Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a composite fastener material, the composite fastener material, and products derived from the composite fastener material. The method includes providing two longitudinally continuous sheets of material, positioning the two sheets to form a longitudinal, continuous interface between the two sheets, joining the two sheets by introducing one or more molten plastic resins in at least one lane, one lane of the resin extending across the interface under conditions that cause the resin to bond to the two sheets, molding an array of stems from at least one lane of the resin, the stems extending from an exposed surface of the composite material, and forming engageable heads on the stems to form fastener elements, wherein the two sheets differ from one another by one of material composition, thickness, texture, stretchability, breathability, and compressability.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to composite fastener products, such as those having both male and female touch fastener elements, and to sheet material laminates. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Composite hook and loop or other engageable fastener products are known to be produced by taking preformed hook and loop or other engageable material and overlapping and attaching the two materials together, such as along their edge margins, by ultrasonic welding, thermal fusing or adhesive bonding, for example. 
     Some hook fastener tape is produced in a continuous molding process, in which a plastic resin strip base is molded with integral fastener element stems extending from one surface. Typically, this molding is performed in a high pressure nip, such as between two counter-rotating rollers or against a single roller that defines miniature cavities in its peripheral surface, for molding either fastener element stems or complete fastener elements. To fill the miniature cavities at a high rate of speed, significant nip pressure is required. The nip is typically quite thin, for molding a correspondingly thin and flexible fastener element base. Because of the delicate nature of the surface of the molding roll, and the expense of producing such rolls, care must be taken to avoid roll surface damage. 
     Kennedy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,015, disclosed that, with proper controls, some preform sheet materials could be introduced to the nip for in situ lamination to the base of the fastener element tape while the tape was being molded, under conditions that would not impede the filling, cooling and removal of fastener element stems from their respective cavities, nor cause local damage to the molding roll surface. More recently, Shepard et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,623, have disclosed introducing two or more identical sheets to the nip in parallel, with gaps between them, and forming fastener tapes across the gaps. 
     Further improvements in the formation of fastener composite materials, and in the materials themselves, are desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, the invention features a method of manufacturing a composite fastener material. The method includes providing two longitudinally continuous sheets of material, positioning the two sheets to form a longitudinal, continuous interface between the two sheets, joining the two sheets by introducing one or more molten plastic resins in at least one lane, one lane of the resin extending across the interface under conditions that cause the resin to bond to the two sheets, molding an array of stems from at least one lane of the resin, the stems extending from an exposed surface of the composite material, and forming engageable heads on the stems to form fastener elements, wherein the two sheets differ from one another by one of material composition, thickness, texture, stretchability, breathability, and compressability. 
     In some embodiments of the invention the two sheets are permanently joined. In some other cases, the two sheets are joined in such a manner as to enable later separation. 
     In some configurations, a second array of stems is molded from the at least one lane of the resin, the stems extending from a second exposed surface of the composite material. 
     The two sheets differ from one another by material composition in some examples. For instance, in one case one of the two sheets is a neck bonded laminate, and the other of the sheets is a point unbonded non-woven material. 
     In some instances, the two sheets differ from one another by thickness. Preferably, one of the sheets has a nominal thickness that differs from a nominal thickness of the other sheet by more than about 0.0001 inch. For some applications, it is preferred that one of the sheets has a nominal thickness that differs from a nominal thickness of the other sheet by less than about 0.2 inch. 
     For some uses, the two sheets differ from one another by texture. For example, one of the sheets has a generally smooth surface to which the resin bonds, and the other of the sheets has interstices into which the resin flows. In another example, one of the sheets is a fabric, and the other of the sheets is a polymer film. The fabric may be knit fabric, woven, needle punched non-woven, spunbond, point unbonded non-woven material (PUB), neck bonded laminate (NBL), spunbond-meltblown-spunbond multi-layer laminate (SMS), stretched bonded laminate (SBL), meltblown non-woven, air laid non-woven, and air formed non-woven. 
     NBL is a composite elastic necked-bonded material including at least one necked material joined to at least one elastic sheet. By ‘necked-bonded laminate’ we mean a laminate material formed by bonding a necked material to an elastic sheet material, where the term “necked material ” refers to any material which has been narrowed in at least one dimension by application of a tensioning force. 
     PUB is a fabric pattern having continuous thermally bonded areas defining a plurality of discrete unbonded areas. 
     Spunbond refers to a nonwoven web of spunbond fibers that is produced by melt spinning. The spunbond fibers are small diameter fibers which are formed by extruding molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular capillaries of a spinneret, with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidly reduced. Spunbond non-woven material can be formed from polyester, nylon, or polyolefins. 
     SMS is a laminate with three layers: spunbond, meltblown, and spunbond. Such a laminate may be made by sequentially depositing onto a moving forming belt first a spunbond fabric layer, then a meltblown fabric layer and last another spunbond layer and then bonding the laminate such as by thermal point bonding. 
     SBL can be formed by tensioning an elastomeric sheet material and bonding a gatherable web (e.g., a spunbond polypropylene web) to the tensioned sheet material by application of pressure, the bonding being accomplished due to the adhesivity of the elastomeric sheet material and without application of heat for softening the sheet material and/or gatherable web. 
     The film may be polyethylene in any of its versions, polypropylene, poly vinyl chloride, polyamide, polyester, thermoplastic olefin, and thermoplastic elastomer. In another case, one of the sheets is paper, and the other of the sheets is a polymer film. The paper may be polymer coated or tissue paper. 
