Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing endless, needled, longitudinally oriented, paper machine felts having a predetermined width formed from a plurality of overlapping loops of a narrower width strip is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first needling mechanism having a working width at least equal to the predetermined width, a feeder to feed a strip of batt from a web to the first needling mechanism, means to reciprocate the web throughout the working width of the first needling mechanism, a second needling mechanism having a working width at least equal to the working width of the first needling mechanism and including a plurality of driven, adjacent needling units each of which is actuable between a needling position and a non-needling position, and means associated with each of the needling units and correlated to the position of the batt strip relative to the working width for selectively actuating corresponding ones of the needling units to needle the strip being fed to the first needling mechanism while the strip is in longitudinal alignment with the corresponding ones of the units.

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First Claim