MXPA97009261A - Impression of adhesive for absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for making disposable absorbent articles comprising two materials (11 and 21), which adhere to each other. Importantly, the process uses an inline roller print (30) to provide an adhesive (2). This adhesive printing process can be used to provide formed, novel panty fastener adhesives, but also other forms or adhesives useful for disposable absorbent articles.

Description

PRINTING OF ADHESIVE FOR ABSORBENT ARTICLE DISPOSABLE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present is related to a process for making disposable absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, linings for panties, catamenial products, inserts for incontinence and diapers for adults or babies. In particular, the present invention relates to a process for making disposable absorbent articles comprising two materials that adhere to each other. Importantly, the process uses inline roller printing to provide the adhesive. This adhesive printing process can be used to provide the novel formed panty fastener adhesives disclosed in a parallel patent application entitled "Disposable absorbent articles having a panty fastener adhesive, formed".

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, catamenial products, incontinence inserts and diapers for adults or infants are commonly provided with an adhesive on their surface that faces the garment to secure them during their period of use to a garment. user's interior In particular, sanitary napkins and panty liners are commonly provided with a pressure sensitive, heat fusion adhesive, which is affixed to the wearer's undergarment and thus improves the fit and comfort of the product to the wearer. These adhesives are typically covered with a release paper before use. More generally, the absorbent articles are provided with areas of adhesive for the purpose of combining materials that ultimately form part or all of the absorbent article. In particular, the multi-layered structures that form the topsheet, the core or the backsheet, are often combined by adhesives. The combination of the top sheet, the core and the backsheet can also be achieved by means of adhesives. Typically, these products are made by high-speed machinery. The machinery includes equipment that adds the adhesive in a very fast and efficient way, ensuring the consistency of the absorbent products over large quantities of them. A common way of providing an adhesive is by spraying or coating the adhesive groove on a yarn of continuously transported material. The surface of this material, coated with adhesive, is then bonded to another material that forms all or part of the disposable absorbent articles. These methods of application of the adhesive allow the application of the adhesive without contact between the apparatus and the material to be coated. This is desirable in particular for thermoplastic films or non-woven materials often used in disposable absorbent articles, which are very sensitive to heat and may be incompatible with adhesives that require high melting temperatures. An alternative adhesive application method for the material used in absorbent articles is a screen printing method. In the screen printing method, an adhesive is applied to the interior of a rotating roller having openings. This roller, also called a screen, is brought into contact with the continuously transported material wire such that the adhesive is transferred through the holes in the material.

Again, only the adhesive is heated while the screen surface contacting the surface to which the adhesive is applied is not heated. Another alternative application method for the adhesive is to make adhesive to one of the materials used in the production of the absorbent articles. This can be done in a separate separate stage and well before the material is used in the article. For example, the tongue or adhesive film, as used in baby diapers, has an adhesive surface and a non-adhesive surface. The adhesive surface is not firmly attached (or at least releasably attached) to the non-adhesive surface by winding the tape or film upward in a roll. When the material is used, the roll is then unwound to present the adhesive surface for the material to which it is intended to bond the tape or film. U.S. Patent 5,064,492 thus provides an impermeable film on which a particular adhesive is printed, said to be unblocked below about 43 ° C. This adhesive is provided to the film by a pattern printing roller and a cooled counter-roller or a series of these printing units if patterns are desired in the adhesive. The winding of the film coated with adhesive is conducted below the blocking temperature. This method of providing coated films adds multiple complexities to the logistics, storage and final manufacture of the disposable articles.