     In some embodiments, the lane of the resin extending across the interface is a lane of the resin from which the array of stems are molded. In some embodiments, joining the two sheets includes continuously feeding the two sheets through a nip defined between a rotating mold roll and a pressure roll, the rotating mold roll defining an array of cavities about its periphery for molding the array of stems, while continuously introducing the molten plastic resin to the mold roll under conditions which cause the resin to fill the cavities of the mold roll and form the lane of resin extending across the interface, pressure in the nip bonding the two sheets to the lane of resin extending across the interface. In some embodiments, the loop engageable heads are integrally formed with the stems. In some embodiments, forming the loop-engageable heads on the stems is performed after the array of stems is molded. 
     At least one of the two sheets may be non-woven loop material. In one case, at least one of the two sheets is spunbond. In another case, one of the two sheets is point unbonded non-woven material. In another case, one of the sheets is neck bonded laminate. In another case, one of the two sheets is spunbond-meltblown-spunbond multi-layer laminate. 
     In some embodiments, at least one of the two sheets includes plastic film. In some embodiments, the one plastic lane is formed from polyethylene in any of its versions, polypropylene, poly vinyl chloride, polyamide, polyester, thermoplastic olefin, and thermoplastic elastomer. 
     In some embodiments, positioning the two sheets includes positioning the two sheets in contact at the interface. In a preferred embodiment, positioning the two sheets in contact at the interface includes overlapping the two sheets to create an overlap section between the two sheets, cutting along a line in the overlap section, and discarding the free strips. In this preferred embodiment, the line is curved. In this preferred embodiment, joining the two sheets may include forming a curved plastic lane using a moveable resin head moving along a curvature of the curved line. 
     In some embodiments, the one lane of the resin extending across the interface is wider than the interface. In some examples, the method includes introducing molten plastic resin in at least two additional lanes, one on each of the two sheets, molding an array of stems from the additional lanes, the stems extending from an exposed surface of the composite material, and forming loop-engageable heads on the stems on at least one of the additional lanes to form fastener elements. In other examples, the method includes forming a folding feature in the one lane of resin extending across the interface in which case the method may further include folding one of the two sheets such that a fold line is at the interface or placing a first sheet from the two sheets on a second sheet from the two sheets. 
     In some embodiments, the method includes providing a third longitudinally continuous sheet of material, positioning the third sheet to form a second longitudinal, continuous gaps or overlaps between the third sheet and one of the two sheets, joining the three sheets by introducing molten plastic resin in a second lane, the second lane of the resin extending across the gaps or overlaps under conditions that cause the resin to bond to the third sheet and one of the two sheets, molding a second array of stems from the second lane of the resin, the stems extending from an exposed surface of the composite material, and forming engageable heads on the stems to form fastener elements. In one example, the method also includes forming a splitting feature in the second lane of resin. 
     In another aspect, the invention features a composite fastener material. This composite fastener material includes a length of a first material, a length of a second material, at least one longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across a longitudinal, continuous interface of the two materials, wherein the plastic resin is bonded to the first and second materials such that the first and second materials are joined by the resin, and an array of fastener elements extending from one side of the composite fastener material, the fastener elements comprising engageable heads on stems integrally formed with one lane of the plastic resin, wherein the second material differs from the first material by one of material composition, thickness, texture, stretchability, breathability, and compressability. 
     In some embodiments, the one longitudinal lane of plastic resin is continuous. In some examples, the first and second materials differ from one another by material composition; for instance one of the two materials is neck bonded laminate and the other of the materials is spunbond. In other examples, the first and second materials differ from one another by color, texture, or breathability; for instance one of the two materials is a first type of spunbond, and the other of the materials is a second type of spunbond. In other examples, the two materials differ from one another by thickness; for instance one of the materials has a nominal thickness that differs from a nominal thickness of the other materials by more than about 0.0001 inch or one of the materials has a nominal thickness that differs from a nominal thickness of the other material by less than about 0.2 inch. 
     In other examples, the two materials differ from one another by texture; for instance one of the materials has a generally smooth surface to which the resin bonds, and the other of the materials defines interstices into which the resin flows. In some of these examples, one of the materials includes foam. In some of these examples, one of the materials is a fabric, and the other of the materials is a polymer film. In these examples, the fabric may be knit fabric, woven, needle punched non-woven, spunbond, point unbonded non-woven material, neck bonded laminate, spunbond-meltblown-spunbond multi-layer laminate, meltblown non-woven, air laid non-woven, and air formed non-woven. In these examples, the film may be polyethylene in any of its versions, polypropylene, poly vinyl chloride, polyamide, polyester, thermoplastic olefin, and thermoplastic elastomer. In some of these examples, one of the materials is paper, and the other of the materials is a polymer film. In these examples, the paper is polymer coated or tissue paper. 
     In some embodiments, the stems are integrally formed with the lane of plastic resin extending across the interface of the two materials. In some other embodiments, composite fastener material includes a fastening tab with an end configured to be permanently attached to a diaper chassis. In some of these other embodiments with this fastening tab, the lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed is preferably located on the second material and is spaced apart from the longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across the longitudinal, continuous interface of the two materials. In some of these other embodiments with this fastening tab, the longitudinal lane of plastic resin is continuous. In some of these other embodiments with this fastening tab, the lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed is the one longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across the longitudinal, continuous interface of the two materials. 
     In some embodiments, the composite fastener material includes a length of a third material and at least one longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across a longitudinal, continuous interface of the third material with a second material from the two materials, wherein the plastic resin is bonded to the third material and the second material such that the third and second materials are permanently joined by the resin. In some cases, the longitudinal lane of plastic resin has an array of fastener elements extending from one side, the fastener elements comprising engageable heads on stems integrally formed with the lane of plastic resin. In some of these cases, the longitudinal lane of plastic resin is continuous. 
