How to Choose Paper Machine Clothing by Grade?

Choosing paper machine clothing by paper grade starts with understanding what the sheet needs at each stage of production. Tissue requires rapid drainage, excellent sheet release, and a very fine clothing surface. Printing and writing paper place greater emphasis on formation, retention, smoothness, and low marking. Kraft and packaging grades usually require stronger clothing, high dewatering capacity, wear resistance, and good contamination tolerance. Heavy board and pulp board create even greater water loads and mechanical demands.

Paper grade, however, should never be the only selection criterion. Machine speed, basis weight, furnish, forming system, press configuration, dryer arrangement, vacuum level, nip load, chemical conditions, and cleaning system can change the correct specification even when two mills produce the same grade.

Sun Hong Group supplies Paper Machine Clothing for the forming, press, and dryer sections. The practical selection process is therefore not simply “Which fabric is used for tissue?” but rather “Which forming fabric, press felt, and dryer fabric combination best matches this tissue machine, its operating speed, furnish, basis weight, and dewatering requirements?”

Why Does Paper Grade Matter When Choosing Paper Machine Clothing?

Different paper grades create very different demands on the clothing because their raw materials, basis weights, surface requirements, production speeds, filler levels, and water-removal loads are different.

A lightweight tissue sheet needs to be supported without damaging its soft structure and must be transferred reliably at high speed. Fine printing paper requires good fiber and filler retention while minimizing wire and felt marks. Recycled packaging paper contains more contaminants and may create heavier abrasion and deposits. Pulp board is much thicker and carries a much greater water load through the forming and press sections.

These differences affect the three main clothing types in different ways.

The correct clothing specification therefore begins with the paper grade but develops from the actual operating conditions.

What Paper Machine Clothing Must Be Selected for Each Grade?

Every paper grade normally requires coordinated selection of three main clothing groups.

The Paper Machine Clothing Forming Fabric forms the initial wet web and removes the first large volume of water. Its fiber-support capability, permeability, layer structure, wear resistance, and surface design strongly influence formation.

The Paper Machine Clothing Press Felt then supports the sheet through the press section while accepting water removed by mechanical pressure. Its base construction, batt structure, void volume, surface smoothness, and resistance to compaction are critical.

Finally, the Paper Machine Dryer Fabric carries and stabilizes the sheet through the heated dryer section. Air permeability, heat resistance, dimensional stability, seam quality, contamination resistance, and sheet support become the main concerns.

The paper grade therefore affects an entire clothing package, not one isolated fabric.

A useful selection sequence is:

Paper Grade → Furnish → Basis Weight → Machine Speed → Forming Fabric → Press Felt → Dryer Fabric

The three clothing selections should support one another. Strong forming drainage reduces the water load reaching the press section. Effective press dewatering lowers the moisture entering the dryer section. Better press performance can therefore also reduce steam demand downstream.

How to Choose Clothing for Tissue Paper

Tissue presents a distinct set of clothing requirements because the sheet is lightweight, delicate, and commonly produced at relatively high speed.

Good formation is essential, but the forming fabric must also provide rapid drainage because the available forming distance can be short. At the same time, the sheet needs reliable release so that it can transfer into the next section without excessive breaks.

Forming Fabric for Tissue

For tissue production, a fine multilayer forming fabric is generally preferred over a coarse single-layer structure when machine speed and paper quality justify it.

Sun Hong's tissue-related forming-fabric information recommends SSB triple-layer structures for applications such as crescent and BF tissue machines. A triple-layer design allows the paper side and machine side to perform different functions. The finer paper-side structure improves support of short fibers and helps reduce fabric marking, while the heavier machine side provides dimensional stability and wear resistance.

Important tissue forming-fabric characteristics include:

• Fine paper-side surface

• High fiber retention

• Rapid drainage

• Good sheet release

• High machine-direction stability

• Low fabric marking

• Resistance to contamination

• Stable running at high speed

A fabric that drains too aggressively without enough fiber support can reduce formation quality. One that is too closed may restrict drainage and limit production speed.

The correct balance is therefore especially important on lightweight grades.

Press Felt for Tissue

Tissue press felts usually require a particularly fine and uniform surface because the paper is thin and easily marked.

The felt also needs fast dewatering and reliable web transfer. Fine batt fibers can provide a smooth contact surface, while the internal structure must still retain enough void volume to accept water during repeated press cycles.

