A web transportation apparatus includes a mesh belt configured to be rotated to transport a web formed of a dry deposited material containing fibers and a striking member configured to strike a return section of the mesh belt to remove the material attached to the mesh belt. The striking member includes a striking bar and a striking lever. The striking bar is reciprocated to strike the mesh belt.

A web transportation apparatus includes a mesh belt configured to be rotated to transport a web formed of a dry deposited material containing fibers and a striking member configured to strike a return section of the mesh belt to remove the material attached to the mesh belt. The striking member includes a striking bar and a striking lever. The striking bar is reciprocated to strike the mesh belt.

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.

The sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a fibrillating unit that fibrillates a raw material including fibers in a gas, an additive supply unit that supplies an additive, a mixing unit including a first rotating unit that mixes a fibrillated matter fibrillated by the fibrillating unit and the additive supplied by the additive supply unit, a depositing unit that deposits a mixture mixed by the mixing unit, a web forming unit including a mesh belt that transports a deposited material deposited by the depositing unit and a suction mechanism that sucks the deposited material to the mesh belt, and a control unit that changes granularity of a surface of the sheet by controlling at least one of a supply amount per unit time from the additive supply unit, a rotation velocity of the first rotating unit of the mixing unit, and a suction force of the suction mechanism.

The sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a fibrillating unit that fibrillates a raw material including fibers in a gas, an additive supply unit that supplies an additive, a mixing unit including a first rotating unit that mixes a fibrillated matter fibrillated by the fibrillating unit and the additive supplied by the additive supply unit, a depositing unit that deposits a mixture mixed by the mixing unit, a web forming unit including a mesh belt that transports a deposited material deposited by the depositing unit and a suction mechanism that sucks the deposited material to the mesh belt, and a control unit that changes granularity of a surface of the sheet by controlling at least one of a supply amount per unit time from the additive supply unit, a rotation velocity of the first rotating unit of the mixing unit, and a suction force of the suction mechanism.

A process for making a paper product comprising: providing a forming fabric; causing the forming fabric to rotate such that an upper surface of the forming fabric moves in a machine direction; providing a multi-layer headbox comprising first and second inlet headers and a slice outlet; providing a first aqueous slurry of first fibers to the first inlet header and a second aqueous slurry of second fibers to the second inlet header; combining streams of the first and second aqueous slurries to define a jet exiting the slice outlet; emitting the jet onto the upper surface of the forming fabric to form a web; causing the forming fabric to oscillate in a direction transverse to the machine direction, whereby at least a significant number of the first fibers are caused to align in a direction that deviates from the machine direction; and forming the paper product from the web.

A device for the production of nonwoven fabric webs. The device includes a nonwoven production device comprising a supporting structure, and an auxiliary unit comprising at least one liquid tank and a platform arranged on a top side of the auxiliary unit. The nonwoven production device is arranged on the supporting structure in an assembled state. The nonwoven production device and the auxiliary unit are arranged in relation to each other so that, for at least one of assembling, operating, and repairing the nonwoven production device, access to the nonwoven production device is provided from the platform.

A device for the production of nonwoven fabric webs. The device includes a nonwoven production device comprising a supporting structure, and an auxiliary unit comprising at least one liquid tank and a platform arranged on a top side of the auxiliary unit. The nonwoven production device is arranged on the supporting structure in an assembled state. The nonwoven production device and the auxiliary unit are arranged in relation to each other so that, for at least one of assembling, operating, and repairing the nonwoven production device, access to the nonwoven production device is provided from the platform.

Methods and apparatuses for forming fibrous web structures are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of forming a fibrous web comprises positioning a masking media over a foraminous forming member having a forming surface, the masking media producing covered portions and uncovered portions of the forming surface, applying vacuum pressure so as to draw air through the forming surface, depositing fibrous material onto the forming surface to form a fibrous web. The masking media may be flexible such that the at least one masking media is sucked tight to the forming surface and forms direct contact with the forming surface where vacuum pressure is applied, thereby preventing the fibrous material from flowing between the at least one masking media and the forming surface.

A sheet manufacturing method includes a web forming step of forming a web by accumulating a defibrated product in a dry manner, a moisture imparting step of imparting the web with moisture, a pressurizing step of pressurizing the web to which the moisture is imparted, and a heating step of heating the web to which the moisture is imparted, in which a water content of the web to which the moisture is imparted in the moisture imparting step is 12% by mass or more, a pressure applied to the web in the pressurizing step is 0.2 MPa or more, and a temperature of the web in the heating step is 100° C. or lower.