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Paper Machine Clothing
Albany International's primary business is supplying the expanding global paper industry with consumable, technologically sophisticated products called paper machine clothing. Paper machine clothing is used to produce all grades of paper from lightweight sanitary tissue to heavyweight container board. These custom-designed engineered fabrics, essential to the paper making process, are manufactured from monofilament and synthetic fiber materials. This basic technology is also utilized for other industrial process applications.
Forming
A sheet of paper begins in the forming section, where a mixture of 99% water and 1% cellulose fiber is introduced evenly across a forming fabric, which acts as both a sheet conveyor and a dewatering device. It is here that the paper sheet is formed and the initial water removal occurs. As the fabric moves, water drains through it, while the fibers and fillers that form the sheet remain on top. Today, forming fabrics have an average operating life of 45 to 60 days. Multilayer technology offered by Albany International is the standard today on world-class high-speed machines.
Pressing
In the press, additional water is mechanically removed from the newly formed sheet. In the simplest press, the sheet is carried continuously by a large press fabric between two rolls, where water is squeezed out of the sheet at high pressure. Average operating life of a press fabric is 40 to 50 days. Albany International’s innovation in seam fabrics, multiaxial constructions, and advanced materials provides exceptional benefits for our customers.
Drying
In the dryer section, the paper sheet travels around large-diameter heated cylinders, where the balance of the water is removed by evaporation. Dryer fabrics hold the sheet tightly in contact with the cylinders through the dryer section. Constructed of monofilaments, dryer fabrics must be heat resistant, rugged, and designed for both drying efficiency and runnability. Dryer fabrics last much longer than forming and pressing fabrics—from 6 to 18 months. Albany International leads the industry in the design and application of dryer products, including the pin seam, active air handling, and heat-resistant fabrics.
Belting
In the press section of today’s new and rebuilt paper machines, a shoe press has replaced the conventional press. The shoe press increases dryness and enhances sheet properties by lengthening the time the sheet is under pressure. In response to the demand for improved water removal at higher speeds, Albany International developed the first shoe press belt, a grooved belt that provides maximum water removal, and a product to overcome the problem of sheet handling in open draws. Additional new belt products have been developed with machine builders to produce better sheet surface characteristics. For more detailed information, please see Process Belts.
Customer Service
Albany International's service is second to none, with hundreds of service engineers around the globe working to help you. From start-up to cleanings and machine audits to training seminars for managers and crews, Albany International's service engineers are knowledgeable, experienced, and local. Please see our Service Overview
Global Operations
Being Global Makes Us Local
Albany International is closely linked to its global customers with world-class manufacturing plants strategically located in 14 countries, able to deliver forming, press, and dryer fabrics for all types of papermaking. The Company has made major manufacturing investments around the world, installing state-of-the-art equipment, implementing the most sophisticated processes, and employing highly skilled workers. Our global network assures that we will meet the needs of our customers, wherever they do business. |
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