Abstract: A continuous machine for the manufacture of fiber-containing materials such as paper, which comprises a rotating cylinder partly immersed in a body of liquid containing fibers in suspension. The surface of the cylinder comprises permeable and impermeable areas arranged in a predetermined pattern, and fibers are drawn onto the permeable areas by suction from within the cylinder, the layers of fibers formed on these areas being transferred to a conveyor belt which contacts the cylinder surface at a zone out of contact with the liquid. The surface of the cylinder is washed upstream of the transfer zone to remove fibers and other particles which may adhere to the impermeable areas of the cylinder surface by feeding cleansing liquid, such as pure water, across an overflow edge into a space adjacent the cylinder so that the cleansing liquid flows parallel to the impermeable areas.