Method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of stably producing an elastic laminate.SOLUTION: A method of producing an elastic laminate according to the present invention includes: a splitting process for splitting a raw sheet 90 containing a continuous strip of elastic sheet 3A stretched in one direction into a first continuous sheet 91 and a second continuous sheet 92 by cutting the sheet 90 at a planned cutting line extending in a transport direction MD; a rotating process in which one or both of the sheets 91, 92 are rotated around the transport direction MD so that the cut edges 91a, 92a of both sheets 91, 92 at the planned cutting line face the same direction; and a stacking process in which both sheets 91, 92 are overlapped by aligning the phases of the cut edges 91a, 92a in the transport direction MD to obtain a continuous laminate 93.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a stretch laminate that forms an annular structure having stretchability in the circumferential direction and can be used as a component of various articles that require stretchability.

Background Art

[0002] As a type of pants-type absorbent article, it includes an absorbent pad portion containing an absorbent core for absorbing and holding body fluids, and an annular holder portion (waistband) arranged around the wearer's torso and holding the absorbent pad portion against the wearer's crotch. A separate type is known in which the absorbent pad portion is configured to be detachable from the holder portion. The holder portion typically mainly consists of a stretch laminate in which a plurality of sheets such as a stretch sheet having stretchability in the circumferential direction and a fastening sheet for the holder portion (for example, a female member of a mechanical surface fastener) are laminated.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes, as a method for manufacturing a separate type of pants-type disposable diaper, a method having a step of conveying a front body continuous body and a rear body continuous body of the holder portion in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval, arranging the absorbent pad portion so as to straddle both continuous bodies during conveyance, then folding the absorbent pad portion in half in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (conveyance orthogonal direction) to overlap both continuous bodies, cutting both belt-like bodies formed by the overlapping at a predetermined location in the conveyance direction to a predetermined length, and joining both end portions formed by the cutting to form the holder portion. Patent Document 2 describes a method of forming the holder portion by folding a long belt-like sheet member in half in one direction.

[0004] In addition, regarding the manufacturing method of absorbent articles, conventionally, there has been a demand to minimize as much as possible the loss portion (trim) that does not become a product and is generated by cutting a sheet-like base material such as a non-woven fabric in the manufacturing process. Patent Document 3 describes, as a manufacturing method of absorbent articles capable of meeting such a demand, an elastic belt material having a configuration in which an elastic member is sandwiched in an extended state in the length direction of the web between two webs. The elastic belt material is divided into a first elastic belt material and a second elastic belt material by bisecting it in the width direction orthogonal to the length direction so that convex portions and concave portions alternately appear in the length direction. After separating these two belt materials in the width direction, the two belt materials are placed in a state where the phases are shifted in the length direction so that the convex portions and the concave portions are in the same phase. Then, a step of disposing an absorbent body so as to straddle the two belt materials is described.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] A general non-separate type of panty-shaped disposable diaper includes an absorbent body containing a front sheet, a back sheet, and an absorber disposed between both sheets, and an exterior body disposed on the non-skin-facing surface side of the absorbent body, which is a stretchable laminate in which the front body and the back body are integrated. In the manufacturing process of the diaper, while transporting a continuous exterior body in which a plurality of the exterior bodies are connected in one direction in a deployed state in the one direction, the absorbent body is disposed on the continuous exterior body, and then the continuous exterior body is folded in half in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction together with the absorbent body, and the front body side and the back body side of the continuous exterior body are generally overlapped. In the case of folding the continuous exterior body in half in this case, since the relatively rigid absorber serves as the folding starting point, it is easy to fold, and the formed fold line tends to be clear and neat. On the other hand, since the holder portion, which is a stretchable laminate, does not include an absorber, if it is attempted to manufacture it by folding in half a continuous sheet having stretchability in which the front body and the back body are integrated in the same manner as the exterior body, there is no folding starting point in the continuous sheet, so it is difficult to fold, and even if it can be folded, there may be a problem that a clear fold line cannot be obtained. A technique capable of stably manufacturing a stretchable laminate such as the holder portion that does not have a folding starting point has not yet been provided.

[0007] An object of the present invention relates to providing a technique capable of stably manufacturing a stretchable laminate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] As a result of various studies on a method of continuously manufacturing a stretchable laminate such as the holder portion by laminating stretchable sheets without a member such as an absorber having relatively high rigidity and being easy to fold, instead of folding the continuous sheet including the stretchable sheet in half in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction to form a stretchable laminate, the continuous sheet is divided into two in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and one or both of the two divided continuous sheets generated by the division are rotated around the transport direction so that the directions of the two divided continuous sheets in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction are the same, and then the two divided continuous sheets are overlapped to form a stretchable laminate. The inventors have obtained the finding that this is effective for stably manufacturing a stretchable laminate.

[0009] The present invention is based on the above findings, and includes a first stretchable sheet having stretchability in one direction, and a second stretchable sheet that is overlaid on one surface of the first stretchable sheet and has stretchability in the one direction. The two stretchable sheets are joined to each other at a pair of joining portions formed at both end portions in the one direction thereof, and are not joined to each other at a portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions. A portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions can form an annular structure having stretchability in the circumferential direction. It is a method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate. One embodiment of the method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate of the present invention is to transport a raw sheet including a continuous strip-shaped stretchable sheet that is continuous in one direction and stretched in the one direction, while transporting the raw sheet with the one direction as the transport direction, bisecting it in a transport orthogonal direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and meandering with a center line extending parallel to the transport direction as a reference, and cutting it along a planned cutting line. A dividing step of dividing the first stretchable sheet into a plurality of first continuous sheets connected in the transport direction and the second stretchable sheet into a plurality of second continuous sheets connected in the transport direction. One embodiment of the method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate of the present invention has a rotating step of rotating one or both of the two continuous sheets around the transport direction while transporting the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet in the transport direction so that the cutting edge portions at the planned cutting line of the two continuous sheets face the same direction. One embodiment of the method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate of the present invention has a laminating step of laminating the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet by aligning the phases in the transport direction of the cutting edge portions of the two continuous sheets to obtain a continuous laminate. One embodiment of the method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate of the present invention has a joining step of intermittently forming the joining portions in the transport direction on the continuous laminate. One embodiment of the method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate of the present invention has a sheet-making step of cutting the continuous laminate in the transport orthogonal direction to obtain the sheet-like stretchable laminate. Other features, effects, and embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate of the present invention, a high-quality stretchable laminate can be stably manufactured.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 7

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Figure 10

Figure 11

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Figure 13

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on its preferred embodiments. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are basically schematic, and the ratios of each dimension and the like may be different from the actual ones.