For high-speed tissue machines, dimensional stability and resistance to compaction are also important because even small felt changes can affect sheet transfer and moisture profile.

Sun Hong's tissue paper felt series is intended for applications including BF and crescent-former tissue machines, where fine felt surface and stable operation are important.

Dryer Clothing for Tissue

Dryer clothing selection depends heavily on the tissue-machine design. Some tissue systems use Yankee-cylinder drying rather than conventional multi-cylinder dryer arrangements, so the dryer clothing configuration can differ substantially from that used on printing or packaging machines.

Where dryer fabrics are used, sheet stability, high-temperature resistance, air movement, and low marking remain important.

The key lesson is that “tissue paper” alone does not define the complete clothing specification. A crescent former, BF machine, and conventional tissue machine can require different solutions.

How to Choose Clothing for Printing and Writing Paper

Printing, writing, and other cultural papers usually place greater emphasis on sheet formation, surface smoothness, fiber and filler retention, and low clothing marking.

These grades often use more refined furnish and can contain substantial filler levels. The forming fabric therefore needs to retain fine material while providing uniform drainage. The press felt must remove water without creating felt marks, and the dryer fabric needs to support a smooth, stable sheet through drying.

Forming Fabric for Printing and Writing Paper

Multilayer forming fabrics are commonly suitable for medium- and high-speed printing and writing paper machines because they can separate paper-side and machine-side functions more effectively.

A 2.5-layer forming fabric can provide a relatively fine paper surface while retaining a stronger wear side. Sun Hong lists 2.5-layer structures among the options suitable for printing, culture, and related grades.

Triple-layer fabrics can be used when still greater fiber and filler support, dimensional stability, and low fabric marking are required.

Important properties include:

• High fiber retention

• Good filler retention

• Uniform drainage

• Fine paper-side surface

• Minimal wire marking

• Good dimensional stability

• Resistance to abrasive filler

• Reliable cleaning

Choosing permeability is particularly important.

Very high drainage does not automatically produce better printing paper. If water removal becomes too aggressive at the beginning of the forming zone, fibers can become unevenly distributed and sheet formation can suffer.

Press Felt for Printing and Writing Paper

The press felt should provide efficient water removal while protecting paper surface quality.

Culture-paper felts are therefore designed to combine good dewatering with a relatively smooth surface. Double-layer or multilayer structures may be selected on higher-speed machines or more demanding press positions because they can provide higher void volume and better resistance to compaction.

Factors include:

• Paper basis weight

• Press type

• Nip load

• Machine speed

• Desired outgoing dryness

• Surface smoothness

• Felt marking risk

• Vacuum arrangement

• Felt conditioning system

A highly aggressive felt that maximizes dewatering but leaves visible marking is unsuitable for a surface-sensitive grade.

Dryer Fabric for Printing Paper

Dryer fabric for printing and writing paper should provide controlled permeability and stable sheet contact.

A flat-yarn dryer fabric can be useful where a smoother contact surface and reduced fabric marking are priorities. Its flatter yarn geometry increases surface contact and can support stable sheet transport on medium- and high-speed machines.

The dryer fabric also needs dimensional stability because distortion or uneven tension can affect paper contact and moisture profile across the machine width.

For printing grades, clothing selection therefore consistently favors a balance between water removal and surface quality.

How to Choose Clothing for Kraft Paper

Kraft paper places greater emphasis on strength, productivity, water handling, and clothing durability.

The furnish may contain relatively long fibers, and kraft grades often have higher basis weights than printing paper. Packaging applications may also place less emphasis on an extremely fine sheet surface and more emphasis on machine efficiency and clothing life.

Forming Fabric for Kraft Paper

The forming fabric needs sufficient drainage capacity to handle the water load while providing adequate support for the fiber structure.

Single- or 1.5-layer forming fabrics may still be appropriate on certain lower-speed machines, particularly where cost and simple drainage are major considerations. For higher-speed equipment, 2.5-layer or triple-layer designs provide greater stability and improved wear resistance.

Important factors include:

• Strong machine-side wear surface

• High drainage capacity

• Good longitudinal and cross-machine stability

• Reliable fiber support

• Resistance to abrasion

• Good cleanability

• Long operating life

Because kraft machines can operate with demanding vacuum and mechanical conditions, wear resistance against foils, blades, and suction equipment can become a major selection factor.