Even accidental warming of any portion of the previously coated roll would render it unusable (stuck like this). Also all the benefits of adhesive placement accuracy are lost in the alignment difficulties associated with the unwinding of the film. In addition, the adhesive has to be reheated to return it to its tack state such that the added energy consumption is equated with a melting probability through the underlying film material. Also, this warming of the adhesive causes degradation due to the additional heating / cooling cycle. A common disadvantage of all the aforementioned adhesive application processes is their inflexibility, the inaccuracy related to the shape of the adhesive to be applied and that these can essentially only provide the adhesive in a continuous manner. The on and off systems for coating or spraying have the disadvantage of delaying their response system and generally the problems associated with accelerating and decelerating the mass currents. For hollow drum screen printing, it is possible to create a pattern on the screen that would allow creating adhesive patterns. However, this is limited in that the screen has to provide a distribution of regularly uniform adhesive application sites (orifices) in order to exclude temperature variations that result in unstable application processes. Also, the screen printing of the adhesive can not provide a full, even surface adhesive covering, due to the dimensions of the maximum aperture and the total open area of the screen with respect to its stability. The applicant has now found a process for providing adhesive areas to disposable absorbent articles, whose areas are not limited in their form. The process allows for reduced adhesive areas or overall surface adhesive range, and is generally more stable and accurate than the prior art processes. The inventive process causes less lost production time than the processes that provide the same adhesive, without the use of conventional adhesive delivery methods.

It is therefore an objective of the process according to the present invention to provide disposable absorbent articles having an area of adhesive bonding two materials comprised in the disposable absorbent article. In particular, the process according to the present invention has the objective of providing an exact and efficient, alternative process for the common adhesive applications thus allowing the adhesive area shape designs that were not hitherto possible at the speeds of typical production for disposable absorbent articles. And, in addition, the reduced consumption of adhesive through a better control of the placement of the adhesive area and the variation of the amount of adhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a process for providing a disposable absorbent article comprising a first material and a second material that are bonded by an adhesive. The first material comprises a first surface and the second material comprises a second surface. The process comprises the steps of providing and transporting the first material in one direction of the machine, providing and transporting the second material, providing an area of adhesive by roller printing on at least a portion of the first surface and interconnecting the area of adhesive with the second surface for the purpose of joining both materials. The roller printing step of the process according to the present invention is preferably conducted by a rotating transport roller for transporting the adhesive. The transport roller receives the adhesive at a receiving portion of its rotation path. The transport roller supplies the adhesive to the first surface at the supply portion of the rotation path of the transport roller. The adhesive is typically a thermal fusion adhesive, which is solid or in a semi-solid plastic state at temperatures below the use temperature of the disposable absorbent product in which the adhesive is used. The adhesive is applied in a liquefied state typically achieved by melting. Therefore, the receiving portion of the rotary path of the transport roller is preferably inside a bath of a molten adhesive, even so, another application means for the roller such as a sprayer can be used. Preferably, the adhesive has a minimum application temperature of 80 ° C or higher, and is supplied in the supply portion of the path of rotation of the transport roller at or above this temperature. Preferably, this is achieved by heating the rotary transport roller. In a possible embodiment of the present process, the adhesive is provided to the first surface from below. This ensures the application of drip-free adhesive without the need for additional guards to prevent dripping. It is preferred that the process according to the present invention provides the area of adhesive in a form that comprises parts that are not parallel or perpendicular to the machine direction, and that are preferably non-linear. If so desired, the adhesive area provided on the first surface has a peripheral edge which at least partially coincides with the peripheral edge of the material surface to which the adhesive area is provided.

