Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

David Robert Gruber

James Leo Baggot

Paul Kerner Pauling

Michael Earl Daniels

Larry E Birnbaum

Rudolph S Fortuna

James D Ba Dour, Jr

Jeffrey Dean Lindsay

Paul Douglas Beuther

Tammy Lynn Baum

Ronald Frederick Gropp

Kenneth Allen Pigsley

James Monroe Perkins

Robert James Seymour

John Hanson

Anthony Mark Gambaro

Mike Daniels

Douglas C Thomas

Edward Marksman

Randy LeValley

Preston O'Connor

Jeffrey Greiner

Matt Storm

Steve Weiland

James B Ba Dour, Jr

A method for processing high bulk tissue webs is disclosed for forming a wet web, drying the web, winding the dried web to form a plurality of parent rolls, unwinding the parent rolls by transmitting torque through the roll center and/or ends, moving the partially unwound roll to effect splicing with a subsequent parent roll, and rewinding the thus united web. In particular embodiments, the torque transmitting means comprise side clamping mechanisms that engage only the end surfaces of the parent rolls. In other embodiments, an automated off-line method for splicing tissue webs from different parent rolls utilizes a finishing unit that substantially continuously impacts each web during unwinding to splice the webs together. In one aspect, a method of making and processing high bulk tissue webs is disclosed for the production of a soft, high bulk uncreped throughdried tissue web by depositing an aqueous suspension of paper-making fibers onto an endless forming fabric to form a web and drying the web by throughdrying to final dryness without any significant differential compression to form a dried web having a bulk value of about 15 to 25 cubic centimeters per gram or greater, an MD Stiffness Factor of 50 to 100 kilograms, a machine direction stretch of 15 to 25 percent, and a substantially uniform density.

Methods for making and processing high bulk tissue webs

A system and process for unwinding rolls of material is disclosed. The system is particularly well suited for unwinding soft, high-bulk tissue webs. In one embodiment, the system includes the combination of a center unwind device and a surface unwind device to unwind the roll of material in a primary unwind location. Once the roll of material is partially unwound, the roll is then moved to a secondary unwind location while a new roll of material is moved into the primary unwind location. In this manner, multiple rolls of material can be continuously unwound without substantial downtime. The system of the present invention can be used to unwind a single roll of material or can be designed to unroll multiple rolls of material simultaneously.

System and method for simultaneously unwinding multiple rolls of material

A partially unwound roll is moved for splicing with a subsequent parent roll, and the united web is rewound. The torque transmitting means include side clamping mechanisms engaging only the end surfaces of the parent rolls. In one aspect, an automated off-line apparatus and method splice tissue webs from different parent rolls in a finishing unit, and substantially continuous impacts on each web during unwinding splice the webs together. In one aspect, an apparatus and method are disclosed for the production of a soft, high bulk uncreped throughdried tissue web by depositing an aqueous suspension of papermaking fibers onto an endless forming fabric to form a web and through drying the web to final dryness without any significant differential compression to form a dried web having a bulk value of about 15 to 25 cubic centimeters per gram or greater, an MD Stiffness Factor of 50 to 100 kilograms, a machine direction stretch of 15 to 25 percent, and a substantially uniform density. A torque transfer device for unwinding a tissue roll includes a frame having a pair of arms spaced apart to accommodate the width of the roll, each arm having a side clamping mechanism mounted thereon to engage one of the opposite end surfaces of the tissue roll. The side clamping mechanism includes a backing plate connected to and rotatable with an unwind shaft connected to an electric drive, an inflatable bladder mounted on the backing plate, and means for inflating the bladder such that the opposite end surfaces of the roll are sandwiched between the side clamping mechanisms.

High bulk tissue web

A high bulk tissue web is made by depositing an aqueous suspension of papermaking fibers onto a forming fabric to form a web, drying the web, winding the dried web to form a plurality of large diameter parent rolls wound on a core, and transporting the parent rolls to an unwind stand having torque transmitting clamping means for engaging opposite end surfaces of the parent rolls. A backing plate is connected to and rotatable with an unwind shaft connected to an electric drive. An inflatable bladder is mounted on the backing plate. The clamping means engage a first parent roll by inflating the bladder such that the opposite end surfaces of the roll are sandwiched between the side clamping mechanisms for partially unwinding the first parent roll using a variable speed drive operably associated with the clamping means. The torque transmitting clamping means engage a second parent roll, and a leading end portion of the web on the second parent roll is joined to a trailing end portion of the partially unwound first parent roll to form a joined web without glue. In one aspect, the leading end portion of the web on the second parent roll is transported with a thread-up conveyor. In one aspect, the leading end portion of the web on the second parent roll is transported with vacuum means operably associated with an endless screen belt means with decreasing amounts of vacuum as the web is transported over the endless screen belt means.

Processed tissue webs

A method of making a tissue web is disclosed for forming a wet web, drying the web, winding the dried web to form a plurality of parent rolls, unwinding the parent rolls using center drive unwind means, moving the partially unwound roll to effect splicing with a subsequent parent roll, and rewinding the thus united web. In one aspect, a method of making a tissue web is disclosed for the production of a soft, high bulk uncreped throughdried tissue web by depositing an aqueous suspension of papermaking fibers onto an endless forming fabric to form a web and drying the web by throughdrying to final dryness without any significant differential compression to form a dried web having a bulk value of about 15 to 25 cubic centimeters per gram or greater, an MD Stiffness Factor of 50 to 100 kilograms, a machine direction stretch of 15 to 25 cubic percent, and a substantially uniform density.

Making a web

The crispness or clarity of embossed tissue is improved by embossing the tissue twice in two successive embossing nips formed between a rigid engraved embossing roll and a resilient backing roll. The hardness of the resilient backing roll in the first embossing nip is less than the hardness of the resilient backing roll in the second embossing nip. This form of double nip embossing is particularly effective for embossing tissue webs having high bulk and resiliency, such as soft uncreped throughdried tissues, which cannot be satisfactorily embossed by conventional methods.

Double nip embossing

Growing community of inventors

Neenah, WI, United States of America

David Robert Gruber