Patent ID: 7896034

Claim:
A fabric for supporting a fibrous web, comprising: a layer having a web-facing side and a machine-facing side, the layer comprising: a plurality of weft yarns comprising at least one of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK); a plurality of warp yarns interwoven with the plurality of weft yarns, the warp yarns comprising at least one of PPS and PEEK and at least some of the warp yarns having flat upper surfaces such that molten polymer drops do not penetrate an upper plane of the web-facing side; and wherein the weft yarns and the warp yarns create a plurality of weave repeats each comprising four warp yarns and eight weft yarns, each warp yarn in each weave repeat forming a pattern by passing over five consecutive weft yarns and then passing under three consecutive weft yarns, and the pattern formed by each warp yarn in each weave repeat is offset by four weft yarns from the pattern formed by a first adjacent warp yarn, and the pattern formed by each warp yarn in each weave repeat is offset by two weft yarns from the pattern formed by a second adjacent warp yarn.