Preferably, the adhesive area is provided to fully cover the surface of the first material, such that its peripheral edges completely coincide. The adhesive area can provide a detachable fastening means as is typical between release paper and a panty fastener adhesive. However, common processes are not limited to said adhesive application but can also provide a permanent connection between the first and second materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a schematic view of one embodiment of the process steps of the present invention. Figure 2 shows an alternative mode to figure 1, with the printing of the adhesive located differently. Figure 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the printing equipment used in the step of printing the adhesive according to the present invention. Figures 4 to 15 show alternate etchings and their cross-sectional topographies useful for the rotary transport roller useful for the rotary transport roller according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The absorbent article has a body-facing surface, typically provided by a fiber substrate or a liquid-permeable film structure, often referred to as a topsheet; a surface facing the garment, preferably provided by a liquid-impermeable but breathable substrate, often referred to as a backsheet, and an absorbent structure placed between the body-facing surface and the garment-facing surface, typically referred to as the garment. the absorbent core. The absorbent article has a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, and may comprise any of the components or features customary in the art. In particular, the absorbent articles may be comprised of side wrapping elements, side flap components or wings, as well as any kind of extension capacity or elasticizing characteristic. The disposable article for absorbing liquids is described below with reference to a sanitary napkin or a panty liner. However, products such as adult or baby diaper inserts comprising adhesives can similarly benefit from the process of the present invention. A sanitary napkin or preferred panty liner made in accordance with the present invention has a pair of side wrapping elements or "undergarment cover components". These provide protection for the wearer's panties to reduce lateral spotting (ie, spotting of the crotch edges of the pantyhose), and are typically smaller than conventional fins or wings. The function of the lateral wrapping elements, if they are integral or attached to the article after it has been formed separately, is further improved by making them extendible in one or both directions parallel to the longitudinal axis and / or the lateral axis. The extension capacity can be provided through all or only part of the lateral wrapping elements, and can be achieved by folding or rolling by ring those parts that are to be made extensible. A sanitary napkin or liner for typical panties comprises a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet attached to the topsheet, and an absorbent core positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet. On the backsheet there is provided an area of adhesive providing the panty fastener adhesive, which is covered by a release paper or the like before the article is used. The present invention relates to a process for providing a disposable absorbent article comprising a first material and a second material which are bonded by adhesive. The materials can be any of the typical materials in the context of disposable absorbent articles. Permanent and removable adhesive surfaces are included that need to be provided and therefore include absorbent articles that have an adhesive area on their surface that faces the garment, which is covered by a protective cover element such as a release paper. In the production of absorbent articles, various adhesive connections are typically formed all of which, some of which or at least one of which utilizes the process according to the present invention. Therefore, disposable absorbent articles generally suitable for benefiting from the application of the present invention are described below. The adhesive applied by the process of the present invention can be any of a series of adhesives. Typically, thermal melt adhesives, typically comprising a thermoplastic base material in combination with an adherent resin, or a mixture of several of these materials, can be applied by the present process. Typical thermal melt adhesives have a minimum melting temperature of about 80 ° C, often still at about 100 ° C. The requirement for these thermal fusion adhesives is, of course, that they maintain their adhesive performance until disposal of the disposable absorbent articles, that is, during the manufacture, storage, transportation and use of the disposable absorbent article. Typically the highest temperatures during these activities, is the use temperature of about 40 ° C, when the disposable absorbent article is used on the body of a human. However, higher temperatures may occur, for example when items are left in a vehicle in the sun, where temperatures of 60 ° C and above have been reported. When the adhesive is applied by roller printing according to the present invention, it is necessary that the cohesive forces of the adhesive be less than the adhesive forces of the substrate to which the adhesive is printed, and that the cohesive forces within the substrate on which The adhesive prints are also larger than the cohesive forces of the adhesive. If this relation of forces is not satisfied, parts of the substrate will dissociate from the substrate and fix to the adhesive surface on the roll printing roller. In order to ensure that this does not happen, it may be necessary to maintain a narrow temperature control since the cohesive or adhesion resistance of the thermal fusion adhesives is highly dependent on the temperature of the adhesive. It is understood by those skilled in the art that simple tests will allow to confirm immediately whether the roller printing of the adhesive to a certain substrate can be performed and at what temperature given for a certain adhesive. In order to more fully determine the utility of the process of the present invention, the following is a description of a typical disposable absorbent article.

Top sheet The top sheet is gentle, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the user's skin. Useful top sheets are well known in the art and include especially those disclosed in the pending application "Disposable absorbent articles having a formed panty fastener adhesive". When referring to the top sheet, a multilayer structure or a layer structure is contemplated. The attachment of the topsheet to another portion of the absorbent article or the inner union of the multilayer topsheets can be subjected to the process of the present invention.

Absorbent Structure When referring to the absorbent structure, a multilayer structure or a layer structure is contemplated. The attachment of the absorbent structure to another portion of the absorbent article or the internal bonding of the multi-layer absorbent structures can be subject to the process of the present invention. Useful absorbent structures are well known in the art and include those especially disclosed in the co-pending application "Disposable absorbent articles having a formed panty fastener adhesive". To join the surface of the absorbent structure or one layer of the absorbent structure to another surface, it is important to observe the above observations with respect to the cohesive or adhesive forces and their relationship to each other. In particular, absorbent structures of cellulosic foam have often been found not to meet the requirements of sufficient cohesive strength to allow printing on them. A possible solution in these circumstances is to use a roller printing process of the adhesive on the surface to which the cellulose fibrous absorbent structure or the layer of the absorbent structure is to be bonded.