     In some embodiments, the longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across the longitudinal, continuous interface of the two materials has a folding feature and the lane is spaced apart from the one lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed. In some cases, the composite fastener material includes, on the first material, a second lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed and the second material is unfolded about the fold line to releasably engage the two sides of the loop material on the one end of the diaper chassis. In some cases, the composite fastener material includes, on the first material, a second lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed and the second material is overlayed on top of the first material. 
     For some embodiments the folding feature is a V-shaped notch. 
     In another aspect, the invention features a first disposable absorbent article. This first disposable absorbent article includes a chassis having opposite ends, an engageable material attached to the chassis adjacent to one of the ends, and a fastening tab extending from the chassis adjacent to another of the ends, and arranged to releasably engage the engageable material to secure the disposable absorbent article to a wearer, wherein the fastening tab comprises the composite fastener material described above. 
     In some embodiments, the engageable material has hook engageable loops. 
     In some embodiments, a peel force of the engaged fastening tab with the chassis is stronger than the force to separate the bond of the plastic resin from the first material and the second material. 
     In some embodiments, the one lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed is located on the second material and is spaced apart from the one longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across the longitudinal, continuous interface of the two materials. In some cases, the composite fastener material includes a third material, wherein the one lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed extends across the longitudinal, continuous interface of the second material and the third material and the one lane is bonded to the second material and the third material such that the second material and the third material are permanently joined by the resin, a fourth material, at least one longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across a longitudinal, continuous interface of the third material with the fourth material, wherein the plastic resin is bonded to the third material and the fourth material such that the third and fourth materials are permanently joined by the resin, and an array of fastener elements extending from one side of the composite fastener material, the fastener elements comprising engageable heads on stems integrally formed with one lane of the plastic resin. 
     In some embodiments, the one lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed includes the one longitudinal lane of plastic resin extending across the longitudinal, continuous interface of the two materials. 
     In another aspect, the invention features a second disposable absorbent article. The second disposable absorbent article includes a chassis having opposite ends and a double closure system attached to the chassis adjacent to one of the ends, wherein the double closure system is arranged to releasably engage two sides of the one end to secure the diaper to a wearer. In this  5  case, the double closure system can include the composite fastener material described above wherein the composite fastener material further includes a fold line at the folding feature. 
     Furthermore, in some examples, the composite fastener material also includes, on the first material, a second lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed and the second material is unfolded about the fold line to releasably engage the two sides of the  10  engageable material on the one end of the diaper chassis. In this case, for some examples, the composite fastener material further includes, on the first material, a second lane of the plastic resin with which the fastener elements are integrally formed and the second material is unfolded from being overlayed on top of the first material about the fold line to releasably engage the two sides of the engageable material on the one end of the chassis. 
     In another aspect, the invention features a third disposable absorbent article. The third disposable absorbent article includes a chassis having a first end and a second end that are opposite to one another, an engageable material attached to the chassis adjacent to the two ends, a lane of plastic resin extending across an interface of the first and second ends, wherein the plastic resin is bonded to the first and second ends such that the first and second ends are joined by the resin, and an array of fastener elements extending from one side of the plastic resin, the fastener elements including engageable heads on stems integrally formed with the lane of the plastic resin such that the two ends releasably engage the engageable material to secure the disposable absorbent article to a wearer. 
     In some embodiments, the engageable material has hook engageable loops. In some embodiments, the first and second ends form a butt joint. In some embodiments, the lane of plastic resin is splittable to enable disengaging the first end from the second end and thereby removing the disposable absorbent article from the wearer. In some embodiments, the lane of plastic resin is splittable to form a first lane of plastic resin with engageable heads on the first end, and a second lane of plastic resin with engageable heads on the second end. In some cases, the lane of plastic resin is splittable to enable reattaching the two ends to the engageable material of the chassis to change a fit and a size of the disposable absorbent article. 
     In another aspect, the invention features a second method for joining two substrates of different materials with plastic strips using fastening techniques such as ultrasonic welding or applying adhesive. In some examples, the plastic strips have hook or hook-like fasteners. This second method includes forming a hook strip and then ultrasonically welding (or some other form of adhering) the hook strip to two substrates of different materials. Alternatively, the second method includes ultrasonically welding (or some other form of adhering) a pre-formed hook strip to two substrates of different materials. 
     These and other embodiments may have one or more of the following advantages. By using a calender stack to continuously mold two or more preformed materials together into multiple substrates and simultaneously mold hook fasteners on areas of the preformed materials, new and useful composite materials can be economically manufactured. This continuous manufacturing method eliminates discrete steps in the manufacturing process to assemble the multiple substrates. After manufacture, these composite materials can be subsequently cut into separate strips for application in diapers, absorbant articles, and other personal and non-personal care articles. The combination of the multiple substrates in the composite strips enable special functionality in application. Substrates of incompatible material compositions can be joined by a molded strip of resin carrying useful fastener elements. 
     The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic perspective view, of a calender-forming-and-uniting machine producing a continuous composite web material. 
         FIG. 1A  is a cross section view of the composite web material of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 1B  is a cross section view of a different composite material formed using the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 1C  is a view of two different materials before being joined using the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG.  1 C′ is a view of the different materials of  FIG. 1C  after being joined into a composite material using the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 1D  is a view of a different composite material formed using the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 1E  is a view of the composite material of  FIG. 1D  in a non-stretched state. 
         FIGS. 1F and 1G  are cross section views of composite web materials formed using the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view (thicknesses grossly exaggerated) of another machine forming a material similar to that produced by the machine of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a view of two overlapped substrates with uneven edges. 
         FIG. 3A  is a view of a cut line through the two substrates of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 3B  is a top view of  FIG. 3A  with a straight cut line. 
         FIG. 3C  is a top view of  FIG. 3A  with a curved cut line. 
