WO1998044882A1

WO1998044882A1 - Method of applying elastic members in a continuous web of material

Info

Publication number: WO1998044882A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/000611
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anders Gustafsson; Eva Fransson; Peter Rönnberg
Original assignee: Sca Hygiene Products Ab
Priority date: 1997-04-07
Filing date: 1998-04-03
Publication date: 1998-10-15
Also published as: SE513205C2; SE9701255L; SE9701255D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of applying elastic members onto an absorbent article intended for non-recurrent use, where each elastic member forms the leg elastic and is also in raised liquid barriers within different parts of one and the same absorbent article.

Description

METHOD OF APPLYING ELASTIC MEMBERS IN A CONTINUOUS WEB OF MATERIAL

BACKGROUND :

The present invention relates to a method of applying elastic members in a continuous web of material for the manufacture of absorbent articles intended for nonrecurrent use. The invention also relates to an absorbent article fitted with elastic members.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND:

Articles that can absorb liquid, for example disposable nappies, fitted with elastic to give the article a certain required shape when in use are already known. In most articles of this kind the main purpose of the elastic is to create at the wearer's crotch a raised close-fitting elastic edge around the wearer's legs. This type of elastic is usually called leg elastic. In addition on many articles there is a further type of elastic, the purpose of which is to form raised barriers that are intended to prevent the liquid from flowing freely and reaching the edge of the article. Such raised barriers are particularly effective when the wearer is lying on his/her side or when the flow of liquid is large. The abovementioned raised barriers also prevent the leakage of faeces from out of the absorbent product.

US 3,860,003, for example, discloses disposable nappy pants in which the leg elastic forms a collar running around the legs. When the article is spread out flat the elastic is completely straight and extends principally alongside the absorbent pad in the longitudinal direction of the article. In use the elastic draws the edges together to form an elastic band that fits closely around the wearer's leg. US 4,050,462 relates to a disposable nappy with elastic that extends in straight lines when the disposable nappy is laid out flat and in use is intended to draw together the crotch area of the disposable nappy and to increase the surface and volume per unit of length of the absorbent pad by forming gathers. This increases the absorption effect.

WO 88/00010 describes a disposable nappy with elastic that extends principally in straight lines and forms a V- shaped configuration. The elastic extends inwards over the absorbent pad of the disposable nappy and demarcates an area that is pulled into shape by means of the contracting effect of the elastic. On account of the elastic extending in straight lines there is principally a gathering of the article as a whole as a result of the elastic trying to reduce the length of the article.

US 4,801,345 describes a method of manufacturing disposable nappies. The method includes the application of elastic at the crotch area of the disposable nappy. Here the elastic extends along the long sides of the disposable nappy and right along the side of the absorbent pad. The purpose of the elastic is principally to achieve a close fit between the edge of the disposable nappy and the wearer's leg. An additional effect is also a certain degree of contraction and gathering of the absorbent pad over the crotch area.

EP 0,219,326 describes a disposable nappy with elastic which, when the disposable nappy is laid out flat, extends in completely straight lines and right along the side of the absorbent pad. Elastic is applied at the outer edge of the disposable nappy on both sides of the crotch area and also on an area on both sides of the absorbent pad of the disposable nappy. In addition to providing a raised sealing edge using the edge strip, that is a raised barrier, the elastic causes a certain degree of gathering and compressing of the absorbent pad.

GB 2,234,257 relates to a pair of disposable nappy pants with elastic that extends around the band of the pants, along the edge of the crotch area next to the wearer's leg and across the crotch area. The elastic for sealing around the legs reduces the risk of leakage, while the elastic across the crotch area is only intended to make possible an efficient application of continuous lengths of elastic thread. The construction and method are particularly suited for disposable nappies in the shape of pants.