Backsheet The backsheet primarily prevents the exudates absorbed and contained in the absorbent structure from wetting articles that come into contact with the absorbent product such as briefs, pajamas and undergarments.

Useful backsheets are well known in the art and include especially those disclosed in the copending application "Disposable absorbent articles having a formed panty fastener adhesive". When referring to the backsheet, a multilayer structure or a layer structure is contemplated. The attachment of the backsheet to another portion of the absorbent article or the internal bonding of the multilayer backsheets may be subject to the process of the present invention.

The Bra Fastening Adhesive The backsheet typically forms the garment facing surface of the absorbent article on which the panty fastener adhesive is placed. The panty fastener adhesives may comprise any adhesive or glue used in the art for such a purpose. These adhesives are typically sensitive to pressure and remain sticky well below their application temperature. Suitable non-extensible adhesives are Savare LA203 and Savare LA303 made by Savare I.C. of Milan in Italy, Coramelt 867 by Koemmerling in Pirmasens in Alemany, Fuller D3964ZP and Fuller H-2238ZP manufactured by H.B.Fuller CO., in Lueneburg, in Germany. Suitable adhesive fasteners are also described in U.S. Patent 4,917,697. It is a feature of the present invention that the shape of the area of the panty fastening adhesive may comprise non-linear portions that do not coincide with the periphery of the garment-facing surface of the absorbent article. The panty fastening adhesive also does not need, but can be coextensive with the surface that it gives towards the garment of the sanitary napkin. Before using the absorbent article, the panty fastener adhesive is typically protected from contamination and sticking to any surface where this is not desired by a means of the protective cover element such as a release paper coated with silicone., a plastic film or any other easily removable cover. The protective cover element may be provided as a single piece or in a multitude of pieces, to cover individual adhesive areas. Other functions can also be performed such as providing individualized packages for the article or providing a waste function.

Stages of the Process of the Present Invention In the following, the process according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Figure 1 there is shown a process according to the present invention wherein a first material (10) is provided and transported in the machine direction, designated 1, following the transport path of the first material (10). A second material (20) is also provided and transported. Figures 1 and 2 further show a schematic roller printing unit (30) where the adhesive (2) is provided to the first surface (11) of the first material (10). In Figure 1 and the detailed cross section of Figure 3, the adhesive is provided (2) to the first surface (11) in an intermittent manner. Figure 2 shows the continuous supply of adhesive (2) to the first surface (11) of the first material. In Figure 2, the roller printing unit (30) is also provided in a different location than in Figure 1, and is below but not directly below the first material (10) in a gravitational direction.

The roller printing unit (30) is preferably directly below the material guide system (14). In this context, the term "directly below" implies in a more restrictive sense then below that normal vector on the surface of the material in the receiving section, it is parallel to the gravitational vector (40) but with an opposite direction. Turning to Figure 3, it can be seen that a first material (10) is conveyed in a machine direction (1) generally from the right hand side of the pattern guided by a material guiding system (12). From this guide system, the first material (10) is transferred to another material guide system (14) that transports the material (10) to the roller printing unit (30). The roller printing unit (30) comprises a rotating transport roller (31). The cross section of the surface of the rotating transport roller (31) describes the rotary path of the rotary transport roller (31). The roller (31) in the receiving portion of the rotary path (34) is immersed in an adhesive bath (36). This is typically a bath of molten adhesive held within the roller printing unit (30) at a constant temperature by heating elements (not shown). Also the roller (31) can and preferably has internal heating elements such as oil channels or hot water to maintain the surface of the transport roller (31) at a constant temperature. The transport roller (31) is moistened for the melted adhesive in the receiving portion of the rotary path (34). The surface of the roller moves continuously along the path of rotation away from the bath of the melted adhesive (36) and all the excess adhesive is removed from the rotary transport roller (31) by the scraping blade (35) . The scraper blade (35) essentially runs on the rotating transport roller surface (31). This can be maintained at a constant grip by distance rings or other separation mechanisms. It can also be provided with constant pressure on the roller by means of a spring loaded reaming brush (35) or other means well known in the printing art. Alternatively the amount of adhesive admitted by the rotary transport roller (31) can be controlled through the temperature and viscosity of the adhesive in the bath of the melted adhesive (36) and the length of the receiving portion of the rotating path ( 3. 4).