Press Felt for Kraft Paper

A kraft press felt generally needs high water-handling capacity and good resistance to mechanical loading.

Double-layer or multilayer press felts may be appropriate when the press section uses higher nip loads or when basis weight creates a substantial water load. The felt should resist compaction so that internal void volume remains available throughout its service life.

If the felt closes rapidly, press dewatering declines and the paper enters the dryer section wetter. Steam consumption then increases.

This is why felt cost should not be evaluated independently from press dryness and drying energy.

Dryer Fabric for Kraft Paper

Sun Hong identifies round-yarn dryer fabrics among the structures used for kraft and corrugated paper dryer sections.

Kraft dryer clothing needs sufficient permeability to support evaporation while remaining stable under long-term tension and elevated temperature.

Contamination resistance is also important because recycled or packaging furnishes may carry pitch, stickies, fibers, and other deposits into the dryer section.

How to Choose Clothing for Corrugated and Packaging Paper

Packaging-paper machines often operate under demanding production conditions. Furnish commonly contains recycled fiber, machine widths can be large, and high output is normally a primary objective.

The clothing therefore needs to tolerate contamination, abrasion, high water loads, and sustained production while maintaining acceptable sheet quality.

Forming Fabric for Packaging Grades

For linerboard, testliner, fluting, corrugated medium, and other packaging grades, the forming fabric generally needs:

• High dewatering capacity

• Strong wear resistance

• Stable machine-direction tension

• Good cross-machine stability

• Resistance to recycled-fiber contamination

• Good cleaning response

• Reliable fiber support

Sun Hong lists several 2.5-layer and triple-layer structures for packaging applications. A multilayer structure can provide stronger machine-side wear resistance while maintaining adequate support on the paper side.

On lower-speed machines, simpler structures can still be suitable where operating conditions do not require a more complex design.

Press Felt for Packaging Paper

Packaging paper can place heavy demands on press felt because of higher basis weights and significant water loads.

Sun Hong offers a packaging-paper felt series intended for packaging-paper machines. The felt needs good initial adaptability, resistance to pressure, stable running, and sufficient dewatering capacity.

When choosing the felt, mills should consider whether the press position uses:

• Plain roll press

• Grooved press

• Vacuum press

• Shoe press

• Combination press

A shoe press creates different compression and water-handling conditions from a conventional roll nip, so the felt structure should not be selected from paper grade alone.

Seamed press felt can also be useful on some packaging machines because it can reduce the amount of machine disassembly required during felt replacement.

Dryer Fabric for Packaging Paper

Packaging dryer sections need strong, durable fabrics with adequate air permeability.

Spiral dryer fabrics can be attractive where high permeability and contamination resistance are important. Round-yarn and flat-yarn woven fabrics are alternatives depending on machine speed, sheet support, ventilation, and surface requirements.

The correct permeability should match the dryer pocket ventilation and sheet basis weight. Extremely open dryer clothing is not automatically better because sheet stability can suffer.

How to Choose Clothing for Corrugated Board and Paperboard

Board grades are heavier than most printing papers and require clothing capable of handling greater water load and mechanical stress.

Some paperboard machines also form multiple plies, meaning that clothing requirements may differ between top, middle, and bottom forming positions.

A top layer may prioritize surface quality, while an inner layer can prioritize drainage and strength. Using the same forming-fabric specification in every position can therefore be inefficient.

Forming Fabric for Board

2.5-layer forming fabrics can be particularly useful for board applications because the paper side can provide adequate fiber support while the machine side delivers wear resistance and strong drainage.

For multi-ply board machines, the specification should consider:

• Top ply

• Middle ply

• Back ply

• Furnish in each layer

• Basis weight of each ply

• Drainage load

• Required surface quality

The top layer of white board may require a finer fabric than an internal recycled-fiber layer.

Press Felt for Board

Press felts for board production generally require high void volume, strong base construction, and resistance to repeated heavy compression.

Double- or triple-layer constructions can provide the stability needed under higher press loads. Smoothness remains important, particularly on the sheet-facing side, because press marking can still affect finished board appearance.

The felt also needs effective conditioning because high water and contaminant loads can cause rapid plugging.

Dryer Fabric for Board

Board dryer fabrics need sufficient mechanical strength and ventilation to support a heavier sheet.

