Paper machine clothing and method of producing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11712756-B2
Application number	US-202217684591-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2022
Priority date	Mar 5, 2021
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A paper machine clothing has a plurality of through-channels formed in a usable region. The through-channels extend through the substrate to connect the upper and lower sides. The through-channels are non-cylindrical with a cross-sectional area becoming smaller along a thickness direction of the substrate from the upper side to a middle region of the substrate. 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, wherein the upper rims of both neighboring through-channels have at least three common local maxima, including two outer common local maxima and one intermediate common local maximum that is located between the two outer common local maxima. There is also described a method of producing such a paper machine clothing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A paper machine clothing, comprising:
a substrate with an upper side, a lower side, two lateral edges and a usable region between said two lateral edges;
said usable region having a plurality of through-channels formed therein each extending along a central axis through said substrate and connecting said upper side with said lower side;
said through-channels being non-cylindrical with a cross-sectional area thereof becoming smaller along a thickness direction of the substrate from said upper side to a middle region of said substrate between said upper side and said lower side;
said through-channels having an upper rim and at least two of said through-channels being neighboring through-channels with upper rims directly contacting one another; and
said upper rims of said neighboring through-channels having at least three common local maxima with two external common local maxima and one intermediate common local maximum located between said two external common local maxima.

2. The paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , wherein all of said at least three common local maxima lie within a first sectional plane that is parallel to the thickness direction of said substrate.

3. The paper machine clothing according to claim 2 , wherein the first sectional plane is equidistant from central axes of said two neighboring through-channels.

4. The paper machine clothing according to claim 2 , wherein said intermediate common local maximum lies in a second sectional plane that includes central axes of said two neighboring through-channels.

5. The paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , wherein a height of said intermediate local maximum is lower than a height of any of said two external common local maxima.

6. The paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , wherein:
a third sectional plane, being parallel to the thickness direction of the substrate, including one of said two external common local maxima and including or intersecting a central axis of at least one of said two neighboring through-channels defines an intersecting line with a sidewall of said at least one of said two neighboring through-channels; and
an intersecting line includes a first portion that is convexly shaped, a second portion that is concavely shaped and a third portion that is again convexly shaped along the thickness direction of said substrate from the at least one common local maximum toward the middle region of said substrate.

7. The paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least 90% of said through-channels in said usable region of said substrate have an upper rim that directly contacts an upper rim of at least one other neighboring through-channel of said plurality of through-channels in said usable region of said substrate; and
said upper rims of at least 12% of said directly neighboring through channels have at least three common local maxima with said two external common local maxima and said one intermediate common local maximum between said two external common local maxima.

8. The paper machine clothing according to claim 7 , wherein all of said through-channels in said usable region of said substrate have an upper rim that directly contacts an upper rim of all other neighboring through-channels of said plurality of through-channels in said usable region of said substrate.

9. The paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , wherein less than 5% of a surface on said upper side of said substrate in said usable region is flat and substantially orthogonal to the thickness direction of said substrate.

10. The paper machine clothing according to claim 9 , wherein none of the surface on said upper side of said substrate in said usable region is flat and substantially orthogonal to the thickness direction of said substrate.

11. The paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , wherein between 70% and 90% of a surface on said lower side of the substrate is flat and substantially orthogonal to the thickness direction of said substrate.

12. The paper machine clothing according to claim 11 , wherein between 75% and 85% of the surface on said lower side of said substrate is flat and substantially orthogonal to the thickness direction of said substrate.

13. The paper machine clothing according to claim 12 , wherein approximately 80% of the surface on said lower side of said substrate is flat and substantially orthogonal to the thickness direction of said substrate.

14. The paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , wherein a shape of the cross-sectional area of at least one of said through-channels changes along the thickness direction of said substrate from said upper side to said lower side.

15. The paper machine clothing according to claim 14 , wherein the shape of the cross-sectional area of all of said through-channels changes along the thickness direction of said substrate from said upper side to said lower side.

16. The paper machine clothing according to claim 14 , wherein the shape of the cross-sectional area is substantially more elliptical in an upper region of said at least one of said through-channels than in a lower region of said at least one of said through-channels.

17. The paper machine clothing according to claim 16 , wherein the shape of the cross-sectional area in the upper region of said at least one through-channel has a first dimension extending in a cross-machine direction and a second dimension extending in a machine direction, wherein said first dimension is either smaller or larger than said second dimension.

18. The paper machine clothing according to claim 14 , wherein the shape of the cross-sectional area is substantially circular on a lower side of said substrate.

19. A method of producing a paper machine clothing according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
providing a substrate having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface are substantially planar and parallel to each other; and
forming a plurality of non-cylindrical through holes into a usable region of the substrate by using a laser;
forming at least some, or all, of the plurality of through holes that neighbor each other at such a close distance that the neighboring through holes partially overlap each other;
while forming the plurality of non-cylindrical through holes controlling the laser to form upper rims of mutually overlapping through holes with at least three common local maxima, including two external common local maxima and one intermediate common local maximum located between the two external common local maxima.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein, after all of the through holes have been formed into the usable region of the substrate, at least one of the first surface or the second surface of the substrate in the usable region has disappeared by at least 90% or up to 100%.

Assignees

• Voith Patent Gmbh

Inventors

• Koeckritz Uwe
• Holl Reinhard
• Kallenberg Jens
• Straub Michael
• Fitzer Cedric

Classifications

• B23K26/382 Primary

  by boring · CPC title

• B23K26/40

  taking account of the properties of the material involved · CPC title

• D21F1/0063 Primary

  Perforated sheets · CPC title

• B23K2103/38

  Fabrics; Fibrous materials · CPC title

• D21F7/08 Primary

  Felts · CPC title