Then, a reaming brush (35) may not be necessary at all. Following the path of rotary transport roller (31), the supply portion of the rotary path (33) is reached, where the adhesive (2) is transferred from the transport roller to the first surface (11) of the first material (10) In order to transfer the adhesive, it is necessary that the adhesive strength between the adhesive (2) and the first surface (11) exceed any of the cohesive strength of the adhesive or the adhesive strength between the adhesive (2) and the roller surface of the adhesive. transportation (31) or both. Once the adhesive (2) is transferred to the first surface (11) of the first material (10), it is further transported together with the material (10) to be joined with the second material (20). The guide system of the material (14) provides the support for the first material (10) during printing, such that a printing pressure above the breaking pressure of the first material can be used. If the first material (10) can withstand the printing pressure without support, then the guide system (14) is not absolutely necessary, however, it is desirable for the exact placement of the impression. The material (20) is provided and introduced into the process according to the present invention by the guide system (22) as shown in the Figure 3. The distance between the point to join the second material (20) with the second surface (21) to the first material (10), interconnecting the adhesive (2) between the first surface (11) and the second surface (21), needs to be Carefully established in order to ensure that the adhesive is still in a state to provide the desired adhesive fixation between both materials. If the combined material no longer represents the final disposable absorbent article, it is then further transported to further stages of the process to finally provide a disposable absorbent article. The pattern of the adhesive provided to the first surface of the first material can be defined by the printing surface of the rotating transport roller (31). For example, in Figure 3 the engravings or photoetches (32) can be provided in any desired form. The total transport roller surface, including the pattern of the engravings (32), will be wetted by the adhesive (2) in the receiving part of the rotation path of the transport roller (31). In the reaming brush (35) the adhesive that sticks to the surface of the roll is removed from the engravings (32) and guided back into the bath of the melted adhesive (36). Only the engravings that remain filled with the adhesive, which are conveyed on to the supply portion of the rotary transport roller rotation path. As used herein the "etching pattern" refers to the macroscopic area that is to be provided as an area of adhesive on the first surface (11). This pattern is formed of a multitude of engravings (32) which are typically small enough to provide a total adhesive area with an adhesive layer of an approximately constant amount per surface area.

For example, typical patterns of degrees for providing the panty fastener adhesive are those shown in the parallel patent application entitled "Disposable absorbent articles having a panty fastener adhesive, formed". Other adhesive applications may require additional and additional patterns such as a peripheral edge pattern to attach the backsheet to the topsheet around the periphery of an absorbent core. The number of alternatives is unlimited, but suitable patterns for the application will typically be easily identified by those skilled in the art. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the shape, depth, and density of the individual engravings on the surface of the rotating transport roller, in addition to the overall pattern of the engravings, will be a critical parameter for the total amount of adhesive and basis weight supplied to the first surface (11) of the first material (10). Examples of the particular form of the engravings that have been found useful in the context of the application of adhesive for disposable absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins and pantiliners are shown in the Figures 4 to 15. The engravings are shown as a plan view on the rotating transport roller. By orientation a line designated with the reference number 3 which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary transport roller (31) is shown. As can be seen in Figures 1, 2 or 3, this direction is typically perpendicular to the machine direction defined by the production path of the first material. Figure 4 shows a square pyramidal shape with a depression angle of approximately 45 °, which can be seen in the cross section shown in Figure 5. Other angles such as 30 °, 15 ° or steeper engravings at 60 ° or 65 ° can also be used. Figure 6 is similar to the square pyramidal engraving of Figure 4, however, with a central truncated part of the pyramids, which is shown in Figure 7 in a cross-sectional view. The direction of the individual engravings can, of course, alter the relationship of the direction of the rotation axes (3). This is seen when comparing Figure 6 and Figure 8, which show the same square engravings of truncated pyramid, however, with a change of their position in relation to the direction (3). The Figure 9 shows a similar truncated engraving as Figure 8, however, with the corners of the rounded squares. Figure 10 shows the same engraving as Figure 8, however, with a different direction of the individual engravings. A cross-sectional representation of the engravings of Figure 10 is shown in the Figure 11. Figure 12 shows another alternate modality of engraving in a truncated hexagonal pyramid. A cross-sectional representation of this engraving is shown in Figure 13. Figures 14 and 15 show a round spherical engraving which is also an alternative. The dimensions and density of these prints can be varied depending on the desired result of the adhesive printing step of the present invention. In the following, preferable scales are given for engravings. Each individual engraving can have a depth of from 0.01 mm for very small quantities of adhesives to be provided, up to 0.8 mm for the transport of large amounts of adhesive. The engraving size of 0.01 mm to 2.5 mm according to the lateral length of the rectangular engravings or according to the diameter of the circular engraving, have been found useful. For engravings in which they are neither square nor circular, similar dimensions as those for square or circular engravings, will be able to be easily defined by those with knowledge in the art. The dimensions, of course, adapt to the surface of the rotating transport roller. A distance between the engravings 0.5 times to 50 times its depth has been found useful to provide an approximately uniform amount of adhesive distribution through the total etch pattern. The number of engravings per area depends on the individual engraving size.

