Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Metso Paper Karlstad Ab

Other

Voith Patent Gmbh

Valmet Aktiebolag

Frank Stephen Hada

Michael Alan Hermans

Ronald Frederick Gropp

Lowell Everett Thoms

Robert Eugene Krautkramer

Paul Douglas Beuther

Charles Robert Tomsovic

James Leo Baggot

Jeffrey Dean Holz

Ingvar Berndt Erik Klerelid

Hans Ivarsson

Johan Ragard

Samuel August Nelson

Robert James Seymour

Paulin Pawar

Jeffrey David Mathews

Brian Wade Isenhart

Robert Lewis Clarke

David V Lange

Roger A Kanitz

Cristina Asensio Mullally

Kyle Andrew Krautkramer

Peter K Costello

Patrick W Murry

Lacey Leigh Hansen

Stephanie Lee Berube

Richard D Hauser

Doug A Rounds

Jeffrey Dean Lindsay

Mark Alan Burazin

Jeffrey James Timm

Mark John Hassman

James Monroe Perkins

Vivek Moreshwar Karandikar

Robert Irving Gusky

Brian James Gingras

Gregory Michael Bixler

Sung Ho Hong

Keith D Glass

Marek Parszewski

Fung-jou Chen

Peter John Allen

Andrew Peter Bakken

Frank Gerald Druecke

Richard Joseph Kamps

Steven James Wojcik

Matthew Robert Wilson

Richard Allen Zanon

Richard Mark Hansen

Mark G Dollevoet

Steven J Hickey

Sherry Lynn Behnke

Patricia Riedl

Douglas C Thomas

Daniel Mark Heinz

Daniel Robert Sprangers

Douglas Wayne Stage

Charlcie Christie Kay Leitner

Nathan J Haiduk

Ron F Gropp

Randall James Le Valley

Daniel John Schultz

Tony Deadman

Mike John Rekoske

Allen Arthur Hammerstad

Paul Timothy Baker

Shan Liang-Chen

Randall J LeValley

Nathan John Haiduk

Ingvar Klerelid

The current invention is generally directed to apparatuses and methods for controlling tension and tension disturbances in a web being continuously unwound from a roll of spirally wound web material. In accordance with the present disclosure, a rotary dancer mechanism is used for applying active and variable forces to a moving web in response to irregularities, such as variations in tension. In one aspect, the apparatus and method of the present disclosure may be used to attenuate undesired disturbances in the web as the web is being fed into a process.

Web tension control

Unlike conventional through-air drying processes the instant invention utilizes at least two through-air driers where the first dyer is at least partially encircled by a first through-air drying fabric and the second dyer is at least partially encircled by a second through-air drying fabric. By providing each through-air dryer with its own fabric the overall drying performance may be increased. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the first and second fabrics may be different to optimize both the drying performance and/or tissue product properties.

Through-air drying apparatus and methods of manufacture

The present invention provides a perforating station comprising two or more discrete perforating stations, the stations synchronized with one another to cut a line of perforations across a web, such as a web of tissue paper, moving at high speeds. By providing two or more synchronized perforating stations the perforating station may increase the number of impacts per minute compared to prior art perforating devices.

Multilateral cutter

Creped tissue webs having low surface-roughness and high sheet bulk are disclosed. Specifically creped, single ply tissue web having a single wire probe mean deviation of MIU (MMD) of less than about 0.040 and a sheet bulk of greater than about 12 cc/g are disclosed. Additionally creped, multi-ply tissue web having a single wire probe mean deviation of MUI (MMD) of less than about 0.035 and a sheet bulk of greater than about 10 cc/g are disclosed.

Smooth bulky tissue

The present disclosure relates to creped tissue webs that demonstrate low surface-roughness and high sheet bulk. The present disclosure relates to a creped, single ply tissue web having a single wire probe mean deviation of MIU (MMD) of less than about 0.040 and a sheet bulk of greater than about 12 cc/g. The present disclosure also relates to a creped, multi-ply tissue web having a single wire probe mean deviation of MUI (MMD) of less than about 0.035 and a sheet bulk of greater than about 10 cc/g.

Curvilinear or other complex perforation patterns for paper products, such as paper towels and bath tissue, can be produced using a differential speed perforation nip formed between a rotating pattern roll and a moving anvil surface. The relative speed between the perforation elements on the surface of the pattern roll and the anvil surface shears the web at the perforation points.

