Oomman P. Thomas, Alpharetta, GA; Bryan D. Haynes, Cumming, GA; and Jerome J. Schwalen, Marietta, GA.
Assigned to Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Neenah, WI.

Filed: 1/9/18
Issued: 4/28/20

A method of forming an elastic nonwoven laminate having a machine direction and a cross machine direction, the method comprising: joining an elastic film with a first nonwoven facing to form a laminate, wherein the first nonwoven facing comprises a first polyolefin, further wherein the first nonwoven facing is meltblown or spunbond, further wherein the elastic film is in an unstretched state; feeding the laminate through a first nip formed by a first roll and a second roll, wherein at least one of the rolls defines grooves, and wherein the laminate is fed in between the two rolls with sufficient nip pressure to groove the first nonwoven facing, wherein the grooving decouples the first nonwoven facing from the elastic film in the machine direction or the cross-machine direction; and feeding the laminate through a second nip formed by bond rolls at a bonding station to bond least an outer surface of the first nonwoven facing, wherein the bonding occurs at a temperature ranging from about 65° F. to about 300° F. and at a pressure ranging from about 5 psi to about 100 psi.