the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for in - line separation of polymer film and non - woven to compensate for the increased width due to stretching in the cross - machine direction . due to the stretching in the cross - machine direction , typically by interdigital rolling or tentering , the width of individual webs is increased . to compensate for the increase in width , the apparatus and method of the present invention is employed to provide for in - line separation of the narrow webs . the apparatus of the present invention may allow for simplicity in threading the device , due to the ability to automatically thread individual turning bars by moving the turning bars across the undeflected path of the web .