         FIG. 3D  is a view of a manufacturing process to permanently join the two substrates of  FIG. 3C  with a curved plastic resin lane using a movable resin extruder. 
         FIGS. 4 and 4A  are views of variations of the composite web material of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 4B and 4C  are views of variations of the composite web material of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a view of a diaper. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a diaper tab formed from a composite web material. 
         FIG. 6A  is a side view of the diaper tab of  FIG. 6  folded for storage. 
         FIG. 6B  is a magnified side view of the permanent joining of two substrates to form the composite web material of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 6C  is a side view of a diaper tab formed from another composite web material. 
         FIG. 6D  is a side view of the diaper tab of  FIG. 6C  folded for storage. 
         FIG. 6E  is a magnified side view of the hook strips portion of the composite material of  FIG. 6C  releasably attached to loops on a surface of a diaper chassis. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a diaper tab formed from a composite web material. 
         FIG. 7A  is a side view of the diaper tab of  FIG. 7  folded for storage. 
         FIG. 7B  is a magnified side view of the permanent joining of two substrates to form the composite web material of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic side view of a composite web material with two substrates and a notched plastic strip permanently joining the two substrates. 
         FIG. 8A  is a view of a diaper with a diaper flap releasably attached to a diaper chassis using a double closure fastener. 
         FIG. 8B  is a view of a double closure fastener of  FIG. 8A  in an open position. 
         FIG. 8C  is a view of a double closure fastener of  FIG. 8A  in a closed position releasably attached to a diaper flap. 
         FIG. 8D  is a view of another double closure fastener of  FIG. 8A  in an open position. 
         FIG. 8E  is a view of the double closure fastener of  FIG. 8D  in a closed position releasably attached to a diaper flap. 
         FIG. 9  is a view of a pair of absorbant articles with a tear fastener. 
         FIG. 9A  is a view of the absorbant articles of  FIG. 9  that are loosened by tearing the tear fastener. 
         FIG. 9B  is a view of the absorbant articles of  FIG. 9A  that are tightened after tearing the tear fastener. 
         FIG. 10  is a view of the tear fastener of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 10A  is a view of the tear fastener of  FIG. 10  in a torn state. 
         FIG. 10B  is a view of the absorbant articles of  FIG. 9A  reattached to increase the size of the opening. 
         FIG. 10C  is a view of the tear fastener of the absorbant articles of  FIG. 9B  reattached to decrease the size of the opening. 
         FIG. 10D  is a view of the tear fastener of  FIG. 10  that allows stretch of the absorbant articles. 
     
    
    
     Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 1A , calender stack  100  manufactures a continuous, composite material such as material  102  for multiple applications requiring composite materials formed from heterogeneous materials and touch fasteners. The method builds upon the continuous extrusion/roll-forming method for molding fastener elements on an integral, sheet-form base described by Fischer in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,028, and the nip lamination process described by Kennedy, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,015, the details of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Material  102  includes two substrates  104  and  106  that are preformed materials  108 ,  110 , respectively, that differ by material composition, thickness, texture, stretchability, breathability, or compressability. Materials  108  and  110  can be formed from knit fabric, woven, non-woven loop material such as neck bonded laminate (NBL), point unbonded non-woven material (PUB), spunbond non-woven material (hereafter referred to as spunbond), spunbond-meltblown-spunbond multi-layer laminate (SMS), stretched bonded laminate (SBL), and meltblown non-woven, air laid non-woven, and air formed non-woven. 
     NBL is a composite elastic necked-bonded material including at least one necked material joined to at least one elastic sheet. By ‘necked-bonded laminate’ we mean a laminate material formed by bonding a necked material to an elastic sheet material, where the term “necked material ” refers to any material which has been narrowed in at least one dimension by application of a tensioning force. Examples of NBL materials are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,992 by Mormon, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in a manner that is consistent herewith. 
     PUB is a fabric pattern having continuous thermally bonded areas defining a plurality of discrete unbonded areas. PUB is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,742 by McCormack et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in a manner that is consistent herewith. 
     Spunbond refers to a nonwoven web of spunbond fibers that is produced by melt spinning. The spunbond fibers are small diameter fibers which are formed by extruding molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular capillaries of a spinneret, with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidly reduced as by, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 by Appel et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in a manner that is consistent herewith. Spunbond non-woven material can be formed from polyester, nylon, or polyolefins. 
     SMS is a laminate with three layers: spunbond, meltblown, and spunbond. Such a laminate may be made by sequentially depositing onto a moving forming belt first a spunbond fabric layer, then a meltblown fabric layer and last another spunbond layer and then bonding the laminate such as by thermal point bonding. SMS materials are well known as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 by Brock et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in a manner that is consistent herewith SBL can be formed by tensioning an elastomeric sheet material and bonding a gatherable web (e.g., a spunbond polypropylene web) to the tensioned sheet material by application of pressure, the bonding being accomplished due to the adhesivity of the elastomeric sheet material and without application of heat for softening the sheet material and/or gatherable web. SBL is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,699 by Kieffer et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in a manner that is consistent herewith. 