[0013] Figures 1 and 2 show a stretchable laminate 1, which is an embodiment of a stretchable laminate manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention. The stretchable laminate 1 includes a first stretchable sheet 1A having stretchability in one direction, specifically, the longitudinal direction of the stretchable laminate 1 indicated by reference symbol Y in the figure, and a second stretchable sheet 1B laminated on one surface of the sheet 1A and having stretchability in the direction Y. Both sheets 1A and 1B are joined to each other at a pair of joining portions 9, 9 formed at both ends in the direction Y thereof, and are not joined to each other at a portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions 9, 9, and the portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions 9, 9 can form an annular structure having stretchability in the circumferential direction.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the stretchable laminate 1 is used as a holder portion 17, which is a component of a pant-type disposable diaper 10, which is a type of pant-type absorbent article. As shown in FIG. 4, the diaper 10 has a longitudinal direction (direction X) extending from the ventral side of the wearer through the crotch portion to the dorsal side, and a lateral direction (direction Y) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and includes an absorbent pad portion 11 containing an absorbent core 14 for absorbing and holding body fluid, and an annular holder portion 17 (stretchable laminate 1) disposed around the wearer's torso and holding the absorbent pad portion 11 against the wearer's crotch portion. The direction X is the width direction (short side direction) of the stretchable laminate 1 (sheets 1A and 1B) and also the longitudinal direction of the diaper 10, and the direction Y is the longitudinal direction of the stretchable laminate 1 (sheets 1A and 1B) and also the lateral direction of the diaper 10.

[0015] The absorbent pad portion 11 is configured to be detachable from the holder portion 17. That is, the absorbent pad portion 11 and the holder portion 17 are separate members in the state before use of the diaper 1, and when in use, the fixing tape 16 (described later) of the absorbent pad portion 11 is fixed to the target tape 7 of the holder portion 17 to join the two, and as shown in FIG. 3, it forms a pant-type diaper having a pair of joining portions 9, 9, a waist opening WH, and a pair of leg openings LH, LH. The joining portion 9 of the holder portion 17 corresponds to the side seal portion of a general non-separate type pant diaper. In the present embodiment, the joining portion 9 is linear and extends along the direction X, and extends over the entire length of the stretchable laminate 1 in the direction X.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the absorbent pad portion 11 includes a liquid-permeable surface sheet 12 disposed at a position relatively close to the wearer's skin, a liquid-impermeable, liquid-hardly-permeable or water-repellent back sheet 13 disposed at a position relatively far from the wearer's skin, and an absorbent core 14 interposed between the two sheets 12, 13. These members constituting the absorbent pad portion 11 are integrated by known joining means such as an adhesive. The absorbent pad portion 11 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and when the diaper 10 is worn, its longitudinal direction coincides with the direction X as shown in FIG. 4. A pair of leak-proof cuffs 15, 15 that stand up on the wearer's skin side when the diaper 10 is worn are disposed on both sides of the absorbent pad portion 11 along the direction X. Each leak-proof cuff 15 includes a leak-proof cuff forming sheet 150 that forms the main body of the leak-proof cuff 15 and an elastic member 151 fixed to the sheet 150 in an extended state in the direction X. Fixing tapes 16 for joining the absorbent pad portion 11 to the holder portion 17 are disposed on the inner surfaces (skin-facing surfaces) of both ends of the absorbent pad portion 11 in the direction X.

[0017] The stretchable laminate 1 that constitutes the holder part 17 is mainly a laminate of a first stretchable sheet 1A and a second stretchable sheet 1B. Both sheets 1A and 1B have the same shape and dimensions as each other in a plan view as shown in FIG. 1, and in the stretchable laminate 1, both sheets 1A and 1B are overlapped with their respective contours aligned. The stretchable laminate 1 is formed symmetrically with respect to a horizontal center line (not shown) that bisects the stretchable laminate 1 in the Y direction and extends in the X direction.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the stretchable laminate 1 (sheets 1A and 1B) has a pair of longitudinal ends X1 and X2 that extend in the Y direction. Where the longitudinal end X1 that becomes the upper end when the holder part 17 is worn is linear and parallel to the Y direction in a plan view, while the longitudinal end X2 that becomes the lower end when the holder part 17 is worn forms a convex part that is convex toward the longitudinal end X1 (inward in the X direction) in almost its entirety in a plan view.

[0019] The first stretchable sheet 1A and the second stretchable sheet 1B each include an exterior body 2 that forms the outer surface (non-skin-facing surface) side of the stretchable laminate 1 and a reinforcing sheet 5 that forms the inner surface (skin-facing surface) side of the stretchable laminate 1. In this specification, the "skin-facing surface" refers to the surface of the absorbent article or its component members (such as the absorbent pad part, holder part, etc.) that faces the wearer's skin side when the absorbent article is worn, and the "non-skin-facing surface" refers to the surface of the absorbent article or its component members that faces the side opposite to the skin side when the absorbent article is worn. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the exterior body 2 includes an outer layer sheet 3 that forms the outer surface of the stretchable laminate 1 and an inner layer sheet 4 that is overlapped on the inner surface of the sheet 3, and is mainly a laminate of both sheets 3 and 4. Both sheets 3 and 4 are joined and integrated with each other by joining means such as an adhesive or heat fusion. The outer wrapper 2 (sheets 3 and 4) is folded back to the inner surface side on the longitudinal end X1 side of the stretchable laminate 1 as shown in FIG. 2. As a result, on the inner surfaces (skin-facing surfaces) of both sheets 1A and 1B, a folded-back portion 20 extending along the direction X from the longitudinal end X1 is formed. The space between the folded-back portion 20 and the outer wrapper 2 facing it is joined to each other by joining means such as an adhesive or heat fusion. As shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcing sheet 5 is disposed at a position spaced a predetermined distance in the direction X from the folded-back portion 20 of the outer wrapper 2. The length of the reinforcing sheet 5 in the direction Y is the same as that of the outer wrapper 2 (sheets 3 and 4), but the length of the reinforcing sheet 5 in the direction X is shorter than that of the outer wrapper 2 (sheets 3 and 4). The longitudinal end (upper end when the holder portion 17 is worn) 5a of the reinforcing sheet 5 on the folded-back portion 20 side is linear and parallel to the direction Y in plan view, and the longitudinal end (lower end when the holder portion 17 is worn) 5b of the reinforcing sheet 5 on the side opposite to the folded-back portion 20 side constitutes the longitudinal end X2 of the stretchable laminate 1 together with the outer wrapper 2 and has a convex portion that is convex toward the longitudinal end X1 in plan view. As the outer layer sheet 3, the inner layer sheet 4, and the reinforcing sheet 5 that constitute the outer wrapper 2, non-woven fabrics, resin films, etc. obtained by various manufacturing methods can be used respectively. Specific examples of non-woven fabrics that can be used as each of the sheets 3, 4, and 5 include spunbond non-woven fabric, air-through non-woven fabric, and needle-punched non-woven fabric, and they may have a single-layer structure or a laminated structure in which one or more non-woven fabrics are laminated.

