Abstract:
A support member such as a belt or sleeve includes a topographical pattern on its sheet contact side. A plurality of land areas, corresponding depressions, through voids, and/or groove areas are formed on the top surface of the support member to produce the topographical pattern. The land areas, corresponding depressions, through voids, and/or groove areas may be formed by graving, cutting, etching, embossing, mechanical perforation or a combination thereof. The improved belt or sleeve imparts desired physical characteristics, such as bulk, appearance, texture, absorbency, strength, and hand to a nonwoven product produced thereon.
Abstract:
A structure for use in industrial fabrics such as paper machine clothing and engineered fabrics. The structure contains both axially elastomeric yarns and relatively inelastic yarns in various patterns. The structure has a high degree of both compressibility under an applied normal load and excellent recovery (resiliency or spring back) upon removal of that load.
Abstract:
An on-machine-seamable industrial fabric includes rings (54) in the seam region. In one principal embodiment, the rings (54) are between the seaming loops (46) at the two ends of the fabric and enclose at least one cross-machine-direction (CD) yarn (50). As such, the rings (54) strengthen the seam region (44) by involving the CD yarns (50) as a reinforcement. In another principal embodiment, the rings (54) are used instead of a seaming spiral.
Abstract:
The invention is directed to a method and machine for manufacturing an industrial fabric using a "folding" technique. The invention relates to a laminated fabric that is produced using this technique. The method comprises the steps of forming a base support structure having a width which is larger than a width of the final fabric, attaching at least one layer of staple fiber batt material to one or both sides of the base support structure, folding the base support structure onto itself in a widthwise manner one or more times to form a multi-layered structure, and bonding the layers of the multilayered structure together to form a laminated fabric structure.
Abstract:
A press fabric is manufactured by spirally winding a strip (16) in a plurality of non-overlapping abutting turns, and by joining each turn of the strip to that previously wound. The strip (16) is itself a laminated structure having at least two layers (36, 38) attached to one another. The strip (16) is manufactured in considerable lengths for subsequent use in manufacturing press fabrics in any length and width dimension.