     Materials  108  and  110  can also be formed from plastic polymer film or paper such as polymer coated paper. This enables, for example, combinations of fabrics listed above, foam, and polymer film. This also enables combinations of paper and polymer film. In some cases, different types of spunbond materials can also be combined. The preformed material  108 , for instance a material with hook-engageable loops, is introduced as a continuous running length into calender stack  100  comprised of forming rolls  112  and  114  in addition to guide rolls  116  and  118 . The preformed material  108  is introduced as a continuous running length into calender stack  100  in parallel with preformed material  110 . A continuous interface  120  separates the running lengths of materials  108  and  110 . In other examples, interface  120  simply defines a common boundary between materials  108  and  110  such as when materials  108  and  110  are overlapped. The width of interface  120  ranges from approximately zero width (forming a butt joint between materials  108  and  110 ) to a width limited by the strength of a plastic resin and other factors, after cooling, to join materials  108  and  110  across the width. The calender stack  100  is constructed and arranged to produce a length-wise continuous flat, thin plastic lane  122  by calender action upon a relatively thick sheet of hot, deformable resin  124 . Resin  124  can be polyethylene in any of its versions, polypropylene, poly vinyl chloride (PVC), polyamide, polyester, thermoplastic olefin or thermoplastic elastomer. Plastic lane  122  permanently joins materials  108  and  110 . The resin  124  is furnished through flat die  126  of extruder  128 . The materials  108  and  110  are applied as continuous machine-direction bands upon the plastic lane  122  being continuously formed by the resin material  124  being introduced into the nip  130  of the calender stack  100 . Under pressure produced by calender rolls  112  and  114 , materials  108  and  110  become embedded or in situ laminated to the plastic resin lane  122  being formed. This causes materials  108  and  110  to be permanently joined together as substrates  104  and  106  of composite material  102  as shown in  FIG. 1A . 
     Due to the pressure produced by calender rolls  112  and  114 , the resin material  124  extruded into the gap can flow to bridge the interface between materials  108  and  110  even if materials  108  and  110  differ by thickness or texture. Referring to  FIG. 1B , composite material  140  is manufactured using the calender stack of  FIG. 1  where material  108  is thinner than material  110 . Composite material  140  includes thin substrate  142  and thick substrate  144 . Plastic lane  146  joins substrates  142  and  144  such that the portion of plastic lane  146  overlapping substrate  142  is less embedded in substrate  142  than the portion of plastic lane  146  overlapping substrate  144 . Materials  108  and  110  can differ in thickness by as much as 0.2 inch or more and as little as 0.0001 inch or less. In this example, material  108  has a nominal thickness T 1 , of 0.0005 inch and material  110  has a nominal thickness T 2  of 0.025 inch. This results in the composite material  140  with substrate  142  having a minimum thickness T 1 , of 0.0005 inch and substrate  144  having a maximum thickness T 2  of 0.025 inch. Materials  108  and  110  can also differ in texture. Plastic resin  124  flows into gaps in the texture of each material, or bonds directly to a smooth surface of the material, thus permanently bonding to the sheet materials. Materials  108  and  110  can include knit loops, woven loops, non-woven loops, smooth plastics, and embossed materials, as examples. 
     In some examples, substrate  106  is formed from material  110  that is more compressible than material  108  that forms substrate  104 . In these examples, the process of  FIG. 1  distorts compressible material  110 . As shown in  FIG. 1C , view  134  shows materials  110  and  108  with interface  120  in a non-stressed state before they are permanently joined together by hook strip  132  using the process of  FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG.  1 C′, composite material  136  is the resulting material with substrates  106  and  104  after joining the compressible material  110  with material  108 . In composite material  136 , substrate  106  is permanently compressed by hook strip  132 . 
     In some examples, the upper roll  114  of the calender stack  100  has mold cavities in its surface that define engageable hooks, stems or other hook preforms, self-engaging formations, or other fastener features. This process, with fixed mold cavities, can produce engageable hooks or hook preforms of a selected desired shape or shapes suitable for post-forming action, etc. Such hooks are designed to be engageable with other hooks or with loops. Extruder  128  provides to the nip  130  additional resin in the form of a molten resin strip of width corresponding to the width of the desired band of molded hooks  132 . Completion of the in situ lamination is achieved by the pressure of the calender nip  130  formed by pressure roll  112  and mold roll  114 . Resin of this resin strip applied above the material  106  by extruder  128  enters mold cavities in mold roll  114 , forming hook band  132  comprising hooks or hook preforms molded integrally with a base resin layer that is in-situ laminated to the material  110  by the action of the calendar nip  130 . In other examples, one or more hook bands can also be formed on material  108  in a similar way. Similarly, additional hook bands can be formed on material  110  in a similar way. In some cases, hook band  132  is a continuous band formed according to the techniques disclosed by Kennedy, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,015. 
     In some other cases, hook band  132  is formed as a series of discontinuous patches aligned in a row and formed according to techniques disclosed by Provost et al. in PCT patent application US02/16898 (Forming Discrete Fastener Element Regions) and hereby incorporated by reference. As shown in  FIG. 1D , a composite material  137  is formed using these techniques with discontinuous hook patches  132 ′ and  132 ″. When substrates  104  and  106  in composite material  137  are formed from stretchy materials  108  and  110 , and composite material  137  is stretched, gaps due to puckering in a vertical direction can appear in interface  120  between substrates  104  and  106 . As shown in  FIG. 1E , composite material  137  is stretched with a gap due to puckering in interface  120 . Thus, these discontinuous hook patches  132 ′ and  132  ″ enable composite material  137  to be stretched. This is useful for applications where composite material  137  is required to stretch without tearing substrates  106 ,  104  or plastic lane  132  permanently joining substrates  106 ,  104 . 
     After plastic lane  122  and hook band  132  are formed in mold roll  114  and laminated to form the composite material  102 , guide rolls  116  and  118  guide the continuous composite material  102  away from mold roll  114  and roll the material  102  up in a supply roll (not shown). The finished continuous composite material  102  can be cut at a selected repeat length, either to complete a product, or to complete a subassembly of a product. In other examples, composite material  102  can be formed from three or more preformed materials with no or one or more hook bands by feeding the preformed materials into calender stack  100  in a similar fashion to the example of  FIG. 1 . 