[0020] The outer layer sheet 3 is a stretch sheet stretched in one direction, specifically in the direction Y which is the longitudinal direction of the stretch laminate 1 or the lateral direction of the diaper 10, and has stretchability in the direction Y. The stretch sheet is obtained by subjecting an unstretched sheet such as a nonwoven fabric to a stretching process. The stretching process is typically carried out by using processing means including a pair of grooved rolls provided on the peripheral surface such that the tooth grooves engaging with each other are along the rotation axis direction, and rotating the rolls to supply the unstretched sheet to their engaging portions. By such a stretching process, a high basis weight portion with a relatively high basis weight and a low basis weight portion with a relatively low basis weight are alternately formed in the supply direction (MD) on the unstretched sheet, whereby the unstretched sheet becomes a stretch sheet having stretchability in the MD. The stretch sheet can be manufactured, for example, according to the method described in JP-A-2009-61743.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows a stretch sheet 3A which is a preferred example of the outer layer sheet 3. The stretch sheet 3A has two opposing fiber sheets 31, 32 and a plurality of elastic filaments 33 disposed between both fiber sheets 31, 32 and extending in one direction (direction Y) without intersecting each other. The plurality of elastic filaments 33 are joined to the stretchable fiber sheets 31, 32 over the entire length in their longitudinal direction in a substantially non-extended state.

[0022] Both fiber sheets 31, 32 are stretchable in the direction (direction Y) in which the elastic filaments 33 extend. The “stretchable” here includes (1) the case where the constituent fibers of the fiber sheets 31, 32 themselves stretch, and (2) the case where the fiber sheets 31, 32 as a whole stretch even if the constituent fibers themselves do not stretch, when the fibers joined at the intersections separate from each other, or the three-dimensional structure formed by a plurality of fibers changes structurally due to the joining of fibers or the like, or the constituent fibers are torn.

[0023] The fiber sheets 31 and 32 can each be a non-woven fabric of short fibers. Examples of the non-woven fabric include air-through non-woven fabric, heat-roll non-woven fabric, spunlace non-woven fabric, spunbond non-woven fabric, meltblown non-woven fabric, and the like. The two sheets 31 and 32 may be of the same type or different types from each other. Here, the "same type" means that the manufacturing process of the fiber sheets, the type of constituent fibers, the fiber diameter and length of the constituent fibers, the thickness and basis weight of the fiber sheets are all the same when comparing the fiber sheets. If even one of these is different, the compared fiber sheets are "different types" from each other.

[0024] The elastic filament 33 is made of, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer or rubber as a raw material. In particular, when using a thermoplastic elastomer as a raw material, melt spinning using an extruder is possible in the same manner as ordinary thermoplastic resins, and the elastic filament thus obtained is easy to heat-seal, so it is suitable for the stretch sheet 3A. That is, as an example of a preferable elastic filament 33, an elastic filament formed by stretching an elastic resin in a molten or softened state can be mentioned. The joining of such a preferable elastic filament 33 and the fiber sheets 31 and 32 is made by fusing the elastic filament 33 in a state where the constituent fibers (non-elastic fibers) of the two sheets 31 and 32 are buried in the elastic filament 33, and is not made using an adhesive such as a hot-melt adhesive. Therefore, there is no adhesive between the fiber sheets 31 and 32 and the elastic filament 33 joined thereto.

[0025] The inner layer sheet 4 and the reinforcing sheet 5 can each be a stretchable sheet having stretchability in the Y direction or a non-stretchable sheet having no stretchability. Typically, both sheets 4 and 5 are non-stretchable sheets.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the first stretchable sheet 1A and the second stretchable sheet 1B each include a functional sheet 6 in addition to the reinforcing sheet 5 as sheets forming the inner surface (skin-facing surface) side of the stretchable laminate 1. In the present invention, the functional sheet 6 is for imparting various functions to the holder portion 17, and in the present embodiment, it is for the purpose of absorbing and retaining sweat of the wearer and is arranged to abut against the skin of the wearer. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the functional sheet 6 is arranged so as to straddle the folded-back portion 20 of the exterior body 2 and the reinforcing sheet 5 in the direction X. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in plan view, it has a shape that is long in one direction (specifically, a rectangular shape), and its longitudinal direction is made to coincide with the direction Y, and it continuously extends over the entire length in the direction Y of each of the two sheets 1A and 1B. The functional sheet 6 is shorter in length in the direction X than the two sheets 1A and 1B. As the functional sheet 6 having a sweat-absorbing function, any sheet that can absorb sweat may be used, and there is no particular limitation. Typically, non-woven fabrics obtained by various manufacturing methods are used. Specific examples of non-woven fabrics that can be used as the functional sheet 6 having a sweat-absorbing function include air-through non-woven fabric, spunbond non-woven fabric, spunlace non-woven fabric, airlaid non-woven fabric, meltblown non-woven fabric, needle-punched non-woven fabric, and a composite non-woven fabric in which two or more non-woven fabrics are laminated may also be used.

[0027] In the present embodiment, the first stretchable sheet 1A and the second stretchable sheet 1B each include a target tape 7 arranged on the outer surface (non-skin-facing surface) of the outer layer sheet 3. The target tape 7 is the attachment destination of the attachment tape 16 (see FIG. 4) provided in the absorbent pad portion 11. The absorbent pad portion 11 is configured to be detachable from the holder portion 17 by the attachment tape 16 provided in the absorbent pad portion 11 and the target tape 7 provided in the stretchable laminate 1 as the holder portion 17. As shown in FIG. 1, the target tape 7 has a shape that is long in one direction (specifically, a rectangular shape) in a plan view. With its longitudinal direction aligned with the direction Y, it extends continuously over the entire length in the direction Y of both sheets 1A and 1B. Further, the target tape 7 is shorter in length in the direction X than both sheets 1A and 1B, and the center of the target tape 7 in the direction X is arranged to be closer to the longitudinal end X2 than the center of both sheets 1A and 1B in the direction X.

[0028] In the present invention, the configurations of the fastening tape 16 and the target tape 7 are not particularly limited, provided that the absorption pad portion 11 is detachable from the holder portion 17. For example, the fastening tape 16 may be configured to include an adhesive portion formed by applying an adhesive or the like to a tape base material, and the fastening tape 16 may be adhered to the target tape 7 through the adhesive portion. In the present embodiment, a mechanical surface fastener is adopted as the fastening tape 16 and the target tape 7. The "mechanical surface fastener" referred to here means a fastener in which a surface member having hook-shaped protrusions arranged on one surface and a surface member having pile-shaped protrusions arranged on one surface are paired. A specific example of the mechanical surface fastener is Velcro (registered trademark). The fastening tape 16 includes a male member of the mechanical surface fastener. Typically, a large number of protrusion-shaped engaging members are arranged on the surface of a tape base material made of a resin film, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, or the like. The target tape 7 includes a female member of the mechanical surface fastener. Typically, a large number of loop members are arranged on the surface of the base sheet.

