Apparatus and method for making side seams on absorbent articles

A method for assembling disposable pant diapers, each pant diaper comprising a chassis having a first end region and an opposing second end region separated from each other by a central region, and having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the chassis comprising an absorbent core, the method comprising steps of:

• advancing a continuous first elastic laminate a machine direction, the first elastic laminate comprising a first plurality of elastic strands extending between a first first substrate layer and a first second substrate layer, wherein the first elastic laminate defines a width, W1, extending in the cross direction;
• advancing a continuous second elastic laminate in a machine direction, the second elastic laminate comprising a second plurality of elastic strands extending between a second first substrate layer and a second second substrate layer;
• bonding a plurality of chassis with the first continuous elastic laminate and the second continuous elastic laminate;
• providing a pattern surface that defines a length that extends in a cross direction;
• providing an anvil;
• partially melting a portion of the first first substrate layer and a portion of the first second substrate layer of the first elastic laminate and a portion of the second first substrate layer and a portion of the second second substrate layer of the second elastic laminate;
• positioning the pattern surface such that the length, L, of the pattern surface extends across the plurality of first elastic strands of first elastic laminate or the plurality of second elastic strands of the second elastic laminate, wherein the length, L, of the pattern surface is at least 30% of W1;
• and
• bonding both the partially melted portion of the first first substrate layer and the partially melted portion of the first second substrate layer with the stretched first plurality of elastic strands of the first elastic laminate and the partially melted portion of the second first substrate layer and the partially melted portion of the second second substrate layer with the second plurality of elastic strands of the second elastic laminate with a single, contiguous bond extending in the cross direction for length L by compressing the partially melted portion of the first first substrate layer, the first plurality of elastic strands, and the partially melted portion of the first second substrate layer of the first elastic laminate and the partially melted portion of the second first substrate layer and the partially melted portion of the second second substrate layer with the second plurality of elastic strands of the second elastic laminate between the pattern surface and the anvil, and wherein adjacent elastic strands from the first elastic laminate and the second elastic laminate are interposed with each other through a thickness of the bond.