ABSORBENT ARTICLE INSERT CUTTING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS WITH SERVO MOTOR SUB-SYSTEM

A cutting and transfer apparatus includes a cutting system to cut an incoming web of material into discrete articles and a transfer mechanism operable to transfer and rotate the discrete articles from a web receiving location to an article placement location. The transfer mechanism includes a drive shaft rotatable about a transfer axis and a puck wheel mounted to the drive shaft to rotate therewith. The puck wheel includes a plurality of carriage units that rotate about the transfer axis to travel along a transfer path, with each carriage unit including a puck that carries a discrete article thereon and reorients the article as the puck travels between the web receiving location and the article placement location. A plurality of servo motors is operably connected to the carriage units via connecting arms to alter positioning of the respective carriage units along at least a portion of the transfer path.