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of elastic members 8 are arranged between the exterior body 2 (inner layer sheet 4) and the reinforcing sheet 5, and between the folded-back portion 20 and the exterior body 2 facing it so as to be stretchable in the direction Y. As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of elastic members 8 extend over the entire length of both sheets 1A and 1B in the direction Y and are arranged intermittently in the direction X. Each elastic member 8 is fixed to the sheets 4 and 5 in contact with the elastic member 8 by an adhesive. In the worn state of the holder portion 17, due to the contraction of the elastic member 8, a plurality of folds (gathers) extending in the direction (direction X) intersecting the elastic member 8 are formed on the surfaces of both sheets 1A and 1B. The number and arrangement of the elastic members 8 are not particularly limited and can be appropriately set in consideration of the fitness of the wearer of the holder portion 17 to the body, etc.

[0030] Next, regarding the manufacturing method of the stretchable laminate of the present invention, taking the manufacturing method of the stretchable laminate 1 (holder portion 17) described above as an example, it will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing apparatus 70 used for implementing the manufacturing method of the stretchable laminate 1. The manufacturing apparatus 70 includes a first manufacturing unit 71 that performs the manufacturing process of the base sheet 90, and a second manufacturing unit 72 that manufactures the stretchable laminate 1 (holder portion 17) using the continuous belt-shaped base sheet 90 manufactured by the first manufacturing unit 71. In the second manufacturing unit 72, a process of cutting the base sheet 90 along a cutting planned line CL (see FIG. 10(a)) extending in the conveyance direction MD to divide it into a first continuous sheet 91 and a second continuous sheet 92 (division process), a process of rotating one or both of the two sheets 91 and 92 around the conveyance direction MD (rotation process), a process of overlapping the two sheets 91 and 92 to obtain a continuous laminate 93 (lamination process), a process of forming the joint portion 9 in the continuous laminate 93 (joint process), and a process of cutting the continuous laminate 93 to obtain a single-sheet stretchable laminate 1 (sheet separation process) are carried out.

[0031] The manufacturing method of the stretchable laminate 1 of this embodiment has a manufacturing process of the base sheet 90 that is divided into two in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction CD in the division process before the division process. Hereinafter, the manufacturing process of the base sheet 90 will be described. The raw sheet 90 is a continuous strip-shaped sheet including a stretchable sheet that is continuously stretched in one direction. In this embodiment, as the stretchable sheet, a continuous strip-shaped outer layer sheet 3, more specifically, a continuous strip-shaped stretchable sheet 3A (see FIG. 5) is used. Note that the conveyance direction MD coincides with the longitudinal direction (continuous direction) of the raw sheet 90 (stretchable sheet 3A), and the conveyance orthogonal direction CD orthogonal to the conveyance direction MD coincides with the width direction (lateral direction) of the raw sheet 90 (stretchable sheet 3A).

[0032] In the first manufacturing unit 71, as shown in FIG. 6, a continuous strip-shaped inner layer sheet 4 (first raw material sheet) is disposed on one surface (the upper surface in the illustrated form) of the stretchable sheet 3A being conveyed in the conveyance direction MD so as to overlap a cutting planned line CL (see FIG. 10(a)) described later. Further, a pair of continuous strip-shaped target tapes 7, 7 (second raw material sheets) are disposed on both sides of the conveyance orthogonal direction CD with the cutting planned line CL on the other surface (the lower surface in the illustrated form) of the stretchable sheet 3A interposed therebetween to obtain a continuous strip-shaped raw sheet precursor 80. Then, the sheets 3A, 4, 7 constituting the raw sheet precursor 80 are joined together. In this embodiment, the length (width) of the inner layer sheet 4 in the conveyance orthogonal direction CD is the same as or longer than that of the stretchable sheet 3A. On the other hand, the length (width) of the target tape 7 in the conveyance orthogonal direction CD is shorter than that of the stretchable sheet 3A. The joining of the sheets 3A, 4, 7 constituting the raw sheet precursor 80 is performed by a joining means 73 provided in the first manufacturing unit 71. As the joining means 73, an apparatus conventionally used for joining this type of sheets can be used. In this embodiment, the joining means 73 includes a melting means 730 such as an ultrasonic horn that heats and melts the workpiece (sheets 3A, 4, 7) and a receiving roll 731, and is configured to be able to melt while pressing the workpiece supplied between the peripheral surfaces of the opposing melting means 730 and receiving roll 731.

[0033] In the present invention, the joining of the sheets 3A, 4, 7 constituting the raw sheet precursor 80 may be performed in multiple times or simultaneously. When joining sheets in multiple steps, for example, a method can be adopted where the planned joining locations between the stretchable sheet 3A and the inner layer sheet 4 (the first raw material sheet) are joined first, and then the planned joining locations between the stretchable sheet 3A and the target tape 7 (the second raw material sheet) are joined, or a method of joining in the reverse order can be used. For implementing either method, it is necessary to arrange a plurality (for example, 2 units) of joining means 73 along the conveyance direction MD corresponding to a plurality of (for example, 2 times) joining steps. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the joining of the sheets 3A, 4, and 7 that constitute the raw sheet precursor 80 is performed simultaneously. That is, the raw sheet precursor 80 is introduced into a single joining means 73, and all the planned joining locations are joined in a single joining step by the single joining means 73. As a result, compared with the method of joining sheets in multiple steps, it is possible to carry out the process with a smaller number of steps and simpler processing equipment, and the manufacturing efficiency can be further improved.

[0034] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, after joining the sheets 3A, 4, and 7 that constitute the raw sheet precursor 80 by the joining means 73, a plurality of elastic members 8 are arranged and fixed in an extended state extended to a predetermined elongation rate on the planned elastic member arrangement surface (the surface on the inner layer sheet 4 side in the illustrated form) of the raw sheet precursor 80 being conveyed in the conveyance direction MD. Before arranging the elastic member 8, an adhesive such as a hot melt type adhesive is applied to the planned elastic member arrangement surface and / or the elastic member 8 by an adhesive applicator (not shown). By arranging the elastic member 8 on the planned elastic member arrangement surface, the elastic member 8 is joined and fixed to the raw sheet precursor 80.

[0035] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, in the manufacturing process of the fabric sheet 90, both side edges 80S, 80S along the conveyance direction MD of the fabric sheet precursor 80 are folded back to one surface side of the fabric sheet precursor 80 (the inner layer sheet 4 side in the illustrated form), forming a pair of folded-back portions 20, 20 and a non-folded-back portion 21 positioned between the pair of folded-back portions 20, 20 (folding-back process). As described above, the folded-back portion 20 forms one side edge of the longitudinal direction Y of the stretchable laminate 1 (the lateral direction Y in the lateral direction of the holder portion 17). By forming such a side edge through folding of the sheet, the appearance of the stretchable laminate 1 is improved, and the appearance of the holder portion 17 (diaper 10) can be further enhanced.

