.

Lobe positioner for a seam bonder

In the manufacture of a tampon, an absorbent structure composed of an absorbent material can be formed into a tampon blank. In various embodiments, a withdrawal element can be attached to the absorbent structure either before or after the absorbent structure is formed into a tampon blank. The tampon blank can then undergo a compression step which can result in the pledget of the tampon. The pledget, and resultant tampon, can have at least one linear channel and at least one non-linear channel.

Method of manufacturing a tampon

A method of integrating a tampon includes providing an absorbent blank having a longitudinal centerline and compressing the absorbent blank in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline to form a pledget having a compressed diameter. The method also includes penetrating the pledget in the perpendicular direction to a compressed depth of at least 20% of the compressed diameter to form a discrete indentation.

Integrated tampon and method for making

A boxer-style pant and methods of making a boxer-style pant having side seams and hanging legs. At least a portion of each of the hanging legs may be non-planar in an uncontracted state prior to formation of the side seams. The methods each involve providing at least one web. In some methods, a crotch panel is bonded to first and second regions of the web between two leg openings, and a distance between bonded regions of upper and lower edges of the crotch panel, measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of the pant, is shorter along a central region of the crotch panel and longer in distal regions of the crotch panel, such that the bonded region results in a bow-tie-shaped crotch panel. In some methods, a crotch region of the web is folded and stabilized along a longitudinal centerline of the web. In some methods, leg extensions are attached to at least a portion of each of two leg openings. Front and back regions may be joined together to form the side seams. An absorbent structure may be attached to the web.

Boxer shorts and process of making boxer shorts from one or more webs

A method of bonding material in a process system for producing a bonded product includes the steps of loading a plurality of rolls of elastomeric material in an unwind system; programming a controller with an unwind speed and a rewind speed, the controller in communication with the unwind system and a rewinder disposed downstream from the unwind system for respective communication of the unwind and rewind speeds to the unwind system and the rewinder; unwinding a quantity of material from the plurality of rolls of elastomeric material into a pressure bonder disposed upstream of the rewinder, the pressure bonder and the rewinder operating faster than the unwind system operating at the unwind speed to generate a speed differential, wherein the speed differential imparts a stretch state to the quantity of material; and bonding the stretched quantity of material with the pressure bonder.

Bonding of elastomeric substrate under stretched conditions

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Neenah, WI, United States of America

Lars Nilsen Nordang