Abstract: Methods and apparatus for stretching a plastic tape before the tape is joined in proper registration to a web of material in a machine. The apparatus comprises: means for advancing a leading portion of a flexible tape along a tape pathway; a guide that guides a lagging portion of the tape; a brake mounted to the guide and activatable to clamp a portion of the lagging portion of the tape at a first location; a sensor mounted to the guide and arranged to output a characteristic signal whenever the passage of a boundary of a structural feature of a particular type, repeatedly formed on or attached to the tape, is detected at a second location upstream of the first location; and a controller for causing the leading portion of the tape to be advanced a predetermined distance at regular spaced intervals of time and for causing the brake to clamp the lagging portion in response to the output of the characteristic signal by the sensor.

Abstract: A method of manufacture comprising the following steps: (a) continuously advancing a web of bag making material at a first rate; (b) continuously joining portions of a downstream portion of a fastener tape to respective portions of the continuously advancing web of bag making material; (c) intermittently advancing an upstream portion of the fastener tape while the downstream portion is advancing continuously, the halt at the end of each intermittent advance being the start of the next work cycle, the upstream portion of the fastener tape being stationary during a respective dwell time of each work cycle and advancing during the remainder of each work cycle at a second rate faster than the first rate; (d) accumulating a portion of the fastener tape disposed between the upstream and downstream portions to compensate for the difference in the first and second rates during the aforementioned remainder of each work cycle; and (e) inserting a respective slider onto the upstream portion of the fastener tape during e