[0036] In the folding-back process, any of the sheets 3A, 4, 7 constituting the fabric sheet precursor 80 may be folded back. However, as shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable to fold back the stretchable sheet 3A and the inner layer sheet 4 (the first raw material sheet) (the target tape 7 is not folded back). The stretchable sheet 3A is more likely to meander during conveyance compared to the other sheets constituting the fabric sheet precursor 80. If the stretchable sheet 3A meanders during the manufacturing process of the stretchable laminate 1, it may cause a decrease in the appearance and functionality of the resulting stretchable laminate 1. By folding back the stretchable sheet 3A and the inner layer sheet 4 in the folding-back process, such inconveniences can be effectively prevented.

[0037] In the folding step, it is preferable to fold both side edges 80S, 80S of the raw sheet precursor 80 to one surface side of the raw sheet precursor 80 (the inner layer sheet 4 side in the illustrated form) with reference to the elastic member 8 disposed inside the folded portion 20. As described above in the manufacturing process of the raw sheet 90, after joining the sheets 3A, 4, 7 constituting the raw sheet precursor 80, the elastic member 8 is disposed at the planned formation portion of the folded portion 20 (both side edges 80S, 80S of the raw sheet precursor 80) on the surface of the inner layer sheet 4 (the first raw material sheet) side of the raw sheet precursor 80. Since the thus disposed elastic member 8 extends linearly along the conveyance direction MD, in the folding step, by folding both side edges 80S, 80S of the raw sheet precursor 80 with reference to the elastic member 8, a folded portion 20 with a neat fold can be formed.

[0038] In the present embodiment, in the manufacturing process of the raw sheet 90, as shown in FIG. 6, a continuous belt-like reinforcing sheet 5 (the third raw material sheet) is disposed so as to overlap the planned cutting line CL at the non-folded portion 21 on the surface of the inner layer sheet 4 (the first raw material sheet) side of the raw sheet precursor 80. Thereby, since the rigidity of the non-folded portion 21 in the raw sheet 90 increases, the inconvenience that the cut edges 91a, 92a (see FIG. 10(b)) at the planned cutting line CL of the first continuous sheet 91 and the second continuous sheet 92 obtained by cutting the raw sheet 90 along the planned cutting line CL in the dividing step are turned up during the conveyance of both sheets 91, 92 thereafter is effectively prevented, and the manufacturing efficiency can be further improved.

[0039] In this embodiment, in the manufacturing process of the base fabric sheet 90, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, a pair of continuous strip-shaped functional sheets 6 (fourth raw material sheet) are arranged on the surface of the inner layer sheet 4 (first raw material sheet) side of the base fabric sheet precursor 80 so as to overlap with the boundaries 22 between the pair of folded portions 20, 20 and the reinforcing sheet 5 (third raw material sheet). Thereby, a continuous strip-shaped base fabric sheet 90 in which the stretchable sheet 3A and the sheets 4 to 7 which are the first to fourth raw material sheets are laminated is obtained. The boundary 22 between the folded portion 20 and the reinforcing sheet 5 is a gap between the folded portion 20 and the reinforcing sheet 5 as shown in FIG. 8, and is a portion where the number of laminated sheets is relatively small in the direction X of the stretchable laminate 1. Further, as described above, in this embodiment, the joint portion 9 (see FIG. 1) extends over the entire length in the direction X of the stretchable laminate 1. When the joint portion 9 exists so as to straddle a portion where the number of laminated sheets is different at the overlapping portion with the boundary 22, there is a concern that the joint strength of the joint portion 9 may vary. However, as described above, by arranging the reinforcing sheet 5 so as to overlap with the boundary 22 where the number of laminated sheets is relatively small, such a concern is eliminated, and the joint strength of the joint portion 9 can be made constant over the entire length in its longitudinal direction.

[0040] The continuous strip-shaped base fabric sheet 90 manufactured by the first manufacturing unit 71 as described above is then conveyed to the second manufacturing unit 72 and used for manufacturing the stretchable laminate 1. FIG. 9 shows a schematic configuration of the second manufacturing unit 72, and FIG. 10 shows the state of workpieces such as the base fabric sheet 90 at each part of the second manufacturing unit 72.

[0041] In the second manufacturing unit 72, first, while conveying the base fabric sheet 90 with its continuous direction as the conveying direction MD, it is cut along a cutting planned line CL (see FIG. 10(a)) extending in the conveying direction MD, and divided into a first continuous sheet 91 and a second continuous sheet 92 (division step). The division step is performed by cutting means 74 provided in the second manufacturing unit 72. As the cutting means 74, a device conventionally used for cutting this type of sheet can be used. In this embodiment, the cutting means 74 includes a cutter roll 740 having a blade for cutting the sheet and a receiving roll 741.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 10(a), the planned cutting line CL meanders with reference to the center line 90L that bisects the original sheet 90 in the direction CD orthogonal to the conveyance and extends parallel to the conveyance direction MD. In the illustrated form, the planned cutting line CL meanders symmetrically with respect to the center line 90L. Therefore, the first continuous sheet 91 and the second continuous sheet 92 are in a symmetrical relationship with reference to the planned cutting line CL. Note that the planned cutting line CL is typically a virtual line and is not visibly provided on the original sheet 90, but it may be visibly provided. In the present embodiment, in a plan view as shown in Fig. 10(a), the planned cutting line CL has a shape in which convex portions protruding to one side of the conveyance orthogonal direction CD and convex portions protruding to the other side are arranged alternately in the conveyance direction MD. The planar shape of the planned cutting line CL is not particularly limited as long as the planned cutting line CL meanders with reference to the center line 90L, and it does not have to meander symmetrically with respect to the center line 90L as shown in Fig. 10(a). The planar shape of the planned cutting line CL may be, for example, a shape in which the convex portions form a trapezoid in plan view and the contour line consists only of straight lines, or a shape in which the contour line consists only of curves, such as an S shape, or a shape in which straight lines and curves are mixed.

[0043] The first continuous sheet 91 has a configuration in which a plurality of the first stretchable sheets 1A are connected in one direction (conveyance direction MD), and the second continuous sheet 92 has a configuration in which a plurality of the second stretchable sheets 1B are connected in one direction (conveyance direction MD). The first continuous sheet 91 has, as a pair of edge portions extending in the conveyance direction MD, a non-linear cutting edge portion 91a formed by cutting along the planned cutting line CL of the original sheet 90 and a linear edge portion 91b. The second continuous sheet 92 has, as a pair of edge portions extending in the conveyance direction MD, a non-linear cutting edge portion 92a formed by cutting along the planned cutting line CL of the original sheet 90 and a linear edge portion 92b. The non-linear cutting edge portions 91a and 92a form the longitudinal end X2 (the lower end when the holder portion 17 is worn) of the stretchable laminate 1, and the linear edge portions 91b and 92b form the longitudinal end X1 (the upper end when the holder portion 17 is worn) of the stretchable laminate 1 (see Fig. 1 etc.).

