Patent ID: 7922868

Claim:
A papermaker's fabric comprising: a first layer having a plurality of machine direction (MD) yarns and cross-machine direction (CD) yarns; a second layer having a plurality of MD yarns and CD yarns; and a third layer of CD yarns; wherein a plurality of machine direction (MD) yarns bind said CD yarns of the first, second, and third layers; wherein said MD yarns and said CD yarns in said first layer and said second layer are monofilament yarns, and said CD yarns of said third layer are monofilament yarns; wherein at least some of said CD yarns of said first, second and third layers are in a vertically stacked relationship with each other, and have a first melting point temperature, and the MD yarns have one or more melting point temperatures each higher than said first melting point temperature; and wherein said fabric is heated to a predetermined temperature which is at least equal to said first melting point temperature yet lower than each of said one or more melting point temperatures of the MD yarns; and wherein the at least some of said CD yarns of said first, second, and third layers, which are in contact with each other or in close proximity to each other prior to being heated, bond with each other after being heated to said predetermined temperature.