Rotary Screen Shell Additive Manufacturing for Seamless Watermarks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cylinder screens for watermarked paper production are complex to manufacture, prone to assembly errors, and exhibit visible joints, seams, and welds, which affect the quality of the paper surface.

Innovation Solution

The production screen shell is formed with uniform surface features, including watermark areas and drainage perforations, using an additive manufacturing process, such as selective laser sintering or 3D printing, to create a seamless and robust structure with integrated watermark areas and perforations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional manufacturing methods with multiple interconnected parts are used, then the cylinder screen can be assembled, but assembly errors increase and visible joints/seams appear

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly accuracyVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple interconnected individual parts into a single integrated production screen shell manufactured by additive manufacturing. This eliminates assembly joints, seams, and welds that cause visible defects in paper, while reducing assembly errors and manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Ease of manufacture

If additive manufacturing is used to create watermark areas, then manufacturing is simplified, but the screen surface requires additional perforation steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidproduction time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The additive manufacturing process preliminarily creates the complete screen structure including watermark areas and surface geometry. The subsequent laser perforation step adds drainage holes without requiring redesign of the basic manufacturing approach, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while enabling dewatering function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If the production screen shell is made seamless through additive manufacturing, then paper surface quality improves, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurface qualityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical manufacturing methods (which require assembly of multiple parts with joints and welds) with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution eliminates assembly-related surface defects and produces a seamless screen surface, improving paper quality despite higher initial manufacturing cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 method simplifies manufacturing, eliminates visible seams and welds, and enhances the paper's surface quality by allowing high-resolution watermarks and optimal dewatering, resulting in a mechanically robust cylinder screen.

Implementation Method 1

the production screen shell is formed with a uniform shell surface, raised and/or recessed watermark areas and drainage perforations, wherein at least the shell surface of the production screen shell is formed by an additive manufacturing process as a layer sequence of a plurality of firmly interconnected material layers

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSelective laser sintering: Selective Laser Sintering

Implementation Method 2

the outer surface of the production screen shell is initially formed unperforated by the additive manufacturing process and then, preferably by laser perforation, drainage perforations are created in the unperforated outer surface of the production screen shell

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser perforation: Laser Ablation

Data Source

PatentEP3477002B1Rotary screen and method of manufacturing the same
Publication Date: 2025.10.08 GIESECKE & DEVRIENT CURRENCY TECHNOLOGY GMBH
  • EP3477002B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3(b)
  • EP3477002B1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a cylinder wire (10) for a paper machine, in which a cylinder wire body (12) that can be statically mounted in the paper machine is provided and coated with a production wire shell (14) for the production of watermarked paper. According to the invention, the production wire shell (14) is produced with a uniform surface (32), raised and/or recessed watermark areas (16), and drainage perforations (26), wherein at least the surface (32) of the production wire shell (14) is formed by an additive manufacturing process as a sequence of multiple layers of material (28) that are firmly bonded together. The invention also relates to a correspondingly manufactured cylinder wire.