GB 2,271,501 describes a disposable nappy provided with raised barriers that are principally parallel to the long sides of the absorbent pad. When the product is in use the abovementioned barriers have a varying height above the surface of the absorbent pad, which height is highest at the crotch area of the disposable nappy and gradually reduces towards the waist areas.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of applying elastic members onto an absorbent article intended for non-recurrent use, where the abovementioned elastic members form both leg elastic and raised barriers within different parts of one and the same absorbent article. For this purpose two sets of elastic members are applied on the unfinished absorbent article, principally in a straight line between various places on the unfinished articles and with a cycle equivalent to two products. By 'principally in a straight line' it is understood here that there can be a certain degree of curvature in the application, but that there can be no obvious changes of direction between the abovementioned places, whereby the number of accelerations per product of the layout equipment can be kept at a low level. The method of applying elastic in a continuous web onto absorbent articles or onto a layer of material that is later used to manufacture absorbent articles is characterized mainly in that a first pair of elastic members is arranged symmetrically, with an elastic member on each side of a line of symmetry extending in the direction of movement of the web, in a repetitive pattern with a cycle corresponding to the length in the direction of movement of the web of two absorbent articles, where the elastic members are applied so that at the commencement of the cycle they are situated at a greatest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry, after which the elastic members are made to converge for the duration of a first half cycle to a smallest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry and for the duration of a second subsequent half cycle are made to diverge to the greatest distance from the line of symmetry, and in that a second pair of elastic members is arranged in a complementary pattern with a cycle corresponding to the length in the direction of movement of the web of two absorbent articles, where the elastic members are arranged so that at the commencement of the cycle they are situated at a smallest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry, after which the elastic members are made to diverge for the duration of the first half cycle to a greatest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry and for the duration of the second subsequent half cycle are made to converge to the smallest distance from the line of symmetry.

The fact that both the layout patterns are complementary does not mean that they necessarily constitute mirror- images of each other when mirrored around a transverse line of symmetry through an individual article. Even if such a mirror-symmetrical layout pattern is to be preferred, it is of course possible to use different layout patterns for the different pairs of elastic members. Such an asymmetrical layout can be used to form absorbent articles with different elastic characteristics at the different end sections. This means that if the absorbent articles are manufactured with different shapes for the front sections and back sections, in the continuous production line two adjacent articles will be turned through 180° in relation to each other.

By having the first pair of elastic members run together at the line of symmetry after a first half cycle of the layout pattern and thereafter cross each other before they continue during the second half cycle of the layout pattern, it is possible to achieve very long straight sections of elastic. An elastic member laid out in this way can in fact run straight for the whole duration of the layout cycle, without changing the direction of layout. In a corresponding way long straight sections of elastic can be achieved for the second pair of elastic members by having these cross each other after each completed layout cycle.

A considerable advantage of a method of applying elastic in accordance with the invention is thus that it is possible to produce a relatively complicated layout pattern from principally straight sections of run with a reduced number of changes of direction in the pattern. The elastic members laid out in the method according to the invention comprise thereby for each absorbent article parts that form leg elastic and also parts that form raised barriers on the absorbent article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES:

In the following the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the figures depicted in the enclosed drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a cross-section through an absorbent article designed in accordance with the method of the invention, Figure 2 shows a plan view of a production line of absorbent articles with a first elastic layout according to the invention,

Figure 3 shows a plan view of a production line of absorbent articles with a second elastic layout according to the invention and

Figure 4 shows an absorbent article with elastic laid out according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS:

The method of laying out elastic members according to the invention will be described in greater detail in the following with reference to two exemplary embodiments. Disposable nappies have been chosen as an illustration, but of course the method is also suitable for other types of absorbent product.

The disposable nappy depicted in Fig. 1 is constructed from a cover 4 enclosing a core in the form of an absorbent pad 1. In the flat outstretched state in which the disposable nappy is illustrated, the absorbent pad 1 has a relatively flat main form, with two main surfaces facing away from each other, namely an inside 2 intended to face inwards towards the wearer when the disposable nappy is in use, and an outside 3 intended to face away from the wearer. In addition the absorbent pad 1 has rounded edges all round that give the absorbent pad 1 an outer contour that is suitable for the purpose and is anatomically shaped to fit the wearer's body. Although the absorbent pad 1 shown in the example is practically the same thickness all over, it is of course possible, for example, to use an absorbent pad with a central part that has a somewhat greater thickness.

