A structured tissue belt assembly including a supporting layer, a non-woven web contacting layer, and one or more laser welds that attach the bottom surface of the web contacting layer to the top surface of the supporting layer. The structured tissue belt assembly allows for air flow in x, y and z directions. In exemplary embodiments, the structured tissue belt assembly has an embedment distance between the supporting layer and the web contacting layer of 0.05 mm to 0.60 mm and a peel force between the web contacting layer and the supporting layer of at least 650 gf/inch.

A clothing for a machine producing and/or processing a fibrous web extending in longitudinal and widthwise directions, includes a basic structure providing dimensional stability in longitudinal and/or widthwise directions. The structure includes a band-shaped, one-piece grid having widthwise-adjacent first material strands and polymer material having lengths in a longitudinal direction, and adjacent second interconnected material strands and/or droplets and polymer material, contacting the first strands at contact points forming the grid. The strands and/or droplets are deposited by extrusion of the polymer materials in liquid or pasty state onto a depositing surface forming a portion or all of the grid in liquid or pasty state, the polymer materials are solidified, converting the portion or the grid from liquid or pasty to solidified, stable, self-supporting state producing bonding at the contact points, and removing the portion or the grid from the surface.

A paper machine clothing has a substrate with an upper side, a lower side, two lateral edges and a usable region between the two lateral edges. The usable region is formed with a multiplicity of through-channels that extend through the substrate from the upper side to the lower side. The through-channels are non-cylindrical with a cross sectional area becoming smaller when going in a thickness direction of the substrate from the upper side to a middle region of the substrate between the upper side and the lower side. An upper rim of at least one of the plurality of through-channels directly contacts an upper rim of at least one other neighboring through-channel of the plurality of through-channels. There is also described a method of producing such a paper machine clothing.

The present invention relates to papermaking belts useful in the manufacture of paper products, such as tissue paper. Particularly this invention relates to a papermaking belt used in a through-air drying process for making tissue products, and more particularly to a belt having a particular pattern thereon which imparts properties to tissue products manufactured therewith. In some embodiments, the belt can be seamless. The belt can include a first web contacting area defining a first plane and a second web contacting area defining a second plane. The second plane can be above the first plane. The first web contacting area and the second web contacting area comprise a plurality of channels that extend from the web contacting side to the machine contacting side of the seamless papermaking belt.

A structured tissue belt assembly including a supporting layer, a non-woven web contacting layer, and one or more laser welds that attach the bottom surface of the web contacting layer to the top surface of the supporting layer. The structured tissue belt assembly allows for air flow in x, y and z directions. In exemplary embodiments, the structured tissue belt assembly has an embedment distance between the supporting layer and the web contacting layer of 0.05 mm to 0.60 mm and a peel force between the web contacting layer and the supporting layer of at least 650 gf/inch.

The present invention relates to papermaking belts useful in the manufacture of paper products, such as tissue paper. Particularly this invention relates to a papermaking belt used in a through-air drying process for making tissue products, and more particularly to a belt having a particular pattern thereon which imparts properties to tissue products manufactured therewith. In some embodiments, the belt can be seamless. The belt can include a first web contacting area defining a first plane and a second web contacting area defining a second plane. The second plane can be above the first plane. The first web contacting area and the second web contacting area comprise a plurality of channels that extend from the web contacting side to the machine contacting side of the seamless papermaking belt.

A structure for use in industrial fabrics such as paper machine clothing and engineered fabrics. The structure is a bicomponent extruded elastomeric netting or mesh having a high degree of both compressibility under an applied normal load and excellent recovery (resiliency or spring back) upon removal of that load.

A structured tissue belt assembly including a supporting layer and a nonwoven web contacting layer. The supporting layer has a top surface and a bottom surface and is formed of monofilaments including one or more layers of warp yarns interwoven with weft yarns in a repeating pattern. At least one of: a) at least some of the warp yarns; or b) at least some of the weft yarns, include laser energy absorbent material, and at least one of: a) at least some of the warp yarns; or b) at least some of the weft yarns include laser energy scattering material. Laser welds attach the bottom surface of the web contacting layer to the top surface of the supporting layer at points where the web contacting layer contacts the at least one of: a) the at least some of the warp yarns; or b) the at least some of the weft yarns that include laser energy absorbent material.

A papermaking belt including zones of material laid down successively using a 3D printing process. The zones include at least a pocket zone configured to form three dimensional structures in a paper web by applying vacuum to pull the paper web against the pocket zone. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the zone also include at least one vacuum breaking zone configured to limit an amount of paper fibers pulled through the pocket zone by the applied vacuum.

A papermaking belt including zones of material laid down successively using a 3D printing process. The zones include at least a pocket zone configured to form three dimensional structures in a paper web by applying vacuum to pull the paper web against the pocket zone. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the zone also include at least one vacuum breaking zone configured to limit an amount of paper fibers pulled through the pocket zone by the applied vacuum.