[0044] As shown in FIG. 9, the second manufacturing unit 72 includes a conveyance path 910 for the first continuous sheet 91 and a conveyance path 920 for the second continuous sheet 92, and both conveyance paths 910 and 920 are independent of each other over a predetermined distance.

[0045] After the splitting step, while the first continuous sheet 91 and the second continuous sheet 92 are being conveyed in the conveyance direction MD in the conveyance paths 910 and 920, one or both of the sheets 91 and 92 are rotated (twisted) around the conveyance direction MD so that the cut edges 91a and 92a at the planned cutting line CL of both sheets 91 and 92 face the same direction (rotation step).

[0046] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, one side in the conveyance orthogonal direction CD is the operation side of the manufacturing apparatus 70 used for carrying out the manufacturing method of the stretchable laminate 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the "OP side"), and the other side in the conveyance orthogonal direction CD is the drive side of the manufacturing apparatus 70 (hereinafter also referred to as the "DR side"), the first continuous sheet 91 is located on the OP side, and the second continuous sheet 92 is located on the DR side. The OP side is the side where the operator who operates the manufacturing apparatus 70 is present, and the DR side is the side where many of the drive devices for operating each part of the manufacturing apparatus 70 are present. In the rotation step, as described above, one or both of the two sheets 91 and 92 may be rotated around the conveyance direction MD so that the cut edge 91a of the first continuous sheet 91 and the cut edge 92a of the second continuous sheet 92 face the same direction. After the rotation step, the direction in which the cut edges 91a and 92a face may be either the OP side or the DR side, but as shown in FIG. 10(b), the DR side is preferred. The reason is to smoothly and accurately perform the rotation and movement of the two sheets 91 and 92. That is, the rotation step and the subsequent lamination step typically acquire their position information using detection means (not shown) such as sensors installed on the OP side, and rotate and move the two sheets 91 and 92 based on the position information. The linear edges 91b and 92b are more easily detected by the detection means compared to the non-linear cut edges 91a and 92a, and are also accurate and easy to handle as the position information. Therefore, during the implementation of the rotation step and the lamination step, it is preferable that the linear edges 91b and 92b always face the OP side. In other words, it is preferable that the non-linear cut edges 91a and 92a always face the DR side. Therefore, in the rotation step, it is preferable that the cut edges 91a and 92a of both sheets 91 and 92 face the DR side.

[0047] In this embodiment, in order to direct the cut edges 91a and 92a of both sheets 91 and 92 to the DR side in the rotation step, the second continuous sheet 92 with the cut edge 92a facing the OP side immediately after the division step is rotated 180 degrees around the conveyance direction MD. On the other hand, since the cut edge 91a of the first continuous sheet 91 faces the DR side immediately after the division step, it is not rotated around the conveyance direction MD. In the conveyance path 920 of the second continuous sheet 92, as shown in FIG. 9, there is provided a sheet rotation region 75 for rotating the second continuous sheet 92 being conveyed by 180 degrees around the conveyance direction MD. In the sheet rotation region 75, a plurality of cylindrical conveyance rolls 750 as sheet rotation means are intermittently arranged in the conveyance direction MD with their axial directions aligned with the conveyance orthogonal direction CD. The plurality of conveyance rolls 750 in the sheet rotation region 75 have different angles formed between their axial directions and the horizontal direction (vertical direction), and are arranged such that the angle increases or decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction MD (from the left side to the right side in FIG. 9). The second continuous sheet 92 is rotated by 180 degrees around the conveyance direction MD by being conveyed in the conveyance direction MD through the sheet rotation region 75 configured as described above. The number of the conveyance rolls 750 arranged in the sheet rotation region 75 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately adjusted according to the rotation angle of the sheet or the like. Also, the sheet rotation means is not particularly limited, and known rotation means capable of rotating the sheet being conveyed around the conveyance direction can be appropriately used.

[0048] FIGS. 11 and 12 show other embodiments of the rotation step. Regarding other embodiments to be described later, configurations different from the above embodiment (the configuration shown in FIG. 9) will be mainly described, and the same configurations will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. For configurations not particularly described in the embodiments to be described later, the description of the above embodiment will be appropriately applied. In the form shown in FIG. 9, in the rotation step, only one of the first continuous sheet 91 and the second continuous sheet 92 (specifically, sheet 92) is rotated 180 degrees around the conveyance direction MD. However, both sheets 91 and 92 may be rotated. For example, as in the form shown in FIG. 11, by rotating both sheets 91 and 92 90 degrees around the conveyance direction MD respectively, the orientations of the cut edges 91a and 92a of both sheets 91 and 92 may be made to coincide. In the form shown in FIG. 11, a sheet rotation region 75 in which a plurality of conveyance rolls 750 are arranged is provided in each of the conveyance path 910 of the first continuous sheet 91 and the conveyance path 920 of the second continuous sheet 92. One sheet 91 is rotated 90 degrees around the conveyance direction MD, and the other sheet 92 is rotated 90 degrees around the conveyance direction MD in the direction opposite to that of the one sheet 91, and then, both sheets 91 and 92 are joined together. Reference numeral 751 in FIG. 11 is a turn bar for changing the conveyance direction of the sheets 91 and 92. Also, the sheet rotation region 75 in the form shown in FIG. 9 is configured to include a plurality of conveyance rolls 750 intermittently arranged in the conveyance direction MD. Instead of this, as shown in FIG. 12, it may be configured to include a plurality of turn bars 751. In the form shown in FIG. 12, by arranging two turn bars 751 to intersect each other, the second continuous sheet 92 can be rotated 180 degrees around the conveyance direction MD at a shorter distance compared to the form shown in FIG. 9.

