Method for producing diaper pants of the disposable type

1. A method to produce an absorbent article in the form of diaper pants, comprising:

obtaining a blank comprising an absorbent body enclosed between an inner, liquid-permeable cover sheet and an outer cover sheet, at least one cover sheet being made of a thermally-weldable material; a front portion; a rear portion; and a crotch portion extending between the front and rear portions, wherein the crotch portion includes and is delimited by leg openings of the blank; wherein the front portion and rear portion have side parts extending laterally outside the absorbent body from a waist band to the leg openings;

folding in side-edge portions of the side parts of one or both of the rear portion or front portion towards the inner cover sheet over respective supports placed in the side parts of either the rear or front portion and extending along the full length of the side-portions;

folding the blank about a transverse line in the crotch portion so that the end edges of the front portion and rear portion come to lie edge-to-edge and so that the side-edge portions of the front or rear portion overlap the folded-in side-edge portions of the other of the front or rear portion;

welding together the overlapping side-edge portions of the side parts within the area of the supports by means of ultrasonic or thermal welding,

wherein the side-edge portions are secured to the respective supports via a clamp part that secures the side-edge portions between a surface of the respective supports and a surface of the clamp part.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the side-edge portions of the side parts of one of the rear portion or front portion are folded in towards the inner cover sheet over supports placed in the side parts of either the rear or front portion and extending along the full length of the side portions.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the supports are placed on the side parts before the side-edge portions of the side parts of the rear portion or front portion are folded in, and wherein folding is obtained by turning the supports.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the front portion and rear portion of the blank are the same width, and wherein the side-edge portions of the side parts of the portion of the front portion and rear portion with unfolded side edge portions are offset sideways towards each other by a distance which corresponds to the reduction in width as a result of the folding-in of the side-edge portions of the portion to be folded, before folding the blank about a transverse line in the crotch portion.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein at least those parts extending within the areas for the supports of the side-edge portions of the side parts of the portion of the front portion and rear portion which is to have unfolded side-edge portions are kept in a relaxed and unstressed state during the folding and welding steps.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the portion of the front portion or rear portion with unfolded side edge portions has a width corresponding to the width of the other of the front or rear portion after its side-edge portions have been folded in over the supports.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the overlapping side-edge portions of the side parts of the one or both of the rear or front portion are welded together while the supports are in the side parts of the one or both of the rear or front portion.

8. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the supports are provided on the inside of the fold created by the folding.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the supports are rigid.

10. A method to produce an absorbent article in the form of diaper pants, comprising:

obtaining a blank comprising an absorbent body enclosed between an inner, liquid-permeable cover sheet and an outer cover sheet, at least one cover sheet being made of a thermally-weldable material; a front portion; a rear portion; and a crotch portion extending between the front and rear portions, wherein the crotch portion includes and is delimited by leg openings of the blank; wherein the front portion and rear portion have side parts extending laterally outside the absorbent body from a waist band to the leg openings;

forming a fold by folding in side-edge portions of the side parts of one or both of the rear portion or front portion towards the inner cover sheet over respective supports placed in the side parts of either the rear or front portion and extending along the full length of the side-portions, the supports forming the fold via contact with the crease of the fold;

folding the blank about a transverse line in the crotch portion so that the end edges of the front portion and rear portion come to lie edge-to-edge and so that the side-edge portions of the front or rear portion overlap the folded-in side-edge portions of the other of the front or rear portion;

welding together the overlapping side-edge portions of the side parts within the area of the supports by means of ultrasonic or thermal welding,

wherein the side-edge portions are secured to the respective supports via a clamp part that secures the side-edge portions between a surface of the respective supports and a surface of the clamp part.