The cover 4 shown in the example is constructed from two layers 5,6 with different characteristics which line the inside 2 and outside 3, respectively, of the absorbent pad 1 and enclose the absorbent pad by means of both the layers 5,6 being joined to each other outside the absorbent pad 1 and forming a flange-like edge section 18 all round the disposable nappy as a whole. At the edge section 18 both layers 5,6 are laid tight against each other and joined together, for example by gluing or welding with heat or ultrasound.

The components that are used to create the disposable nappy depicted can be any components that are generally used for such purposes. The layer 5 that faces towards the wearer in use can be any soft, flexible material that is permeable to liquid, such as non-woven fabric or a soft perforated plastic sheet of polythene or the like. The layer 6 on the outside 3 is suitably a waterproof material, such as a thin (for example 20 μ ) plastic sheet of polythene, PVC or the like. The absorbent pad 1 can consist of cellulose fibre, tissue, foamed material, various kinds of super-absorbent material or the like. By 'super-absorbent material' is meant polymer material that has the ability to absorb several times its own weight of liquid, forming an aqueous gel. Of course combinations of the abovementioned materials can also be used.

As the figures show, in particular Fig. 2, the disposable nappies shown in the examples have a symmetrical hourglass shape, with a central crotch area 15 from which the disposable nappy widens in one direction towards a back section R and in the other direction towards a front section F, which sections are intended to lie against corresponding areas of the wearer's body when the disposable nappy is in use. The disposable nappies depicted thus have an essentially elongate shape and are essentially symmetrically shaped around a longitudinal line of symmetry S and a transverse line of symmetry S'.

The disposable nappies depicted in Figs. 2 and 3 therefore have two elongate side edges 7,8 and two short sides 9,10. The short sides 9,10 join the side edges 7,8 at four corner areas 11,12,13 and 14, where a first corner area 11 is found at the junction of the first short side 9 with the first elongate side edge 7 of the finished disposable nappy. The second corner area 12 is found at the junction of the first short side 9 with the second elongate side edge 8 of the finished disposable nappy. Correspondingly the third corner area 13 is found at the junction of the second short side 10 with the first side edge 7 of the finished disposable nappy and the fourth corner area is found at the junction of the second short side 10 with the second side edge 8.

The manufacture of absorbent articles according to the invention takes place by means of the unfinished articles being conveyed in a continuous web in the direction of the longitudinal line of symmetry S. In a first exemplary embodiment, shown in Fig. 2, the unfinished article is built up gradually by the various components being added to the continuous production line. Thus the liquid-permeable cover layer 5 is applied first in the production line, then the elastic members are applied and thereafter the absorbent pad 1 is added. Finally the liquid-tight outer layer 6 is applied, plus any other details. As the application of the elastic members takes place in accordance with the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 2, two sets of elastic members, A,B; A',B' are applied on the liquid-permeable cover layer 5, where these elastic members A,B; A',B' form the leg elastic 16 and are part of raised liquid barriers 17 within different areas of the absorbent articles.

The abovementioned first pair of elastic members A,B and the second pair of elastic members A',B' are thus positioned at the commencement on two consecutive absorbent articles in the direction of movement of the production line. The first member A of the first pair of elastic members A,B is fastened at the first corner area 11 of a first absorbent article. The second elastic member B is fastened at the second corner area 12 of the first absorbent article which is situated transversely across the article viewed from the abovementioned first corner area 11, after which starting from the first corner area 11 of the abovementioned first article the first member A of the first pair of elastic members A,B is applied principally in a straight line inwards up to the line of symmetry S at the second short side 10 of the first article. This adjoins the first short side 9 of the abovementioned second article. From the first short side of the second article the application continues principally in a straight line to the fourth corner area 14 of the abovementioned second article, after which the application changes direction and the elastic member A is applied in a corresponding way principally in a straight line diagonally over two consecutive articles to the third corner area 13 of a fourth article. In a corresponding way the second member B of the first pair of elastic members A,B is applied principally in a straight line from the second corner 12 of the abovementioned first article up to the line of symmetry S at the second short side 10 of the first article, which adjoins the first short side 9 of the abovementioned second article. From there the application continues principally in a straight line to the third corner area 13 of the abovementioned second article after which the application changes direction and the abovementioned second elastic member B is applied in a corresponding way principally in a straight line diagonally over two consecutive articles to the fourth corner area 14 of a fourth article. In the same way and at a corresponding place the application is commenced of the second pair of elastic members A',B' on the first and second corner areas 11,12 of a second article. The cycle for the application of this second pair of elastic members is terminated at a fifth article situated after the fourth article in the direction of manufacture. By this means the required configuration of elastic members is achieved in a continuous process. In a method of application in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment which is shown in Fig. 3 the elastic members form the leg elastic and are also part of the raised liquid barriers. The application of the elastic members is carried out in a way similar to that described in connection with Fig. 2. It is characteristic of the layout of elastic that is depicted in Fig. 2 that two sets of elastic members, A,B; A',B', are applied to the absorbent articles where the part elements 16, 17 of the elastic members A,B; A',B', within different areas of the absorbent article form the leg elastic 16 and are part of the raised liquid barriers 17.