Method for perforating tissue sheets

The invention relates to methods and an apparatus useful to installing and removing endless belts in a conveyor system and more preferably continuous fabrics, belts, felts and webs used in the papermaking process. According to the present invention a pair of guide rolls to move a first continuous fabric from a first fabric position to a second fabric position and a second fabric from the second fabric position to the first fabric position, passing the fabrics over one another as the position of the fabrics are exchanged. The movement of the first and second fabrics may be done at the same time so as to further enhance the efficiency of changing fabrics.

Endless belt changing apparatus and method

Coreless rolls of tissue, such as rolls of bath tissue or paper towels, are produced by winding tissue logs on a mandrel having retractable pins. During winding, the pins extend and penetrate the first several windings of the log as it is initially wound, which prevents slippage. After the winding is complete, the pins retract to allow the tissue log to slide off of the mandrel for subsequent slitting into individual product rolls and packaging. The penetration of the pins into the first several windings of the log tends to mechanically entangle and structurally unify those windings to create a 'soft core'. At the same time, the properties of the tissue sheets within the soft core are the same as the other sheets within the roll and are therefore usable by the consumer.

Coreless tissue rolls

Spirally wound paper products are disclosed having desirable roll bulk, firmness and softness properties. The rolled products can be made from a multiple ply tissue webs formed according to various processes. Tissue webs having basis weights greater than about 40 grams per square meter were wound into rolls having a Kershaw roll firmness of less than about 9 mm and a roll bulk of greater than about 15 cc/g. Similarly, tissue webs having basis weights less than about 40 grams per square meter were wound into rolls having a Kershaw roll firmness of less than about 9 mm and a roll bulk of greater than about 18 cc/g.

High bulk rolled tissue products

An apparatus for transferring a wet paper web from a press nip to a drying cylinder of a papermaking machine, and for structuring the web, includes an impermeable transfer belt that passes through the press nip along with the paper web, and a permeable structuring fabric for transfer of the web onto the drying cylinder, the structuring fabric being arranged in a loop within which a suction transfer device is disposed. A web-contacting surface of the belt has a non-uniform distribution of microscopic-scale depressions, and a suction zone of the transfer device includes a transfer point spaced a distance D from the press nip. The belt is arranged to bring the web into contact with the structuring fabric in the suction zone for a length L, such that suction is exerted on the paper web to transfer the paper web from the belt onto the structuring fabric at the transfer point.

Apparatus with an impermeable transfer belt in a papermaking machine, and associated methods

A papermaking machine for making paper includes a forming section, a press section, and a drying section. The paper web is pressed between two press members while enclosed between a press felt and a transfer belt having non-uniformly distributed microscopic depressions in its surface, the web following the transfer belt from the press to a transfer point at which the web is transferred via a suction transfer device onto a structuring fabric, the web then being dried on a drying cylinder. The transfer point is spaced a distance D from the press nip selected based on machine speed, a basis weight of the web, and the surface characteristics of the transfer belt, such that within the distance D a thin water film between the web and the transfer belt at least partially dissipates to allow the web to be separated from the transfer belt.

Methods employing an impermeable transfer belt in a papermaking machine

A through-air dryer system that diverts the airflow within the through-air dryer during warm up and cool down from the normal airflow during the drying of paper in the papermaking process. During warm up and cool down, a majority of the airflow is supplied to one of the dryer's heads and extracted through the opposite head to reduce thermal stresses. If needed to further reduce thermal stresses, a minority of the airflow is supplied through the dryer's shell.

Method for warming up or cooling down a through-air dryer

A system and process for producing tissue webs is disclosed. The tissue webs are formed from an aqueous suspension of fibers and dried using a through-air dryer. During formation of the web, the web is transferred from a transfer fabric to a throughdrying fabric and then conveyed around a drying cylinder of a through-air dryer. In accordance with the present invention, a pressurized roll emits a gaseous stream through a pressurized zone that pushes and transfers a wet web from a transfer fabric to the throughdrying fabric. The amount of pressure used during the transfer can vary depending upon the particular application and may be used to control the bulk of the web. By using a pressurized transfer roll, the amount the throughdrying fabric is wrapped around the drying cylinder of the through-air dryer can be maximized for increasing the efficiency of the system and the process.

System and process for throughdrying tissue products

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Frank Stephen Hada