     In an alternate embodiment  40 , shown in  FIG. 1F , substrates  104  and  106  are joined by hook strip  50  using a modification of the calender stack  100  of  FIG. 1 . In this modification, calender stack  100  is configured with mold cavities to form the hook strip  50  over the interface  120  to join substrates  104  and  106 . Hook strip  50  can have an array of engageable hooks, stems or other hook preforms, self-engaging formations, or other fastener features. 
     In an alternate embodiment  42 , shown in  FIG. 1G , substrates  104  and  106  are joined by hook strip  52  using another modification of the calender stack  100  of  FIG. 1 . In this modification, calender stack  100  is configured with mold cavities to form the hook strip  52  over the gap  120  to join substrates  104  and  106 . Hook strip  52  has an array of engageable hooks, stems or other hook preforms, self-engaging formations, or other fastener features on both sides  54 ,  56  of the interface  120 . Embodiment  42  is manufactured by modifying the calender stack  100  such that forming roll  112  also has mold cavities and two additional extruders are provided to apply resin to fill the mold cavities of the respective rolls  112  and  114 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , an apparatus  150  can also be employed to form the composite material  102  of  FIG. 1A  or similar composite materials formed from heterogeneous materials and touch fasteners. The plastic lane  122  that permanently joins materials  108  and  110  and the hook band  132  are formed by mold roll  152  having hook cavities as the plastic from an extruder passes through a gap  156  formed between the mold roll  152  and a complementary-shaped extension  158  of the extrusion die  160 . While the resin is still molten, the materials  104  and  106  are introduced side by side and laminated in situ to the resin at a nip  162  formed between the mold roll  152  and pressure application roll  164 . At this point the hooks are still in their mold cavities, protected from the effects of laminating pressure. The composite material  102  that includes plastic lane  122  permanently joining materials  104  and  110  along with hook band  132  can thus be produced. 
     In some examples, referring to  FIG. 3 , it is desirable to make interface  120  approximately zero width but uneven surfaces  200 ,  202  of materials  108  and  110 , respectively, make it difficult to feed materials  108  and  110  into calender stack  100  with no separation. Referring to  FIGS. 3A , materials  108  and  110  are overlaid side by side prior to entering calender stack  100  and continuously cut along cut line  204 . Strips  206  and  208  are discarded leaving a clean interface of approximately zero width between materials  108  and  110 . In some examples, referring to  FIG. 3B , cut line  210  is straight along the continuous running length of materials  108  and  110 . In other examples, referring to  FIG. 3C , cut line  212  is curved along the continuous running length of materials  108  and  110  and interface  120  is curved. In these examples, referring to  FIG. 3D , resin extruder  214  can replace extruder  128  of calender stack  100 . Resin extruder  214  is mounted on a motion control system with a degree of freedom such that curved plastic lane  216  is formed on top of curved interface  120  to produce finished composite material  218  with curved plastic lane  216  joining materials  108  and  110 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a material  250  that is a variation of the above described material can be manufactured using a similar calender stack. Material  250  uses preformed materials  252  and  254  that differ by material composition, thickness, texture, stretchability, breathability, or compressability. Material  250  is formed by feeding material  252  slightly over material  254  such that material  252  overlaps  254 . Plastic lane  256  permanently joins materials  252  and  254 . Plastic lane  256  is formed in a similar way as plastic lane  122  except that the interface between materials  252  and  254  is an overlap and plastic lane  256  covers the exterior portion of the overlap. In a variation of material  250 , referring to  FIG. 4A , a material  258  can also be manufactured using calender stack  100  wherein plastic lane  260  penetrates through the overlap between materials  252  and  254 . In another variation, referring to  FIG. 4B , a material  262  can also be manufactured using a calender stack where plastic lane  264  also penetrates through the overlap between material  252  and  254 . However, in this example, the calender stack is configured with a band of mold cavities such that calender stack  100  forms plastic lane  264  with loop-engageable hooks  266  or hook preforms molded integrally with a base resin layer that is in-situ laminated to the materials  252  and  254  by the action of the calendar nip. In still another variation, referring to  FIG. 4C , the width of the resin extruded and the band of mold cavities of the calender stack is extended such that plastic lane  272  is formed over the exterior of the overlap of materials  252  and  254  with loop-engageable hooks  272  or hook preforms. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a diaper  300  includes a chassis  302  with hook-engageable loops  304 . Diaper  300  also includes two opposite ends, one of which includes a diaper flap  306 . Diaper flap  306  is permanently joined to a diaper tab  308  with hooks  310  for releasably attaching to loops  304  to secure the diaper  300  to a wearer. Diaper tab  308  has loops  312  on the inside such that diaper tab  308  can be folded inwards and hooks  310  of diaper tab  308  can releasably attach to loops  312  for storage. Diaper tab  308  is manufactured by forming a continuous material using the calender stack  100 , illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and then cutting the continuous material at a selected repeat length to form individual diaper tabs  308 . Other types of disposable absorbent articles can also be made using individual diaper tabs  308 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , one example of diaper tab  308  is diaper tab  320 . Diaper tab  320  includes stretchy non-woven material  322  with loops  324 . In one variation of this example, the non-woven material  322  is NBL. In this variation, diaper tab  320  also includes spunbond material  326  with plastic resin layer  328  having molded hooks  330 . Material  322  is permanently joined to spunbond  326  using plastic lane  332 . Material  322  is ultrasonically bonded to diaper flap  306 . Diaper tab  320  has a fold line  334  such that, as illustrated in  FIG. 6A , diaper tab  320  can be folded onto itself and hooks  330  releasably engage with loops  324 . A continuous material for creating diaper tab  320  is manufactured using a calender stack by feeding stretchy non-woven material  322  side by side with spunbond  326 . The extruder extrudes plastic resin into gap  130  ( FIG. 1 ) creating plastic lane  332 , and mold cavities in forming mold  114  ( FIG. 1 ) create plastic lane  328  with hooks  330  or hook preforms. The stretchy quality of non-woven material  322  allows a wearer to stretch diaper tab  320  to form a good fit by releasably engaging hooks  330  with the diaper chassis  302 . 
