Michael Devin Long, Springfield Township, OH; and Kazuya Ogawa, Akashi, Japan.
Assigned to The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH.

Filed: 9/22/14
Issued: 1/8/19

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: a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, the method comprising the steps of: advancing a continuous first substrate layer in a machine direction; advancing a continuous second substrate layer in the machine direction; stretching a plurality of elastic strands in the machine direction; adhering the stretched plurality of elastic strands between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer to form a continuous elastic laminate; cutting the elastic laminate along the machine direction to form a first continuous elastic laminate and a second continuous elastic laminate, wherein the first continuous elastic laminate defines a width, W1, extending in the cross direction; separating the first continuous elastic laminate and the second elastic laminate in the cross direction; adhering first end regions of each chassis with the first continuous elastic laminate; and adhering second end regions of each chassis with the second continuous elastic laminate; rotating a drum about an axis of rotation, the drum comprising a fluid nozzle and a press member, wherein the press member comprises a pattern surface that defines a length, L, that extends in a cross direction and wherein the length, L, of the pattern surface is greater than 30% of W1; rotating an anvil roll adjacent the drum; advancing the elastic laminate on the drum, wherein the first substrate layer is between the stretched plurality of elastic strands and the drum, and wherein the stretched plurality of elastic strands are between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer; heating a fluid to a temperature sufficient to partially melt the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer; moving the fluid nozzle radially outward from the drum; partially melting a portion of the first substrate layer and a portion of the second substrate layer by directing a jet of the heated fluid onto the first substrate layer and second substrate layer; retracting the fluid nozzle radially inward into the drum; shifting the press member radially outward from the drum such that the length, L, of the pattern surface extends across the plurality of stretched elastic strands; and bonding the first substrate layer, the stretch plurality of elastic strands, and the second substrate layer together with a single, contiguous bond extending in the cross direction for length L by compressing the partially melted portion of the first substrate layer, the stretched plurality of elastic strands, and the partially melted portion of the second substrate layer between the pattern surface and the anvil roll, and wherein adjacent elastic strands from the elastic laminate are interposed with each other through a thickness of the bond.