Spiral structures can provide high permeability, while woven structures may be selected where additional sheet support or more controlled permeability is needed.

The dryer section should be evaluated as a complete ventilation system rather than choosing fabric only by open area.

How to Choose Clothing for Pulp Board

Pulp board differs from ordinary paper because basis weight can be substantially higher and dewatering demand can be severe.

The forming fabric must support a thick fiber mat while removing large amounts of water. Press felt needs particularly strong water-handling capability, and the dryer section must manage a much larger remaining moisture load.

Sun Hong provides dedicated pulp-board felt configurations for different pulp types and basis weights.

For pulp board, selection should prioritize:

• High water-handling capacity

• Strong mechanical structure

• Large internal felt void volume

• Resistance to compaction

• Stable fabric dimensions

• Heavy-duty seams

• Effective cleaning

• Strong dryer ventilation

Surface smoothness may be less demanding than for fine printing paper, but poor clothing design can still cause uneven moisture profiles and production bottlenecks.

Because pulp board carries so much water, the efficiency of the press felt can have a particularly large influence on dryer energy demand.

How to Choose Clothing for Specialty Paper

Specialty paper is too broad a category for one standard clothing recommendation.

It can include filtration paper, electrical insulation paper, décor paper, release paper, cigarette paper, technical papers, abrasive backing, medical papers, and many other products. Each may place very different demands on formation, surface quality, porosity, thickness, cleanliness, or mechanical properties.

The first selection question should therefore be:

What property makes this paper grade “special”?

If the key requirement is surface smoothness, a very fine forming-fabric surface and fine press-felt batt may be necessary.

If high porosity is important, drainage behavior becomes more important.

If the sheet is very lightweight, fiber support and release dominate.

If the grade is thick and dense, water-handling capacity becomes critical.

Sun Hong's specialty-paper felt series is intended for paper machines where a very fine paper surface or specialized press-section performance is required.

For specialty applications, supplying an existing successful clothing sample or complete current specification can be more useful than simply giving the paper-grade name.

Does Basis Weight Change Paper Machine Clothing Selection?

Yes. Basis weight is one of the most important parameters after paper grade.

Two machines may both produce packaging paper, but one may run 70 gsm liner while another produces 300 gsm board. The volume of fiber and water handled by the clothing is very different.

Lower-basis-weight grades generally need:

• Better sheet support

• Finer fabric surfaces

• Stable transfer

• Low marking

• Fast response at high speed

Higher-basis-weight grades generally need:

• Greater drainage capacity

• Higher felt void volume

• Greater mechanical strength

• Stronger dimensional stability

• Greater dryer capacity

This is why paper grade should always be supplied together with the minimum and maximum basis-weight range.

A mill that frequently changes grade also needs clothing capable of operating across that range without severely compromising either drainage or sheet support.

How Does Machine Speed Change the Choice?

Machine speed determines how much time the sheet spends in each dewatering section.

At higher speed, the forming fabric has less time to remove water before the sheet reaches the press section. The press felt experiences more compression cycles per minute, and the dryer fabric must stabilize the sheet under stronger aerodynamic forces.

Higher-speed machines therefore generally require greater dimensional stability and tighter control of clothing properties.

For forming fabrics, this can favor multilayer designs because they offer a stronger machine side while preserving a fine paper side.

For press felts, higher speeds make compression recovery, void-volume retention, and running stability more important.

For dryer fabrics, high-speed operation increases the importance of tension stability, seam quality, air permeability, and sheet control.

A clothing design suitable for 300 m/min should not automatically be used on a 1,200 m/min machine even if the paper grade is identical.

How Does Virgin vs Recycled Furnish Affect Clothing?

Furnish strongly affects contamination and wear.

Virgin-fiber stock is generally cleaner than mixed recovered fiber, although natural pitch and other wood-derived substances can still create deposits.

Recycled furnish may contain:

• Stickies

• Adhesives

• Plastics

• Ink residues

• Fillers

• Coating particles

• Sand

• Abrasive contaminants

• Mixed fiber lengths

These contaminants can increase forming-fabric plugging, press-felt contamination, and dryer-fabric deposits.

Packaging mills using recovered paper may therefore need clothing with better cleanability and wear resistance than mills producing a similar basis weight from cleaner virgin fiber.

Upstream pressure screen performance also becomes important because better contaminant removal reduces the load reaching the clothing.