     In a variation of the diaper tab  320  of  FIG. 6 , referring to  FIGS. 6C , diaper tab  350  includes material  352  joined with non-woven loop material  322  using plastic lane  332 . Material  352  is joined to material  354  using plastic lane  358 . Material  354  is joined to material  356  using plastic lane  360 . Plastic lanes  358  and  360  have hooks molded by bands of hook cavities in a configuration of mold roll  114  ( FIG. 1 ). Diaper tab  350  has fold line  334  such that, as illustrated in  FIG. 6D , diaper tab  350  can be folded onto itself and hook lanes  358  and  360  releasably engage with loops  324 . The stretchy quality of non-woven material  322  allows a wearer to stretch diaper tab  350  to form a good fit by releasably engaging hook lanes  358  and  360  with the diaper chassis. In some cases, plastic lanes  358  and  360  do not have hooks. In some other cases, plastic lanes  358  and  360  can be formed with a splitting feature such as a perforation. 
     In a variation of the diaper tab  350  of  FIGS. 6C and 6D , the hooks  330  on hook lanes  358  and  360  can be designed so that the mechanical engagement with the hook-engageable loops  304  on diaper chassis  302  is stronger than the lamination of the hook lanes  358  and  360  to materials  352 ,  354 , and  356 . In this variation, when the hooks  330  on the hook lanes  358  and  360  are peeled off the loops  304  to unfasten the diaper tab  350  from the diaper chassis  302 , the hook lanes  358  and  360  become disengaged from the materials  352 ,  354 , and  356 . This variation provides a single use diaper such that a user knows when the diaper has been used before. 
     The force required to peel off the hook lanes  358  and  360  from the loops  304  can be quantified in terms of pounds per inch of width (PIW). Both the hook lanes  358 ,  360  and the materials  352 ,  354 , and  356  are subject to the same peel force. For example, the hooks  330  and loops  304  closure can be  5  PIWs. The peeling force required to delaminate the hook lanes  358 ,  360  from the materials  352 ,  354 , and  356  is “P” and is described as a force per inch of closure width. 
     If P is greater than about 5 pounds per inch of width, for example, the hook lanes  358 ,  360  can be peeled off from the hook-engageable loops  304  on diaper chassis  302  with no harm to the lamination of the hook lanes  358  and  360  to materials  352 ,  354 , and  356 . 
     In this same example, if P is less than about 5 pounds per inch of width, however, the hook lanes  358 ,  360  and loops  304  stay engaged and the hook lanes  358 ,  360  will delaminate from materials  352 ,  354 , and  356 . 
     In another variation of the diaper tab  350 , during usage after fastening, the diaper can undergo some stretching. Referring to  FIG. 6E , loops of diaper chassis  302  releasably attach to hooks in plastic lanes  358  and  360 . In some cases, area  362  of diaper chassis  302  stretches as a result of tension from normal usage by a wearer. To prevent unintentional disengagement of the hooks in plastic lanes  358  and  360  from loops of diaper chassis  302 , material  354  between plastic hook lanes  358  and  360  can be selected to be stretchy. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , another diaper tab  380  includes stretchy non-woven material  382  with loops  384 . In one variation of this example, non-woven material  382  is NBL. In this variation, diaper tab  380  also includes spunbond material  386 . Material  382  is permanently joined to spunbond material  386  using plastic resin layer  388  having molded hooks  390 . Material  382  is ultrasonically bonded to diaper flap  306 . Diaper tab  320  has a fold line  392  such that, as illustrated in  FIG. 7A , diaper tab  380  can be folded onto itself and hooks  390  releasably engage with loops  384 . A continuous material for creating diaper tab  380  is manufactured using the calender stack  100  of  FIG. 1  by feeding stretchy non-woven material  382  overlaid on spunbond  386 . The extruder extrudes plastic resin into the gap creating plastic resin layer  388  and mold cavities in the forming mold to create hooks  390  or hook performs on plastic resin layer  388 . The stretchy quality of non-woven material  382  allows a wearer to stretch diaper tab  380  to form a good fit by releasably engaging hooks  390  with the diaper chassis. 
     In another variation of material  102  illustrated in  FIG. 1A , referring to  FIG. 8 , composite material  400  is formed using the calender stack  100  configured to join materials  402  and  404  with plastic lane  406  having a folding element  408  (e.g., V shaped notch  408 ). Plastic lane  406  bridges a gap  410  between  402  and  404 . Plastic lane  406  is sufficiently deformable such that material  404  can be folded over to touch material  402 . Additional plastic hook lanes  412  and  414  are created by mold cavities in the mold roll. Continuous composite material  400  can be at a selected repeat length to form individual double closure fasteners for diapers. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8A , diaper  430  includes diaper chassis  432  and diaper flap  434 . Double closure fastener  436  is bonded to diaper chassis  432 . Double closure fastener  436  uses two sets of hook rows to releasably attach to non-woven loop material of diaper chassis  432 . Accordingly, double closure fastener  436  releasably attaches diaper flap  434  to diaper chassis  432 . 
