Laser-Engraved Structuring Belts for Soft, Absorbent Tissue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional manufacturing processes for papermaking fabrics are time-consuming, expensive, and inefficient, leading to high capital and energy costs, and the resulting tissue products often lack optimal quality characteristics such as softness, absorbency, and productivity.
Innovation Solution
The use of extruded polymeric netting material to create a fabric structure, which is laminated with a woven fabric layer to form a multilayered fabric or belt with airflow channels in the X-Y plane, allowing for improved air permeability and reduced energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional manufacturing processes are used for papermaking fabrics, then the process is well-established and reliable, but the manufacturing time is excessive and capital costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical weaving processes with a laser-based direct writing system that deposits polymer material directly onto the forming fabric. This substitution of mechanical manufacturing with a laser-driven additive process dramatically reduces manufacturing time while producing the same functional structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameters from traditional weaving operations to laser processing parameters including power, speed, and deposition rate. By controlling laser parameters, the system can rapidly create the required fabric structures without the time-consuming nature of conventional textile manufacturing.
2Reliability
If conventional manufacturing processes are used for papermaking fabrics, then the process is established, but energy consumption and operational costs are excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces energy-intensive mechanical weaving and heat-setting processes with a more efficient laser-based system. The laser directly melts and bonds polymer material in place, eliminating the need for separate heating and mechanical processing stages, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate steps from the conventional manufacturing process. By using laser direct writing, the system combines multiple operations (deposition, shaping, and bonding) into a single integrated process, removing redundant energy-consuming steps.
3Device complexity
If conventional forming fabrics are used, then the fabric structure is simple, but the tissue product quality characteristics such as softness and absorbency are not optimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating varying fabric structures in different regions of the forming fabric. The laser system can deposit polymer material with different patterns, densities, and heights in specific areas, allowing optimization of local properties such as drainage, fiber retention, and softness to match the required product quality characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary action by pre-forming the fabric structure with optimized patterns before the actual papermaking process. The laser-created topography and pore structure are predetermined to guide fiber deposition and water drainage, ensuring optimal product quality from the outset rather than requiring post-processing adjustments.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional weaving processes are used to create fabric patterns, then the manufacturing process is straightforward, but the ability to create optimized drainage and fiber retention patterns is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the fabric pattern creation process adaptive and programmable. The laser system can be controlled by computer software to create any desired pattern, allowing the fabric structure to be dynamically adjusted for different product requirements without changing the physical manufacturing setup.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention achieves universality by creating a single manufacturing system that can produce multiple fabric patterns and structures. The laser direct writing system can generate various geometric patterns, pore sizes, and surface topographies using the same equipment, making the manufacturing process versatile and adaptable to different product specifications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in high-quality tissue products with enhanced bulk softness and absorbency while maintaining high production rates and reducing operational costs, overcoming the limitations of conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a structuring belt for use in a press section of a papermaking machine, the structuring belt comprising a polymer layer and at least one weave layer, wherein the polymer layer includes grooves formed by laser drilling
Data Source
AI summary
A tissue product including a laminate of at least two plies of a multi-layer tissue web, the tissue product having a softness value (HF) of 92.0 or greater, a lint value of 4.5 or less, and an Sdr of greater than 3.0.