However, screening cannot remove every fine, dissolved, or deformable contaminant, which is why fabric and felt cleaning systems remain essential.

How Does Filler Content Affect Clothing Choice?

High filler content is especially relevant to printing, writing, coated base paper, and some specialty grades.

Fine mineral particles such as calcium carbonate and clay can pass deeply into forming-fabric and press-felt structures. Over time, they can reduce permeability and make cleaning more difficult.

The forming fabric needs good fine-particle retention while still maintaining drainage. If the structure is too open, excessive filler may be lost with white water. If it is too closed, drainage can become restricted.

Press felt must also resist internal filling. Once mineral deposits combine with fibers and process chemicals inside the felt, void volume can decline and dewatering performance may deteriorate.

For high-filler grades, buyers should evaluate:

• Fabric retention

• Internal void structure

• Cleaning system

• Water chemistry

• Felt conditioning

• Expected contamination rate

Clothing selection and cleaning strategy should therefore be developed together.

How Does Press Configuration Affect Felt Selection?

Paper grade tells only part of the story because the same grade can be produced with very different press sections.

A conventional roll press creates a relatively short nip. A shoe press creates a much longer pressure zone, allowing more dewatering time but also subjecting the felt to different mechanical conditions.

Vacuum rolls, grooved rolls, blind-drilled rolls, suction pickup positions, and transfer configurations also affect felt requirements.

A press felt must therefore be selected for both:

Paper Grade + Press Position

A packaging-paper felt for a conventional first press may not be identical to the felt required for a shoe press on the same machine.

Important information includes:

• Nip type

• Line load

• Press roll diameter

• Shoe-press design

• Vacuum level

• Felt run length

• Felt tension

• Water load

• Desired sheet dryness

• Current felt life

This position-specific approach produces more reliable results than ordering all felts on a machine using one generic specification.

How Does Dryer Configuration Affect Dryer Fabric Choice?

Dryer sections also vary substantially.

Some machines use conventional double-felted dryer groups, while others use single-tier configurations or specialized sheet-stabilizing systems. Pocket ventilation, cylinder diameter, steam pressure, machine speed, and paper basis weight all influence dryer-fabric requirements.

The fabric must provide enough air permeability for moisture removal while still controlling the sheet.

Spiral dryer fabrics are highly open and can provide good ventilation and contamination resistance.

Round-yarn fabrics provide a conventional woven structure and can be used for applications such as kraft and corrugated-paper machines.

Flat-yarn designs provide a smoother contact surface and can be useful on medium- and high-speed machines where stable sheet contact and reduced marking are important.

The best choice depends on how the entire dryer section handles air and moisture, not on paper grade alone.

Paper Grade Selection Guide

The following table provides a practical starting point rather than a fixed specification.

The actual layer structure, permeability, yarn design, basis weight, and felt construction still need to be calculated from machine data.

What Happens If the Clothing Is Too Open?

Selecting clothing with excessive permeability can create problems even though initial drainage looks strong.

On a forming fabric, excessive openness can increase fiber and filler loss and may make drainage too aggressive for good formation.

On a press felt, an unsuitable structure can affect pressure distribution, sheet marking, and water handling.

On a dryer fabric, excessive openness can reduce sheet support or make the sheet more sensitive to aerodynamic instability.

The correct clothing therefore provides enough open area for water or air movement without compromising the other process requirements.

“More permeability” should never be treated as a universal improvement.

What Happens If the Clothing Is Too Closed?

Clothing that is too closed creates the opposite problem.

A forming fabric may drain too slowly, increasing vacuum demand and moving the dry line farther down the forming section.

A press felt with insufficient permeability or internal void volume may become saturated and provide poor press dewatering.

A dryer fabric with inadequate air permeability can restrict ventilation and slow moisture evaporation.

Contamination can create the same effect over time even when the new clothing was correctly selected.

This is why permeability should be evaluated both when clothing is new and as it ages.

How Does Clothing Cleaning Affect Grade Selection?

Paper grade influences both contamination type and cleaning demand.

Recycled packaging grades can create high stickies and fiber contamination. Printing grades with heavy filler use can create mineral deposits. Tissue machines may need particularly clean clothing to maintain reliable sheet release.

The forming fabric cleaner and other shower systems should therefore be considered when selecting the clothing.

A very fine multilayer fabric may deliver excellent sheet quality, but if the existing shower system cannot clean its internal structure effectively, performance may deteriorate rapidly.