With the number of engravings increasing and reducing the size of the individual engraving, a more uniform adhesive supply will be achieved through the total adhesive area.

Finally, a total surface engraving that is parallel to the total adhesive area can be used. An example of an engraving that has been used successfully in the context of the present invention is the engraving as shown in Figure 6 with a depth of 0.67 mm, a size of 0.2 mm by 0.2 mm and 567 engravings per cm2. These engravings were used to provide a panty fastener adhesive on a polyethylene backsheet of a sanitary napkin according to the above general description. The area of the panty fastener adhesive followed the peripheral line of the sanitary napkin in a so-called dog bone shape, at a constant distance of about 4 mm. 4 alternate panty glue adhesives were successfully tested at different temperatures. These were Savare LA203, which was applied at 130 ° C, Savare LA303 that was applied at 110 ° C, Fuller D3965ZP that was applied at 140 C and Corameit 867 that was applied at 140 ° C. All application tests were conducted at surface speeds of up to 100 m / min. The second material that provides the second surface was a release paper with usual silicone. Savare adhesives are available from Savare I.C. from Milan in Italy, Fuller adhesives are available from H.B. Fuller from Lunenburg in Germany and the Corameit adhesive is available from Koemmerling in Pirmasens in Germany.

Claims (10)

1. - A process for providing a disposable absorbent article, said article as supplied to the user comprising a first material comprising a first surface and comprising a second material comprising a second surface, said first material being attached to said second material adhering at least part of said first and second surfaces with each other, the process comprising the steps of (a) providing and transporting the first material in one direction of the machine, (b) providing and transporting the second material, (c) providing an area of adhesive on at least part of said first surface, (d) interconnecting the adhesive area on said first surface with said second surface in order to join the first material to the second material, said process being characterized in that said adhesive is applied to the first surface by roller printing.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein the roller printing comprises a rotating transport roller for transporting said adhesive, said roller receiving said adhesive at a receiving portion of its rotation path, said receiving portion being within a bath of said adhesive, said roller conveying said adhesive from the receiving portion of its rotation path by rotating to a supply portion of its rotation path and said roller delivering the adhesive to the first surface at the supply portion of its path of rotation. rotation.

3. A process according to claim 2, wherein said adhesive has an application temperature of 80 ° C or higher, and is supplied at or above said application temperature.

4. A process according to claim 3, wherein said adhesive is maintained at or above the application temperature while it is transported by heating said rotation roller.

5. A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said roller printing provides said adhesive to said first surface from below, being defined in a gravitational sense.

6. A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said area of adhesive has a peripheral edge comprising parts that are not parallel or perpendicular to the direction of the machine.

7. A process according to claim 6, wherein said parts are not linear.

8. A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said first surface of said first material has a peripheral edge, said area of adhesive has a peripheral edge and said peripheral edge of said area of adhesive coincides at least partially with said peripheral edge of said first surface of said first material.

9. A process according to claim 8, wherein said peripheral edges of said area of adhesive fully coincide with said peripheral edge of said first surface of said first material.

10. A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said area of adhesive provides a panty fastener adhesive.