Process for Producing Papermaker's and Industrial Fabric Seam and Seam Produced by that Method
AssigneeAlbany International Corp.
InventorDana Eagles
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention disclosed herein relates to the use of laser energy to weld or melt selected locations in papermachine clothing (“PMC”) and other industrial and engineered fabrics. The invention also relates to an improved seam for a papermaker or other industrial fabric that has properties such as strength, durability, openness, adequate number of support points, and fiber support index (FSI) essentially the same as the fabric body. The invention also relates to a fabric having a durable seam, wherein the seam width as measured in the MD is a fraction of the width of a normal seam or a seam that is formed using a conventional technique of equal strength.
Claims13
A method for welding a portion of an industrial fabric comprising the steps of:
- providing said fabric with a laser energy absorbing material,
- focusing a laser source at discrete locations on said fabric, thereby partially melting and permanently welding the fabric at said discrete locations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.