Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Lynda Ellen Collins

Mark Alan Burazin

Kevin Joseph Vogt

Mark William Sachs

Jeffrey Dean Holz

Peter John Allen

Christopher Lee Satori

Geoffrey Fenn Carlow

Richard Alan Zanon

Richard Allen Zanon

Ryan Andrew Weaver

Richard Joseph Behm

Donald John Slayton

Douglas Wayne Stage

Jennifer Leigh Jeschke

Joseph Walter Buyeske

Thomas Gerard Shannon

Jeffrey James Timm

The present disclosure provides high bulk tissue products, as well as an apparatus and methods for manufacturing the same. The tissue products provided herein not only have high bulk, but they also have improved surface smoothness, particularly compared to tissue products of similar basis weights.

Smooth and bulky tissue

The present invention relates to belts useful in the manufacture of paper products, such as tissue paper. Particularly this invention relates to a belt used in a through-air drying process for making tissue products, and more particularly to an additively manufactured belt having a particular pattern thereon which imparts properties to tissue products manufactured therewith.

Three-dimensional papermaking belt

Provided are woven papermaking fabrics having a web contacting surface having protuberances formed from woven warp and shute filaments. The protuberances, which may be oriented in the machine direction (MD) converge, merge, or diverge and may be arranged to form a pattern. In certain instances, the protuberance may comprise a first MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about 0.5 to about 15 degrees, a second MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about −0.5 to about −15 degrees wherein the first and second protuberances converge at a convergence area to form a third MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about −15 to about 15 degrees.

Woven papermaking fabric having converging, diverging or merging topography

Disclosed are woven papermaking fabrics having a textured sheet contacting surface with machine and cross-machine direction topography. The machine direction (MD) topography may be imparted by substantially MD oriented protuberances comprising a warp strand supported by a shute strand. The cross-machine direction (CD) topography may be imparted by substantially CD oriented protuberances comprising a shute strand supported by a warp strand. The CD protuberances may extend continuously in the CD and intersect the MD oriented protuberances to form discrete pockets there between. The pockets may have a variety of shapes and size depending on the MD and CD oriented protuberance. In certain instances the pockets may be rectilinear and have a pocket depth greater than 1.0 mm and a pocket angle greater than 28 degrees.

Woven papermaking fabric having machine and cross-machine oriented topography

Provided are tissue webs, and products produced therefrom, that are generally durable, flexible and have improved cross-machine direction (CD) properties, such as CD tensile energy absorption (CD TEA), CD stretch and CD modulus. The inventive tissue products generally comprise multiple tissue plies, such as two or more plies, that have been prepared by through-air drying and more preferably by through-air drying without creping. Moreover, the plies may be produced in a through-air drying process that utilizes a transfer fabric positioned between the forming fabric and the through-air drying fabric where the transfer fabric imparts the nascent web with a high degree of CD strain.

Multi-ply tissue products having improved cross-machine direction properties

The woven papermaking fabrics have a machine direction (MD) axis and a cross-machine direction (CD) axis, a machine contacting surface and a web contacting surface. The web contacting surface comprises a plurality of MD and CD oriented protuberances. Generally, the MD oriented protuberances are formed from warp filaments and may be continuous across one dimension of the papermaking fabric. The CD oriented protuberances are formed from shute filaments and are discrete. The fabrics may be woven such that the CD oriented protuberances traverse at least one MD oriented protuberance and in other instances two or more MD oriented protuberances. In addition to MD and CD oriented protuberances, the web contacting surface comprises valleys disposed between adjacent MD oriented protuberances. The valleys are generally permeable to air and water and aid in the formation and structuring of webs manufactured using the fabrics.

Woven papermaking fabric having discrete cross-machine direction protuberances

Woven papermaking fabrics useful in the manufacture of fibrous structures, particularly wet-laid tissue products that allow the web contacting surface of the fabric to be woven with three-dimensional topography comprising protuberances that are oriented at an angle relative to both the machine direction (MD) axis and cross-machine (CD) axis of the fabric. The protuberances may be discrete or continuous and, in certain preferred embodiments, intersect one another to form discrete valleys there between. The valleys may have relatively steep sidewalls, such as wall angles greater than 22 degrees, and be relatively deep, such as valley depths greater than about 0.35 mm.

Woven papermaking fabric having intersecting twill patterns

The present invention relates to papermaking fabrics useful in the manufacture of paper products, such as tissue paper. Particularly this invention relates to a woven papermaking fabric that includes a stabilized weave providing a textured contacting surface. The woven papermaking fabric includes a plurality of warp and shute filaments woven together to provide at least one protuberance on the web contacting side of the fabric that extends longitudinally over at least five shute filaments. The at least one protuberance is stabilized by including an offset shute float weave pattern configured such that a majority of the shute filaments forming the at least one protuberance are woven in an anti-nesting configuration.

Woven papermaking fabric including stabilized weave providing textured contacting surface

Provided are tissue webs, and products produced therefrom, that are generally durable, flexible and have improved cross-machine direction (CD) properties, such as CD tensile energy absorption (CD TEA), CD stretch and CD modulus. The inventive tissue products generally comprise a single tissue ply that has been prepared by through-air drying and more preferably by through-air drying without creping. Moreover, the products may be produced using a transfer fabric positioned between the forming fabric and the through-air drying fabric where the transfer fabric imparts the nascent web with a high degree of CD strain.

Single ply tissue having improved cross-machine direction properties

Provided are woven papermaking fabrics having a web contacting surface having protuberances formed from woven warp and shute filaments. The protuberances, which may be oriented in the machine direction (MD) converge, merge or diverge and may be arranged to form a pattern. In certain instances the protuberance may comprise a first MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about 0.5 to about 15 degrees, a second MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about &#x2212;0.5 to about &#x2212;15 degrees wherein the first and second protuberances converge at a convergence area to form a third MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about &#x2212;15 to about 15 degrees.

Growing community of inventors

Neenah, WI, United States of America

Lynda Ellen Collins