Kimberly-clark Corporation

Peter J Allen

Steven L Edwards

Oliver P Renier

Daniel H Kuepper

The formation of wet-pressed tissue webs useful for facial tissue, bath tissue, paper towels or the like is substantially improved by forming the wet tissue web in layers in which the second-formed layer has a consistency which is significantly less than the consistency of the first-formed layer. The fiber support index of the forming fabric is about 170 or greater. The resulting improvement in web formation enables uniform debonding during creping, which in turn provides a significant improvement in softness and a reduction in linting. Wet-pressed tissues made with this process are uniformly internally debonded, as measured by a high Void Volume Index, which is comparable to that of throughdried tissues.

Method for making soft layered tissues

The formation of paper webs produced by papermaking headboxes having damaged or imperfectly-formed headbox lips can be improved by providing the headbox with an extended flexible divider sheet which extends beyond the slice opening and is positioned adjacent the defective headbox lip. The extended divider sheet so positioned substantially eliminates the adverse effects of the defective lip on the stock jet characteristics.

Papermaking headbox having extended divider sheet

A process for making two-ply nested paper towels utilizing matched steel engraved rolls, each steel roll having male and female elements spaced apart by a neutral zone, wherein nesting and ply attachment are achieved by partially conforming each of two plied to the steel rolls, applying adhesive to the raised portions of at least one of the partially conformed plies, and partially engaging the two steel rolls such that the raised portions of one ply contact the depressions of the other ply.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, AL, United States of America

Peter J Allen