Method for imparting elasticity to a non-woven material / elastomer laminate

Abstract

Method for imparting elasticity to a laminate comprising at least one elastic film having a width and at least one ply of non-woven material secured to the film, particularly through interposition of a bonding material, particularly glue, which comprises the following steps in which: the laminate is unrolled in the form of a web in order to pass it between two sets of toothing, of which the teeth engage in each other in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the laminate in order to thus stretch the laminate in the direction of its width, characterised in that: a tension is imparted to the web in the longitudinal direction or machine direction during its unrolling between the toothing, particularly by providing a tensioner roll, particularly downstream of the sets of toothing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for manufacturing an elastic laminate having a laminate length in a longitudinal direction (MD) and a laminate width in a transverse direction (CD) and comprising at least one elastomeric film and at least one ply of non-woven material, comprising the steps of:
 extruding an elastomeric material on a conveying belt so as to form at least one elastomeric film;   conveying said at least one elastomeric film through a cooling unit so as to cool said elastomeric material;   securing together said at least one elastomeric film with at least one ply of non-woven material;   conveying the resulting composite constituted of the at least one elastomeric film and of said at least one ply of non-woven material into an activation unit so as to stretch said composite in said transverse direction CD to impart elasticity thereto and to obtain said elastic laminate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising the further step of:
 securing together said at least one elastomeric film and said at least one ply of non-woven material is done by interposing of a bonding layer.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein there is provided two plies of non-woven material and two bonding layers, said bonding layers having a width equal to said laminate width. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said bonding layer is a glue layer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said bonding layers are glue layers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one elastomeric film has a width in said transverse direction which is smaller than said laminate width. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said at least one elastomeric film has a width in said transverse direction which is smaller than said laminate width. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one elastomeric film has a width in said transverse direction which is smaller than said laminate width. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein there is provided two elastomeric films, and the sum of their respective widths being less than said laminate width. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein stretching the composite in the CD direction in the activation unit is done by conveying said composite between two sets of teeth. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one elastomeric film is deposited on said at least one ply of non-woven material in a softened state. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one ply of non-woven material is a mechanically consolidated non-woven material. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the securing together of said at least one elastomeric film and said at least one ply of non-woven material is done while said at least one ply of non-woven is unrolled from a reel.