The elastic members A,B; A',B', are arranged commencing on two consecutive unfinished absorbent articles and the application of the elastic members is carried out with a cycle equivalent to two adjacent unfinished absorbent articles, before these are separated into individual articles. The application is carried out by a first pair of elastic members, A,B, and a second pair of elastic members A',B', being applied starting at two absorbent articles that are positioned consecutively in the manufacturing process, where the first elastic member A of the first pair of elastic members A,B is fastened at the first corner area 11 of a first absorbent article and the second elastic member B is fastened at the second corner area 12 of the first absorbent article. The second corner area 12 is situated transversely across the article viewed from the abovementioned first corner area. The first elastic member A of the first pair of elastic members A,B, is thereafter applied starting from the first corner area 11 of the abovementioned first article principally in a straight line up to or close to the intersection of the second short side 10 of the abovementioned first article with the line of symmetry S, after which the application of the first elastic member A changes direction and is applied principally in a straight line to a third corner area 13 of a second article following in the direction of manufacture. The second member B of the first pair of elastic members A,B is applied in a corresponding way starting at the second corner area 12 of the abovementioned first article, after which it is applied principally in a straight line up to or close to the intersection of the second short side 10 of the abovementioned first article with the line of symmetry S after which the application of the second elastic member B changes direction and is taken principally in a straight line to a fourth corner area 14 of a second article following in the direction of manufacture. In the same way and at a corresponding place the application of the second pair of elastic members A',B' is commenced at the first and second corner areas 11 and 12 respectively of a second article, where the cycle for the application of this second pair of elastic members A',B' terminates at a third article following the second article in the direction of manufacture. By the utilization of this method of application the required configuration of elastic members is achieved in a continuous process.

By, for example, gluing or some kind of welding the parts of the elastic members A,B and A',B' which extend from the crotch area 15 on the unfinished absorbent articles in a direction towards the longitudinal line of symmetry S are attached at the short sides 9,10 of each article to the inside of the cover layer 5. As the elastic members are only attached to the inside of the liquid-permeable cover layer 5 and not to the absorbent pad 1 and as certain areas of the above-mentioned cover layer 5 which are adjacent to the elastic members are not attached to the absorbent pad 1, there is thereby achieved liquid barriers 17 raised from the absorbent pad on the upper side of the absorbent article. It is also possible for the elastic members A,B and A',B' not to be attached to any surface within the areas where the liquid barriers 17 are formed, but instead for them to be able to move freely within an area where the cover layer 5 and the absorbent pad 1 are not attached, so that the effect of the elastic members will be to create tunnel-shaped raised liquid barriers 17 within these areas.

In the described exemplary embodiments, manufactured according to the invention, the parts of the elastic members A,B and A',B' which extend from the crotch area is of the article to the four corner sections 11,12,13,14 of the article are attached to the surrounding layer of material in such a way that they form the leg elastic 16 on the finished product.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, shown in Fig. 4, all the elastic members are applied onto a layer of material or a laminated layer, which layer forms a pants-shaped unit. The actual absorbent pad which is provided with a liquid-tight backing layer is attached on the outside of this unit. The pants-shaped unit in this way is provided with one or more openings through which urine and faeces pass to the absorbent pad.

