Method of making a molded paper web
AssigneeGPCP IP Holdings LLC
InventorDavid A. Beck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of making a molded paper web. The method includes forming a nascent web from an aqueous solution of papermaking fibers, moving a dewatered web on a transfer surface, and applying a vacuum at a molding zone defined between the transfer surface and a molding roll. The molding roll includes a permeable patterned surface on an exterior of the molding roll. The method also includes transferring the dewatered web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface at the molding zone. The vacuum is applied during the transferring of the dewatered web, and the papermaking fibers of the dewatered web are (i) redistributed on the permeable patterned surface and (ii) drawn into a plurality of recess of the permeable patterned surface, in order to form the molded paper web.
Claims65
A method of making a molded paper web, the method comprising:
- (A) forming a nascent web from an aqueous solution of papermaking fibers;
- (B) dewatering the nascent web to form a dewatered web having a consistency from about ten percent solids to about seventy percent solids;
- (C) moving the dewatered web on a transfer surface;
- (D) transferring the dewatered web from the transfer surface to a molding roll at a molding nip formed between a backing roll and the molding roll, the dewatered web being transferred to the molding roll as the transfer surface moves through the molding nip, the molding roll including (i) an interior, (ii) an exterior, (iii) a plurality of channels connecting the interior with the exterior, and (iv) a permeable patterned surface on the exterior of the molding roll, the permeable patterned surface being permeable to air and having at least one of a plurality of recesses and a plurality of projections;
- and
- (E) molding the dewatered web over a molding zone of the molding roll to form a molded paper web, the molding including drawing a vacuum over the molding zone by applying a vacuum in the interior of the molding roll to cause air to flow through the permeable patterned surface, the plurality of channels, and into the interior of the molding roll, wherein the molding nip is located within the molding zone such that the dewatered web is transferred from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the molding roll and papermaking fibers of the dewatered web are (i) drawn into the permeable patterned surface by the vacuum applied in the molding zone and (ii) redistributed on the permeable patterned surface by the least one of the plurality of recesses and the plurality of projections in order to form the molded paper web.
A method of making a molded paper web, the method comprising:
- (A) forming a nascent web from an aqueous solution of papermaking fibers;
- (B) dewatering the nascent web to form a dewatered web having a consistency from about ten percent solids to about seventy percent solids;
- (C) moving the dewatered web on a transfer surface;
- (D) transferring the dewatered web from the transfer surface to a first molding roll at a first molding nip formed between a backing roll and the first molding roll, the dewatered web being transferred to the first molding roll as the transfer surface moves through the first molding nip, the first molding roll including (i) an interior, (ii) an exterior, (iii) a plurality of channels connecting the interior with the exterior, and (iv) a permeable patterned surface on the exterior of the first molding roll, the permeable patterned surface being permeable to air and having at least one of a plurality of recesses and a plurality of projections;
- (E) molding the dewatered web over a first molding zone of the first molding roll to form a paper web having a molded first side, the molding including drawing a vacuum over the first molding zone by applying a vacuum in the interior of the first molding roll to cause air to flow through the permeable patterned surface, the plurality of channels, and into the interior of the first molding roll, wherein the first molding nip is located within the first molding zone such that the dewatered web is transferred from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the first molding roll and papermaking fibers on a first side of the dewatered web are (i) drawn into the permeable patterned surface by the vacuum applied in the first molding zone and (ii) redistributed on the permeable patterned surface of the first molding roll by the least one of the plurality of recesses and the plurality of projections in order to form the paper web having the molded first side;
- (F) transferring the paper web from the permeable patterned surface of the first molding roll to a second molding roll at a second molding nip formed between the first molding roll and the second molding roll;
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- (G) molding the dewatered web over a second molding zone of the second molding roll to form a molded paper web having molded first and second sides, the second molding roll including (i) an exterior and (ii) a patterned surface on the exterior of the second molding roll, the patterned surface having at least one of a plurality of recesses and a plurality of projections, wherein the second molding nip is located within the second molding zone such that the paper web is transferred to the patterned surface of the second molding roll and the papermaking fibers on a second side of the paper web are redistributed on the patterned surface of the second molding roll by the at least one of the plurality of recesses and the plurality of projections of the patterned surface of the second molding roll in order to form the molded paper web having molded first and second sides.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.