Apparatus for producing non-woven papermakers felt

Claim 1

Apparatus for producing a papermakers felt including in combination a fiber carding means, a first apron for receiving a web of fibers from said fiber carding means, a primary lapper top apron, a primary four ply lapper adjacent said primary lapper top apron for receiving a web therefrom and performing four lapping operations to produce a web of four fiber layers, a first intermediate apron at the output end of said primary lapper, first consolidation means between said primary lapper and said first intermediate apron whereby the four fiber layers are consolidated into a homogenious sheet, a second intermediate apron, said first and second intermediate aprons being substantially horizontal, parallel vertical aprons for receiving a web from said first intermediate apron and delivering it to said second intermediate apron, a feed-through apron, a secondary four ply lapper, means for producing a tapered feathered edge on the web disposed betweeN said secondary lapper and said feedthrough apron whereby web from said feed-through apron is passed to said secondary lapper, said secondary lapper producing four plies of web received therein said first apron being movable between a first position whereby web therefrom is passed thereby to said primary lapper top apron and a second position whereby web therefrom is passed thereby to said feed-through apron bypassing said primary lapper and a needling machine providing second consolidation means at the output of said secondary lapper.