[0049] In the method for manufacturing the stretchable laminate 1, after the rotation step or during the implementation of the rotation step, the first continuous sheet 91 and the second continuous sheet 92 are overlapped as shown in FIG. 10(d) with the phases of the cut edges 91a and 92a of both sheets 91 and 92 in the conveyance direction MD adjusted as shown in FIG. 10(c) to obtain a continuous laminate 93 (lamination step). The cut edges 91a and 92a each have a wavy shape in a plan view as shown in FIG. 10, where convex portions and concave portions are alternately arranged in the conveyance direction MD. When the separation distance in the conveyance direction MD between the tops of two adjacent convex portions in the conveyance direction MD is defined as one pitch, immediately after the division step (before the phase alignment of the cut edges 91a and 92a in the conveyance direction MD), the cut edge 91a and the cut edge 92a are shifted by 0.5 pitch in the conveyance direction MD (see FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b)). In the lamination step, the phase shift in the conveyance direction MD between the cut edges 91a and 92a is eliminated, and the two sheets 91 and 92 are overlapped to form a continuous laminate 93 in which the contours of the two sheets 91 and 92 coincide. The continuous laminate 93 has a pair of edges 93a and 93b extending in the conveyance direction MD (longitudinal direction). One non-linear cut edge 93a is formed by the overlapping portion of the non-linear cut edges 91a and 92a of the two sheets 91 and 92, and forms the non-linear longitudinal direction X2 of the stretchable laminate 1. The other linear edge 93b is formed by the overlapping portion of the linear edges 91b and 92b of the two sheets 91 and 92, and forms the linear longitudinal direction X1 of the stretchable laminate 1.

[0050] The method of phase alignment is not particularly limited, and various methods can be adopted. In the present embodiment, for the phase alignment, as shown in FIG. 9, the lengths of the conveyance path 910 of the first continuous sheet 91 and the conveyance path 920 of the second continuous sheet 92 are made different. More specifically, by setting the conveyance path 910 of the first continuous sheet 91 that is not rotated around the conveyance direction MD in the rotation step to be longer than the conveyance path 920 of the second continuous sheet 92, the phases of the cut edges 91a and 92a of the two sheets 91 and 92 in the conveyance direction MD are made to coincide at the merging position of the two conveyance paths 910 and 920 (the formation position of the continuous laminate 93).

[0051] In the stacking process, as shown in FIG. 13, it is preferable to overlap the two sheets 91 and 92 by aligning the folded portions 20 of the first continuous sheet 91 and the second continuous sheet 92, that is, by aligning the edge 91b and the edge 92b that are linear in plan view. By using the linear edges 91b and 92b as a reference when overlapping the two sheets 91 and 92 in this way, compared with the case of using the non-linear cut edges 91a and 92a as a reference, it becomes easier to obtain position information by the above-described detection means, etc., so that the overlapping of the two sheets 91 and 92 can be performed more smoothly and with high precision.

[0052] In the second manufacturing unit 72, after forming the continuous laminate 93 as described above, the joint 9 (see FIG. 1) is intermittently formed in the conveyance direction MD of the continuous laminate 93 by a joining means (not shown) (joining process). Further, while conveying the continuous laminate 93 having the joint 9 formed therein in the conveyance direction MD, it is cut in the conveyance orthogonal direction CD (sheet separation process) to continuously manufacture the sheet-like stretchable laminate 1. In the joining process, the joint 9 is formed between a pair of edges along the conveyance direction MD of the continuous laminate 93. More specifically, it is formed between the edge 93a on the non-linear cut edge 91a, 92a side of both continuous sheets 91, 92 (the edge on the convex portion side of the continuous laminate 93) and the edge 93b on the linear edge (non-cut edge) 91b, 92b side of both continuous sheets 91, 92.

[0053] The stretchable laminate 1 (holder portion 17) mainly consists of sheets with relatively low rigidity such as the stretchable sheet 3A (outer layer sheet 3), the inner layer sheet 4, and the reinforcing sheet 5, which are difficult to serve as folding starting points. Since it does not contain a member with relatively high rigidity and is likely to serve as a folding starting point like the absorber in the absorbent article, if the manufacturing process of the stretchable laminate 1 includes a step of folding the raw sheet precursor 80 (a stretchable laminate in which the front and back parts are integrated) including the sheets 3A, 4, and 5 in half in the direction CD orthogonal to the conveyance direction, there is a concern that the double folding is unstable, difficult to fold, and it is difficult to obtain a clean fold line. On the contrary, the manufacturing method of the present invention described above, instead of the step of folding in half such a stretchable sheet (raw sheet precursor 80) that does not contain such an absorber, divides the stretchable sheet in half in the direction CD orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and rotates and overlaps one or both of the divided sheets (sheets 91, 92) around the conveyance direction MD. Therefore, the problems caused by folding a stretchable sheet without a folding starting point are solved, and a high-quality stretchable laminate 1 can be stably manufactured.

[0054] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the raw sheet 90 included sheets other than the stretchable sheet 3A, but it may be composed only of the stretchable sheet 3A.

[0055] Regarding the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the following additional remarks are further disclosed. <1> A manufacturing method of a stretchable laminate including a first stretchable sheet having stretchability in one direction and a second stretchable sheet having stretchability in the one direction, which is overlapped on one surface of the first stretchable sheet, and both stretchable sheets are joined to each other at a pair of joining portions formed at both ends in the one direction thereof, and are not joined to each other at a portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions, and the portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions can form an annular structure having stretchability in the circumferential direction. While conveying a base sheet including a continuous belt-shaped stretchable sheet that is continuous in one direction and extends in that one direction, bisecting it in the conveyance orthogonal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction and meandering with respect to a center line extending parallel to the conveyance direction, cutting it along a planned cutting line, and dividing it into a first continuous sheet in which a plurality of the first stretchable sheets are connected in the conveyance direction and a second continuous sheet in which a plurality of the second stretchable sheets are connected in the conveyance direction. While conveying the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet in the conveyance direction, rotating one or both of the two continuous sheets around the conveyance direction so that the cutting edge portions of the two continuous sheets at the planned cutting line face the same direction. A laminating step of overlapping the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet by aligning the phases of the cutting edge portions of the two continuous sheets in the conveyance direction to obtain a continuous laminate. A joining step of intermittently forming the joining portion in the conveyance direction on the continuous laminate. A method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate, comprising a sheet separation step of cutting the continuous laminate in the conveyance orthogonal direction to obtain a sheet-like stretchable laminate. <2> One side in the conveyance orthogonal direction is the operation side of a manufacturing apparatus used for implementing the method for manufacturing the stretchable laminate, and the other side in the conveyance orthogonal direction is the drive side of the manufacturing apparatus. In the rotation step, rotating one of the two sheets 180 degrees around the conveyance direction so that the cutting edge portions of each of the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet face the drive side. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to <1>. <3> In the joining step, forming the joining portion between a pair of edges along the conveyance direction of the continuous laminate (more specifically, between the edge on the cutting edge portion side of the two continuous sheets and the edge on the side opposite to the edge). The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to <1> or <2>.