Likewise, a press felt with excellent initial dewatering may perform poorly over time if the conditioning system cannot remove water and contamination from the felt.

Clothing specification and cleaning equipment should therefore be matched rather than purchased independently.

How Do Guiding and Tensioning Affect Different Paper Grades?

Higher machine speeds and wider clothing increase sensitivity to guiding and tension.

An air bellow in a pneumatic guider can move guide rolls to correct lateral clothing deviation. This is relevant to forming fabrics, press felts, and dryer fabrics.

Tissue machines can be especially sensitive because high speed makes even small tracking errors develop quickly.

Wide packaging and board machines also require strong dimensional stability because large clothing widths create substantial forces.

The correct tension should be enough to maintain stable running without unnecessarily increasing wear.

Too much tension can:

• Increase bearing load

• Accelerate clothing wear

• Stress seams

• Increase roll load

• Reduce felt void volume

Too little tension can:

• Cause slipping

• Create wrinkles

• Reduce sheet control

• Cause unstable tracking

The correct clothing therefore needs to be compatible with the machine's guiding and tensioning system.

How Should Mills Compare Clothing Suppliers?

Paper machine clothing should not be compared only by price or nominal dimensions.

A meaningful quotation should identify the grade and operating position in detail.

For forming fabrics, compare:

• Layer structure

• Yarn construction

• Mesh or density

• Air permeability

• Caliper

• Paper-side design

• Machine-side design

• Seam

• Wear characteristics

For press felts, compare:

• Base structure

• Batt design

• Felt weight

• Thickness

• Permeability

• Void volume

• Seam/endless construction

• Surface fineness

• Compression resistance

For dryer fabrics, compare:

• Spiral or woven structure

• Yarn shape

• Air permeability

• Thickness

• Seam type

• Heat resistance

• Hydrolysis resistance

• Dimensional stability

Suppliers should also understand the current operational problem rather than simply reproduce the old specification.

If the mill wants to improve press dryness, extend clothing life, reduce marking, improve drainage, or reduce contamination, that objective should be clearly stated before the design is finalized.

What Information Should Be Provided When Ordering by Paper Grade?

For accurate selection, a mill should provide more than the paper name.

The minimum technical information should include:

Photographs, old clothing samples, machine drawings, and current specification sheets can also help.

If the existing clothing already performs well, its specification provides a useful baseline. The new design can then target specific improvements instead of changing several parameters without a clear reason.

Common Mistakes When Choosing Paper Machine Clothing by Grade

One common mistake is selecting only by paper grade. Saying “I need kraft paper forming fabric” is not enough because machine speed, width, basis weight, furnish, and former design can completely change the requirement.

Another mistake is assuming a more complex multilayer structure is always better. A triple-layer forming fabric can provide excellent performance on high-speed quality-sensitive machines, but a simpler structure may be more economical on a low-speed machine with moderate demands.

Mills also sometimes focus too heavily on initial permeability. Clothing performance changes during operation as it becomes compacted, contaminated, worn, and chemically exposed.

Other common mistakes include:

• Ignoring the exact clothing position

• Using identical felt designs in different press positions

• Selecting only by purchase price

• Ignoring shower and cleaning capability

• Ignoring furnish contamination

• Using excessive tension

• Replacing clothing without diagnosing premature failure

• Changing permeability without reviewing water balance

• Ignoring seam design

• Selecting dryer clothing without reviewing ventilation

A good specification should solve the process requirement rather than simply match one catalog category.

Why Choose Sun Hong Group?

Sun Hong Group was established in 2010 in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, with forming fabrics, press felts, and dryer fabrics among its original product areas. The company later expanded into stock-preparation equipment, dewatering elements, screen baskets, spray systems, doctor blades, rolls, rotary joints, and other paper-machine components.

Its paper machine clothing range covers different structures and paper-grade applications, including tissue, culture and printing paper, packaging paper, kraft paper, board, pulp board, and specialty-paper production.

For forming fabrics, Sun Hong can provide single-layer, 1.5-layer, double-layer, 2.5-layer, and triple-layer structures.

For press felts, available designs include single-, double-, and multilayer structures together with paper-grade-specific felt series and seamed configurations.

For dryer sections, spiral, round-yarn, and flat-yarn dryer fabrics provide different combinations of permeability, sheet support, stability, and contamination resistance.