The invention is not restricted to the abovementioned exemplary embodiments, but is also applicable for other embodiments within the scope of the patent claims for the invention. It is, for example, possible to apply the elastic members on the side of the cover layer 5 that is facing the wearer in use with the parts of the elastic members that are included in the raised liquid barriers 17 being covered by strips of liquid-tight material attached to the surface of the layer 5 along its edges in such a way that the abovementioned barriers will be liquid-tight.

All possible combinations of the exemplary embodiments described above are also intended to be covered by the present invention.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Method of continuously applying elastic members (A,B; A',B') in a continuous web for the forming of elastic on absorbent articles such as disposable nappies, incontinence pads or sanitary towels, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that a first pair of elastic members (A,B) is arranged symmetrically, with an elastic member (A,B) on each side of a line of symmetry (S) extending in the direction of movement of the web, in a repetitive pattern with a cycle corresponding to the length in the direction of movement of the web of two absorbent articles, where the elastic members (A,B) are applied so that at the commencement of the cycle they are situated at a greatest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry (S), after which the elastic members (A,B) are made to converge for the duration of a first half cycle to a smallest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry (S) and for the duration of a second subsequent half cycle are made to diverge to the greatest distance from the line of symmetry (S), and in that a second pair of elastic members (A',B') is arranged in a complementary pattern with a cycle corresponding to the length in the direction of movement of the web of two absorbent articles, where the elastic members (A',B') are arranged so that at the commencement of the cycle they are situated at a smallest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry (S), after which the elastic members (A',B') are made to diverge for the duration of the first half cycle to a greatest predetermined distance from the line of symmetry (S) and for the duration of the second subsequent half cycle are made to converge to the smallest distance from the line of symmetry ( S ) .

2. Method according to Claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the first pair of elastic members (A,B) is made to cross each other after the first half cycle.

3. Method according to Claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the second pair of elastic members (A',B') is made to cross each other after each whole cycle.

4. Method according to any one of Claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the elastic members (A,B; A',B') are applied so that they diverge and converge principally in straight lines.

5. Method according to any one of Claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the elastic members (A,B; A',B') are attached to a liquid-permeable layer of material.

6. Method of manufacturing in a continuous web of material absorbent articles intended for non-recurrent use, such as disposable nappies, incontinence pads or sanitary towels, where each article is given an elongated principally symmetrical shape around a longitudinal line of symmetry (S) extending in the same direction as the direction of movement of the web of material, where an absorbent pad (1) with an inner side (2) and an outer side (3) is enclosed in a cover (4) comprising a liquid-permeable cover layer (5) which is applied to the inner side (2) of the absorbent pad and a principally impervious cover layer (6) which is applied to the outer side (3) of the absorbent pad, whereby the article is given two elongate side edges (7,8) and two short sides (9,10) which join the side edges (7,8) at four corner areas (11,12,13,14) and which article is also provided with a first pair of elastic members (A,B) and a second pair of elastic members (A',B'), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the first pair of elastic members (A,B) and the second pair of elastic members (A',B') are applied starting at two absorbent articles that are consecutive in the direction of manufacture, where the first member (A) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) is attached at a first corner area (11) of a first absorbent article and the second member (B) is attached at the second corner area (12) of the first absorbent article which is situated transversely across the article viewed from the abovementioned first corner area (11), after which the first member (A) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) starting from the abovementioned first corner area (11) of the first article is applied principally in a straight line in a direction inwards to the line of symmetry (S) on the second short side (10) of the first article, which adjoins the first short side (9) of a second article, and from there the application continues principally in a straight line to the fourth corner area (14) of the abovementioned second article, after which the application changes direction and the first elastic member (A) in the first pair of elastic members (A,B) is applied in a corresponding way principally in a straight line diagonally over two consecutive articles to the third corner area (13) of a fourth article and in a corresponding way the second member (B) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) is applied principally in a straight line from the second corner area (12) of the abovementioned first article to the longitudinal line of symmetry (S) at the second short side (10) of the first article, which adjoins the first short side (9) of the abovementioned second article, so that from there the application continues principally in a straight line to the third corner area (13) of the abovementioned second article, after which the application changes direction and the elastic member (B) is applied in a corresponding way principally in a straight line diagonally over two consecutive articles to the fourth corner area (14) of a fourth article, in the same way and at a corresponding place the application is commenced of the second pair of elastic members (A',B') at the first and second corner areas (11,12) of a second article, where the cycle for the application of the second pair of elastic members (A',B') is terminated at a fifth article in the direction of manufacture.