[0056] <4> Before the dividing step, it has a manufacturing step of the base sheet. In the manufacturing process of the raw sheet, a continuous strip-shaped first raw material sheet is arranged on one surface of the stretchable sheet being conveyed in the one direction so as to overlap the planned cutting line, and a pair of continuous strip-shaped second raw material sheets are arranged on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance across the planned cutting line on the other surface of the stretchable sheet to obtain a raw sheet precursor. Further, the sheets constituting the raw sheet precursor are joined together. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to any one of the above <1> to <3>. <5> The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to the above <4>, wherein the joining of the sheets constituting the raw sheet precursor is performed simultaneously. <6> The manufacturing process of the raw sheet has a folding process of folding back both side edges along the conveyance direction of the raw sheet precursor to the one surface side of the raw sheet precursor and forming a pair of folding parts on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance of the non-existing part of the folding part of the raw sheet precursor. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to the above <4> or <5>. <7> In the folding process, the stretchable sheet and the first raw material sheet are folded back. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to the above <6>. <8> In the manufacturing process of the raw sheet, after joining the sheets constituting the raw sheet precursor, an elastic member is arranged at the planned formation part of the folding part on the surface on the first raw material sheet side of the raw sheet precursor. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to the above <6> or <7>. <9> In the folding process, both side edges along the conveyance direction of the raw sheet precursor are folded back to the one surface side of the raw sheet precursor with reference to the elastic member arranged inside the folding part. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to the above <8>. <10> In the manufacturing process of the raw sheet, a continuous strip-shaped third raw material sheet is arranged on the non-existing part of the folding part on the surface on the first raw material sheet side of the raw sheet precursor so as to overlap the planned cutting line. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to any one of the above <6> to <9>. <11> In the manufacturing process of the original sheet, a pair of continuous strip-shaped fourth raw material sheets are arranged on the surface of the original sheet precursor on the side of the first raw material sheet so as to overlap with the boundary between the pair of folded portions and the third raw material sheet. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to <10>. <12> In the lamination step, the pair of folded portions of the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet are made to coincide with each other, and the two continuous sheets are laminated. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to any one of <6> to <11>.

Explanation of Signs

[0057] 1 Stretchable laminate 1A First stretchable sheet 1B Second stretchable sheet 2 Exterior body 20 Folded portion 21 Portion without folded portion 22 Boundary between folded portion and reinforcing sheet (third raw material sheet) 3, 3A Outer layer sheet (stretch sheet) 31, 32 Fiber sheet 33 Elastic filament 4 Inner layer sheet (first raw material sheet) 5 Reinforcing sheet (third raw material sheet) 6 Functional sheet (fourth raw material sheet) 7 Target tape (second raw material sheet) 8 Elastic member 9 Joint portion 10 Pant-type disposable diaper 11 Absorbent pad portion 12 Surface sheet 13 Back sheet 14 Absorbent core 15 Leakage prevention cuff 16 Adhesive tape 17 Holder portion 70 Manufacturing apparatus for stretchable laminate 71 First manufacturing section 72 Second manufacturing section 73 Joining means 74 Cutting means 75 Sheet rotation area 80 Web sheet precursor 90 Web sheet 91 First continuous sheet 91a Cutting edge of the first continuous sheet 92 Second continuous sheet 92a Cutting edge of the second continuous sheet 93 Continuous laminate CL Planned cutting line

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a stretch laminate, comprising a first stretch sheet having stretchability in one direction and a second stretch sheet having stretchability in the one direction, which is overlaid on one surface of the first stretch sheet, wherein the two stretch sheets are joined to each other at a pair of joining portions formed at both ends in the one direction, and are not joined to each other at a portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions, and the portion sandwiched between the pair of joining portions can form an annular structure having stretchability in the circumferential direction. The method includes: A splitting step of conveying a base fabric sheet including a continuous strip-shaped stretch sheet that is continuous in one direction and stretched in the one direction, while conveying the sheet in the one direction as a conveying direction, bisecting the sheet in a conveying orthogonal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and meandering with respect to a center line extending parallel to the conveying direction, and cutting the sheet along a cutting line to be cut, so as to split the first stretch sheet into a plurality of first continuous sheets connected in the conveying direction and the second stretch sheet into a plurality of second continuous sheets connected in the conveying direction; A rotating step of rotating one or both of the two continuous sheets around the conveying direction while conveying the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet in the conveying direction so that the cutting edge portions of the two continuous sheets at the cutting line to be cut face the same direction; A laminating step of laminating the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet by aligning the phases of the cutting edge portions of the two continuous sheets in the conveying direction to obtain a continuous laminate; A joining step of intermittently forming the joining portions in the conveying direction on the continuous laminate; A sheet-splitting step of cutting the continuous laminate in the conveying orthogonal direction to obtain a sheet-like stretch laminate, and Before the splitting step, there is a manufacturing step of the base fabric sheet, In the manufacturing step of the base fabric sheet, a continuous strip-shaped first raw material sheet is arranged on one surface of the stretch sheet being conveyed in the one direction so as to overlap the cutting line to be cut, and a pair of continuous strip-shaped second raw material sheets are arranged on both sides in the conveying orthogonal direction with the cutting line to be cut on the other surface of the stretch sheet interposed therebetween to obtain a base fabric sheet precursor, and then the sheets constituting the base fabric sheet precursor are joined to each other.

2. One side in the conveying orthogonal direction is an operation side of a manufacturing apparatus used for implementing the method for manufacturing the stretch laminate, and the other side in the conveying orthogonal direction is a driving side of the manufacturing apparatus. In the rotation step, one of the two sheets is rotated 180 degrees around the conveyance direction so that the cut edges of the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet face the drive side, respectively. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to claim 1.

3. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheets constituting the original sheet precursor are joined simultaneously.

4. The manufacturing step of the original sheet includes a folding step of folding both side edges along the conveyance direction of the original sheet precursor to one surface side of the original sheet precursor, and forming a pair of folding portions on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance of the portion where the folding portion of the original sheet precursor does not exist. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. In the folding step, the stretchable sheet and the first raw material sheet are folded. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to claim 4.

6. In the manufacturing step of the original sheet, after joining the sheets constituting the original sheet precursor, an elastic member is disposed at a portion where the folding portion is to be formed on the surface of the original sheet precursor on the side of the first raw material sheet. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to claim 4 or 5.

7. In the folding step, both side edges along the conveyance direction of the original sheet precursor are folded to one surface side of the original sheet precursor with reference to the elastic member disposed inside the folding portion. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to claim 6.

8. In the manufacturing step of the original sheet, a continuous strip-shaped third raw material sheet is disposed on the portion where the folding portion does not exist on the surface of the original sheet precursor on the side of the first raw material sheet so as to overlap the planned cutting line. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to any one of claims 4 to 7.

9. In the manufacturing step of the original sheet, a pair of continuous strip-shaped fourth raw material sheets are disposed on the surface of the original sheet precursor on the side of the first raw material sheet so as to overlap the boundary between the pair of folding portions and the third raw material sheet. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to claim 8.

10. In the laminating step, the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet are overlapped by aligning the folding portions of the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet. The method for manufacturing a stretchable laminate according to any one of claims 4 to 9.

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