Because paper grade alone is not enough for clothing selection, Sun Hong can use machine speed, paper basis weight, furnish, clothing position, machine width, dewatering requirements, and existing operating problems to develop a more suitable configuration.

Conclusion

Choosing paper machine clothing by grade means matching the clothing to the physical demands created by that paper grade throughout forming, pressing, and drying.

Tissue typically requires fine surfaces, high fiber support, rapid drainage, good release, and stable high-speed operation. Printing and writing paper require strong formation, filler retention, low clothing marking, and smooth sheet support. Kraft and packaging grades place greater emphasis on drainage capacity, wear resistance, contamination tolerance, and heavy-duty press dewatering. Board and pulp board require clothing that can manage high water loads and stronger mechanical forces. Specialty grades need selection based on the specific property that makes the product unique.

However, paper grade is only the first selection parameter.

The final clothing design should combine:

Paper Grade + Basis Weight + Furnish + Machine Type + Speed + Clothing Position + Dewatering Load + Surface Requirement + Cleaning Conditions

The forming fabric, press felt, and dryer fabric should also be considered as one water-removal system. Better forming performance reduces press load, better press dryness reduces dryer load, and suitable cleaning, pressure screen performance, guiding, and tensioning help maintain clothing efficiency throughout its service life.

For more accurate selection from Sun Hong Group, provide the paper grade, basis-weight range, machine width, operating speed, machine type, furnish, forming configuration, press type, clothing position, current clothing specification, dryer arrangement, and current performance problem. These parameters provide a much stronger basis for selecting paper machine clothing than paper grade or price alone.

FAQ

How do I choose paper machine clothing for different paper grades?

Start with paper grade, then consider basis weight, furnish, machine speed, machine type, clothing position, dewatering load, surface requirements, and cleaning conditions before choosing forming fabric, press felt, and dryer fabric.

What paper machine clothing is used for tissue paper?

Tissue machines generally require fine, stable forming fabrics with good fiber support and sheet release, fine-surface press felts with rapid dewatering, and dryer clothing appropriate to the specific tissue drying configuration.

What forming fabric is suitable for printing paper?

2.5-layer or triple-layer forming fabrics are often suitable for medium- and high-speed printing-paper machines because they can combine fine fiber and filler support with good drainage and machine-side stability.

What press felt is suitable for packaging paper?

Packaging-paper machines usually require press felts with strong dewatering capacity, good pressure resistance, sufficient void volume, stable running, and resistance to contamination and compaction.

What clothing is suitable for kraft paper machines?

Kraft machines generally require forming fabrics with strong drainage and wear resistance, press felts with high water-handling capacity, and durable dryer fabrics with suitable ventilation.

What clothing is suitable for pulp board?

Pulp-board clothing normally requires high drainage capacity, strong mechanical construction, high press-felt void volume, resistance to compaction, and dryer fabrics capable of supporting heavy sheets and high moisture loads.

Is triple-layer forming fabric always better?

No. Triple-layer fabric can provide strong paper-side support and machine-side stability, but simpler fabrics may be more economical and fully adequate for lower-speed or less demanding machines.

Does machine speed affect paper machine clothing selection?

Yes. Higher speeds increase demands on dimensional stability, drainage rate, press-felt recovery, seam performance, sheet control, and guiding accuracy.

Does basis weight affect clothing selection?

Yes. Lightweight paper generally requires better sheet support and finer clothing surfaces, while heavier grades require greater drainage, void volume, strength, and water-handling capacity.

Does recycled paper require different clothing?

Often yes. Recycled furnish can contain more stickies, fillers, plastics, sand, and other contaminants, so clothing cleanability, wear resistance, and contamination tolerance become particularly important.

How does filler content affect forming fabric?

High filler content increases the need for good retention while also increasing the risk of internal fabric plugging. The fabric should balance fine-particle support with sufficient drainage.

Can the same press felt be used in every press position?

Usually not. Different press positions can have different nip loads, water loads, vacuum conditions, and sheet-support requirements, so felt structure should be selected by position.

What information should I provide when ordering paper machine clothing?

Provide paper grade, basis-weight range, machine type, machine width, operating speed, furnish, clothing position, current clothing specification, permeability, press configuration, cleaning system, and any current problems such as poor drainage, marking, contamination, wear, or tracking.