Abstract: A leader having a shape substantially that of a triangle which is used to pull a seamable papermaker's fabric onto a paper machine comprising a plastic coated substrate having plastic reinforcing strips thereon.

Abstract: An on-machine-seamable (OMS.RTM.) papermakers' fabric produced by modified endless weaving includes machine-direction (MD) and cross-machine direction (CD) yarns. The MD yarns are plied/twisted yarns, and weave continuously back-and-forth between the two widthwise edges of the fabric, each time forming a seaming loop at one of the two widthwise edges. A seaming spiral, a monofilament spiral preferably extruded from a polyamide resin, is attached to the seaming loops at each of the two widthwise edges. The two seaming spirals are used to join the fabric into endless form with a pin seam. In this way, an OMS.RTM. papermakers' fabric, having plied/twisted yarns in the machine direction is provided with monofilament joining means which maintain proper orientation and shape for the ready pin seaming of the fabric on a papermachine.

Abstract: A laminated integrally woven on-machine-seamable papermaker's fabric includes two single-layer woven fabric plies sharing a common machine-direction (MD) yarn. The common MD yarn, which is the weft yarn on the loom during the weaving of the fabric by a modified endless weaving technique, forms seaming loops which join the plies to one another at the ends thereof. The fabric may be needled with a batt of staple fiber material. During the weaving of the press fabric, solvent-removable binder yarns join the two plies, which are accordingly integrally woven. When the weaving is completed, the solvent-removable binder yarns are removed through dissolution with an appropriate solvent, yielding the laminated structure. A batt of staple fiber material may be needled into and through the laminated structure. The papermaker's fabric may be used as a forming, press or dryer fabric, or as a base for a polymer-coated, paper industry process belt, such as a long nip press, sheet-transfer or calender belt.