Patent ID: 8657596

Claim:
An apparatus comprising two intermeshing counter-rotating rolls that form a nip therebetween, said apparatus comprising: a) a generally cylindrical first roll, said first roll having a surface, a circumference, and an axis, said first roll comprising: a plurality of ridges and grooves on the surface of the roll, wherein said ridges have a top surface and said grooves have a bottom surface; and a plurality of first spaced apart forming elements extending outwardly from the top surface of said ridges, said first forming elements having tips, wherein the top surface of said ridges are disposed between the tips of said forming elements and the bottom surface of said grooves; and b) a generally cylindrical second roll, said second roll having a plurality of second discrete forming elements on its surface, said second forming elements having tips, and the tips of said second forming elements extend inward toward the axis of said first roll to a depth beyond the top surface of at least some of the ridges on said first roll.