7. Method according to Claim 6, where each absorbent article has a crotch area (15) positioned centrally in the longitudinal direction of the article, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that parts (17) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) and the second pair of elastic members (A',B') which are applied between the crotch area (15) of each article and the line of symmetry (S) on the short sides (9,10) of the articles, form part of liquid barriers raised above the absorbent pad (1) in the finished absorbent article.

8. Method according to Claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that parts (16) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) and the second pair of elastic members (A',B') which are applied between the crotch area (15) on each article and the four corner sections (11,12,13,14) of the article form the leg elastic in the finished absorbent article.

9. Method of manufacturing in a continuous web of material absorbent articles intended for non-recurrent use, such as disposable nappies, incontinence pads or sanitary towels, where each article is given an elongated principally symmetrical shape around a longitudinal line of symmetry (S) extending in the same direction as the direction of movement of the web of material, where an absorbent pad (1) with an inner side (2) and an outer side (3) is enclosed in a cover (4) comprising a liquid-permeable cover layer (5) which is applied to the inner side (2) of the absorbent pad and a principally liquid-impervious cover layer (6) that is applied to the outer side (3) of the absorbent pad, whereby the article is given two elongate side edges (7,8) and two short sides (9,10) which join the side edges (7,8) at four corner areas (11,12,13,14) and which article is also provided with a first pair of elastic members (A,B) and a second pair of elastic members (A',B'), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the first pair of elastic members (A,B) and the second pair of elastic members (A',B') are applied starting at two absorbent articles that are consecutive in the direction of manufacture, where the first member (A) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) is attached at a first corner area (11) of a first absorbent article and the second member (B) is attached at the second corner area (12) of the first absorbent article which is situated transversely across the article viewed from the abovementioned first corner area (11), after which the first member (A) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) starting from the first corner area (11) of the abovementioned first article is applied principally in a straight line inwards up to or close to the intersection of the second short side (10) of the first article with the line of symmetry (S) after which the application of the first elastic member (A) changes direction and runs principally in a straight line to the third corner area (13) of a consecutive second article in the direction of movement of the production line, the second member (B) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) is applied in a corresponding way starting at the second corner area (12) of the abovementioned first article after which it is applied principally in a straight line up to or close to the intersection of the second short side (10) of the first article with the line of symmetry (S) after which the application of the second elastic member (B) changes direction and runs principally in a straight line to the fourth corner area (14) of the second consecutive article in the direction of movement of the production line, in the same way and at a corresponding place the application is commenced of the second pair of elastic members (A',B') at the first and second corner areas (11,12) of a second article, where the cycle for the application of the second pair of elastic members (A',B') is terminated at a third article in the direction of manufacture.

10. Method according to Claim 9, in which each absorbent article has a crotch area (15) positioned centrally in the longitudinal direction of the article, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that parts (17) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) and the second pair of elastic members (A',B') which are applied between the crotch area (15) of each article and the line of symmetry (S) on the short sides (9,10) of the article, form part of liquid barriers raised above the absorbent pad (1) in the finished absorbent article.

11. Method according to Claim 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that parts (16) of the first pair of elastic members (A,B) and the second pair of elastic members (A',B') which are applied between the crotch area (15) on each article and the four corner sections (11,12,13,14) of each article form the leg elastic in the finished absorbent article.

12. Absorbent article, such as a disposable nappy, incontinence pad or sanitary towel, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that it is manufactured in accordance with any of the methods in Claims 1-11.