Voith’s (Germany) new Infinity ToughLine press fabric (with and without a seam) maintains its consistently high void volume even when exposed to high line load and substantial degree of wear. A constant water flow guarantees consistent performance over the entire life of the fabric. The modular structure of the fabric means that it can be tailored precisely to customer requirements.

ToughLine – as the name suggests, is the new range of press fabrics from the Voith Infinity family specifically designed for use in extreme environments. These conditions occur, for example, when manufacturing pulp, board, and packaging papers, where the fabrics are continually exposed to heat or abrasive materials. Nevertheless, they have to reliably drain the paper webs and perform consistently in the process. Paper quality deteriorates as soon as fabric structures become compacted during operation.

Voith uses the latest weaving technologies, which produce a genuinely laminated structure to avoid this compaction in its Infinity ToughLine press fabrics. This enables the fabric to remain very stable in both MD and CD over its entire life and to constantly retain its high void volume. Good compressibility and excellent resiliency also give the press fabrics a high dewatering capacity. The stable high void volume of the fabric and its drainage capacity ensure minimal dirt deposits, creating the basis for a consistently high paper quality. Voith offers Infinity ToughLine with and without a seam. The modular structure of the fabric allows it to be tailored precisely to customer requirements.

 

 

A Chinese paper manufacturer was one of the first of Voith's customers to test Infinity ToughLine with a seam. The company’s conclusion is that the time for changing the fabric is cut in half. Previously, the paper producer had used conventional endless fabrics. However, these are very time consuming to change and also present safety risks. If a seamed fabric is used instead of an endless fabric, there is no need to open the whole machine. The new fabric can be easily joined with the old fabric and pulled into the machine where it can be closed. All Infinity ToughLine seam loops are of identical loop length, shape and spacing, joining the seam is quick and easy.

Even though the use of seamed fabrics offers great savings in time and costs, many paper manufacturers continue to rely on endless fabrics. They are concerned that the seam will leave marks on the paper and therefore cause additional waste. Meanwhile, market experience with Infinity ToughLine shows that the new press fabric does not leave any marks on the paper web over their entire life and ensures a consistently high paper quality. Convinced of the results, the Chinese paper producer has converted its machine entirely to fabrics with seam in the meantime.

Infinity ToughLine is available with PeakElement the elastomer component available for all Voith press felt designs. Infinity is part of the PressMax range of Voith AdvancedPRODUCTS. Alongside individual products, PressMax offers papermakers the opportunity to enhance the performance of their paper machine through the ideal combination of perfectly matched products.