Formally the forming fabric, it is a woven polyester or polyamide belt, in single, double or triple layer designs, running over the forming table. Stock lands on it, water drains through it and the fibers stay on top to build the sheet. Mesh, wear and cleanliness affect drainage, retention, wire mark and two-sidedness, so a plugged or worn wire shows up as streaks and poor formation.
New wire went on during the shutdown, so drainage will be different; watch the dry line for a day or two.
Also heard as
- forming fabric
- fabric
Related terms
Wire side
Face of the sheet that lay against the forming wire while the sheet was formed.
Headbox
Pressurized box that spreads stock in a thin, even jet across the full width of the forming wire.
Couch
Suction roll at the end of the forming section where the wet web is dewatered and leaves the wire.
Dry line
Visible line on a Fourdrinier table where the wet sheet's surface turns from glossy water to dull matte.
Fourdrinier
Paper machine design in which stock drains on a single, horizontal moving wire to form the sheet.