     One example of double closure fastener  436 , referring to  FIG. 8B , is double closure fastener  450 . Double closure fastener  450  includes material  452  joined to folded material  454  using plastic lane  406  having a folding element (e.g., V shaped notch). Plastic lane  406  is sufficiently deformable such that material  454  can be folded over to touch material  452  by compressing the folding element (e.g., V shaped notch). Material  452  and one side of folded material  454  are ultrasonically bonded to diaper chassis  432 . In one variation of this example, materials  452  and  454  are preformed spunbond material. A continuous material for double closure fastener  450  is manufactured by feeding material  452  and folded material  454  into a configuration of the calender stack. Plastic resin from the extruder laminates plastic lane  406  and hook lanes  412  and  414  onto materials  452  and  454 . This continuous material is cut at a running length to form individual double closure fasteners  450 . Referring to  FIG. 8C , double closure fastener  450  is used to releasably engage diaper flap  434  by releasably engaging hook lanes  412  with loops on one side of diaper flap  434  and releasably engaging hook lanes  414  with loops on the other side of diaper flap  434 . 
     Another example of double closure fastener  436 , referring to  FIG. 8D , is double closure fastener  480 . Double closure fastener  480  includes a length of material  482  and a shorter length of material  484  laid on top of the length of material  482 . Materials  482  and  484  are joined by a plastic lane  486  with a folding element (e.g., V shaped notch). Plastic lane  486  joins materials  482  and  484  at the exterior interface of the overlap of materials  482  and  484  similar to plastic lane  256  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Plastic lane  486  is sufficiently deformable such that material  484  can be folded over to touch material  482  by compressing the folding element (e.g., V shaped notch) between materials  484  and  482 . The length of material  482  is ultrasonically bonded to diaper chassis  432 . In one variation of this example, materials  482  and  484  are made of preformed spunbond material. Plastic hook lanes  412  and  414  are laminated onto materials  482  and  484 , respectively. A continuous material for double closure fastener  480  is manufactured by feeding material  484  on top of material  482  into a configuration of the calender stack. Plastic resin from the extruder laminates plastic lane  486  and hook lanes  412  and  414  onto materials  482  and  484 . This continuous material is cut at a running length to form individual double closure fasteners  450 . Referring to  FIG. 8E , double closure fastener  480  is used to releasably engage diaper flap  434  by releasably engaging hook lanes  412  with loops on one side of diaper flap  434  and releasably engaging hook lanes  414  with loops on the other side of diaper flap  434 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , absorbant articles  500  include an opening  502  for a wearer to step into, and a chassis  504 . Absorbant articles  500  can be disposable sanitary pants or any similar disposable article that is worn and absorbant. Absorbant articles  500  also include a pair of flaps  506  and  508 . Flaps  506  and  508  are sealed together using a composite material formed using a configuration of the above described calender stack. This composite material has a plastic lane with hooks that releasably engage with loops on chassis  504 . The plastic lane can be ripped into two plastic lanes with hooks to take off the soiled absorbant articles  500  without sliding the articles down the legs of a wearer. Referring to  FIG. 9A , these two plastic lanes can also be reattached to chassis  504  to increase the opening  502  for the wearer. Referring to  FIG. 9B , these two plastic lanes can be reattached so that flap  508  attaches onto flap  506  to decrease the opening  502  for the wearer. Increasing or decreasing the opening  502  creates flexibility for the usage of the absorbant articles  500 . Furthermore, the two plastic lanes can be reattached for repositioning, if for example, there is a need to look inside the absorbant articles  500 . In this case, the opening  502  is not increased or decreased after reattachment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the pair of flaps  506  and  508  are detachably attached to chassis  504  using a strip of composite material  512  that is attached to flaps  506  and  508 . The strip of composite material  512 , can be attached to the flaps  506  and  508  using ultrasonic welding, glue, or other means of adhesion. Composite material  512  includes a material  530  and a material  532  joined by plastic lane  534  with hooks. In one variation, materials  530  and  532  are formed of spunbond material. Composite material  512  is manufactured using a configuration of the calender stack as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Materials  530  and  532  are fed into the calender stack and the extruder extrudes a sheet of plastic resin to form plastic lane  534 . Mold cavities in the mold roll form hooks or hook performs in plastic lane  534 . In the interface between materials  530  and  532  there is a gap  536 . Flaps  506  and  508  can form a butt joint at gap  536 . The resin for plastic lane  534  is chosen so that plastic lane  534  can be ripped. In some examples, a notch or other splittable feature can be formed in the middle of plastic lane  534  to facilitate ripping plastic lane  534  along gap  536 . Composite material  512  is cut into individual pieces that are ultrasonically welded to flaps  506  and  508 . 
     In a variation of the composite material of  FIG. 10 , plastic hook lane  534  is a lane of discontinuous hook islands ( 132 ′,  132 ″) as shown in  FIG. 1D . This can increase the flexibility of gap  536  to increase the opening  502  as illustrated in  FIG. 1E . 
     After ripping plastic lane  534 , as shown in  FIG. 10A , gap  537  exists in the middle of plastic lane  534  creating plastic lanes  538  and  540 .  FIG. 10B  shows how the opening  502  of the absorbant articles  500  can be enlarged by a distance L 1  by reattaching plastic hook lanes  538  and  540  to chassis  504 .  FIG. 10C  shows how opening  502  of absorbant articles  500  is decreased by a distance L 2  by attaching plastic hook lane  538  to loops of flap  506  while leaving plastic hook lane  540  releasably engaged with loops of chassis  504 . In addition to enlarging or decreasing opening  502 , the fit of the absorbant articles  500  can also be modified by attaching plastic hook lane  538  to other sections of chassis  504 .  FIG. 10D  shows how ripping plastic lane  534  allows the absorbant articles  500  to handle stretch in region  542  of the chassis  504  by leaving the separate plastic hook lanes engaged with loops of chassis  504 . 
     A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.