Methods of improving the re-dispersibility of dried or at least partially dried microfibrillated cellulose, methods of re-dispersing dried or at least partially dried microfibrillated cellulose, compositions comprising re-dispersed microfibrillated cellulose and the use of re-dispersed microfibrillated cellulose in an article, product or composition; and methods of improving the physical and/or mechanical properties of re-dispersed dried or partially dried microfibrillated cellulose.

The thickness of accumulated fiber can be appropriately measured when accumulating and processing fiber. A measuring device includes a distributor 60 that disperses material containing fiber; a mesh belt 72 that accumulates material dispersed by the distributor 60; a roller unit 650 that compresses a second web W2 accumulated on the mesh belt 72; and a measurement device 400 that measures the thickness of the second web W2 after compression by the roller unit 650.

A roll for molding a fibrous sheet. The roll includes a rotatably driven cylindrical shell. The cylindrical shell includes an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a permeable patterned surface on the exterior surface of the shell. The permeable patterned surface has at least one of a plurality of recesses and projections, a plurality of holes extending from the exterior surface to the interior to allow air to be moved through the shell. Each hole has an exterior end and an interior end, and a plurality of grooves. Each groove is fluidly connected to the exterior end of each hole and extends outward from the corresponding hole. The roll also includes a vacuum box on the inside of the cylindrical shell to draw air from the exterior surface of the shell to the interior surface. The vacuum box is stationary with respect to the rotation of the shell.

A roll for molding a fibrous sheet. The roll includes a cylindrical shell and a vacuum box. The cylindrical shell is configured to be rotatably driven and is permeable to allow air to be moved through the cylindrical shell. The cylindrical shell has a permeable patterned surface on an exterior surface of the cylindrical shell. The permeable patterned surface has at least one of a plurality of recesses and a plurality of projections. The density of the at least one of the plurality of recesses and the plurality of projections is greater than about fifty per square inch. The vacuum box is positioned on the inside of the cylindrical shell and is configured to draw air from the exterior surface of the cylindrical shell to an interior surface of the cylindrical shell. The vacuum box is stationary with respect to the rotation of the cylindrical shell.

Disclosed is a press fabric and related method to impart a texture to a cellulose product by having macro-voids in a complementary pattern on a sheet-contact side surface of the press fabric.

A shoe press belt includes a polyurethane in which a reinforcement base member is embedded, the polyurethane being in one piece with the reinforcement base member. The polyurethane constituting at least an outer circumferential surface of the shoe press belt is a thermosetting polyurethane obtained by curing an urethane prepolymer using a curing agent. The urethane prepolymer includes a first urethane prepolymer (A) obtained by a reaction between an aromatic diisocyanate and a polyol component containing an aliphatic polycarbonatediol represented by a chemical formula (1). In the chemical formula (1), m is a combination of two or more of integers of not less than 2 and not more than 12, and n is not less than 3 and not more than 33. ##STR00001##

A shoe press belt includes a polyurethane in which a reinforcement base member is embedded, the polyurethane being in one piece with the reinforcement base member. The polyurethane constituting at least an outer circumferential surface of the shoe press belt is a thermosetting polyurethane obtained by curing an urethane prepolymer using a curing agent. The urethane prepolymer includes a first urethane prepolymer (A) obtained by a reaction between an aromatic diisocyanate and a polyol component containing an aliphatic polycarbonatediol represented by a chemical formula (1). In the chemical formula (1), m is a combination of two or more of integers of not less than 2 and not more than 12, and n is not less than 3 and not more than 33. ##STR00001##

There is provided a sheet manufacturing apparatus including: a defibrating unit configured to defibrate a material including fibers in the air; a deposition unit configured to deposit at least a part of defibrated materials defibrated by the defibrating unit in the air; and a pressing unit configured to press a deposited material that is deposited by the deposition unit, in which the pressing unit includes a pair of pressing rollers that initially presses the deposited material, and among the pair of the pressing rollers, the pressing roller positioned at an upper portion is positioned on a downstream side of the pressing roller positioned at a lower portion in a horizontal component of a transfer direction of the deposited material.

The thickness of accumulated fiber can be appropriately measured when accumulating and processing fiber. A measuring device includes a distributor 60 that disperses material containing fiber; a mesh belt 72 that accumulates material dispersed by the distributor 60; a roller unit 650 that compresses a second web W2 accumulated on the mesh belt 72; and a measurement device 400 that measures the thickness of the second web W2 after compression by the roller unit 650.

Methods of improving the re-dispersibility of dried or at least partially dried microfibrillated cellulose, methods of re-dispersing dried or at least partially dried microfibrillated cellulose, compositions comprising re-dispersed microfibrillated cellulose and the use of re-dispersed microfibrillated cellulose in an article, product or composition; and methods of improving the physical and/or mechanical properties of re-dispersed dried or partially dried microfibrillated cellulose.