Extruded paper machine clothing and method for the production thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501889-B2
Application number	US-201515325296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	Jul 10, 2014
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A clothing to be used in a machine for at least one of producing or processing a fibrous web extending in lengthwise and widthwise directions, the clothing comprising:
a basic structure substantially providing dimensional stability of the clothing in at least one of the lengthwise or widthwise directions when used as intended, said basic structure having a band-shaped, one-piece grid structure with an upper side being a paper contacting side and an underside being a machine contacting side;
said grid structure including a plurality of first material strands disposed next to one another in the widthwise direction of the clothing and a first polymer material, said first material strands having a length extending substantially in the lengthwise direction of the clothing, and a plurality of at least one of second material strands or drops disposed next to one another and a second polymer material;
said at least one of second material strands or drops directly contacting said first material strands at contact points and being connected to one another causing said first material strands and said at least one of second material strands or drops to form said grid structure together; and
said grid structure having characteristic of having been produced by:
a) depositing said first material strands and said at least one of second material strands or drops in a liquid or pasty state by extrusion of said first and second polymer materials in a liquid or pasty state onto a depositing surface to form at least one portion of said grid structure or to form said grid structure,
b) solidifying said first and second polymer materials by transforming said at least one portion of said grid structure or said grid structure from a liquid or pasty state into a solidified stable and self-supporting state and establishing a material-bonded connection at said contact points, and
c) removing said at least one portion of said solidified grid structure or said grid structure from the depositing surface.

2. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
said first material strands or
said at least one said second material strands or drops,
are formed of at least 60% by weight of said polymer material.

3. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
said first material strands or
said at least one said second material strands or drops,
are formed of at least 80% by weight of said polymer material.

4. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said lengths of said first material strands extend in a straight line.

5. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein:
said grid structure is continuously closed in the lengthwise direction of the clothing; and
each of said first material strands runs helically along its length with turns running around in a lengthwise direction of said basic structure and progressing in a widthwise direction of said basic structure.

6. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein:
said grid structure is continuously closed in the lengthwise direction of the clothing;
each of said first material strands forms a loop in its length running around in a closed manner in the lengthwise direction of the clothing; and
said loops are individually disposed next to one another in a widthwise direction of said basic structure.

7. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein:
said basic structure is open in the lengthwise direction of the clothing and has two ends, a transverse edge at one of said ends and a transverse edge at the other of said ends;
each of said first material strands extends along its length over a length of said basic structure; and
said basic structure includes, in addition to said grid structure, a seam connecting device for making said basic structure continuous by bringing together and interconnecting said transverse edges of said grid structure at said seam connecting device.

8. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of said at least one of second material strands or drops extend between said first material strands without crossing said first material strands, or at least some of said second material strands cross said first material strands.

9. The clothing according to claim 8 , wherein said at least some of said second material strands cross said first material strands at right angles.

10. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second polymer materials are the same polymer material or said first and second polymer materials are different polymer materials.

11. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first material strands or said second material strands contains at least one respective yarn having at least some portions being at least partially enclosed by said first or second polymer material.

12. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said grid structure has a smaller width than said basic structure or said grid structure has the same width as said basic structure.

13. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said grid structure has a smaller width than said basic structure and said grid structure runs in a helically wound manner with turns running around in a lengthwise direction of said basic structure and progressing in a widthwise direction of said basic structure.

14. A process for producing a clothing for a machine for at least one of producing or processing a fibrous web, the process comprising the following steps:
providing the clothing with a basic structure substantially providing dimensional stability of the clothing in at least one of a lengthwise direction or a widthwise direction when used as intended;
providing the basic structure with a band-shaped, one-piece grid structure including an upper side being a paper contacting side, an underside being a machine contacting side, a plurality of first material strands disposed next to one another in the widthwise direction of the clothing, having a first polymer material and having a length extended substantially in the lengthwise direction of the clothing, and a plurality of at least one of second material strands or drops disposed next to one another, having a second polymer material, directly contacting the first material strands at contact points and being connected to one another causing the first material strands and the at least one of second material strands or drops to form the grid structure together; and
producing the grid structure by:
a) providing a depositing surface having a first direction and a second direction,
b) providing the first and second polymer materials in a liquid state,
c) extruding the first liquid polymer material by using at least one nozzle to form on the depositing surface a multiplicity of the first material strands disposed next to one another in the second direction, being spaced apart from one another and having a length respectively extending substantially in the first direction,
d) extruding the second liquid polymer material by using at least one nozzle to form on the depositing surface a multiplicity of at least one of the second material strands or the drops being disposed next to one another in the first direction, being spaced apart from one another, contacting the first material strands at contact points and being connected to one another causing the first material strands and the at least one of second material strands or drops to form at least one portion of the band-shaped and one-piece grid structure together,
e) transforming the at least one portion of the grid structure from a liquid or pasty and unstable state into a solidified and self-supporting state by:
1

Assignees

• Voith Patent Gmbh

Inventors

• Abraham Juergen
• Morton Antony

Classifications

• D21F7/083

  Multi-layer felts · CPC title

• D21F1/0063 Primary

  Perforated sheets · CPC title

• B28C7/04

  Supplying or proportioning the ingredients {(B28C7/022 takes precedence; forming a predetermined ratio of the components to be mixed, in general B01F35/80)} · CPC title

• B28C5/42

  Apparatus specially adapted for being mounted on vehicles with provision for mixing during transport ({B28C5/1893 takes precedence; mounted on a wheelbarrow B28C5/1215, B28C5/1818, B28C5/2018; } vehicle aspect B60P3/16) · CPC title

• D10B2331/04

  polyesters, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate [PET] · CPC title