Patent ID: 7988829

Claim:
An apparatus for transferring a wet paper web from a press nip defined between two press members in a press section to a drying section of a papermaking machine, comprising: an impermeable transfer belt arranged in a loop such that the transfer belt passes through the press nip and a wet paper web passes through the press nip enclosed between a press felt and the transfer belt; and a permeable structuring fabric having a structured surface and being arranged in a loop within which a suction transfer device is disposed, the suction transfer device having a suction zone in which suction is exerted through the structuring fabric, the suction zone including a transfer point spaced a distance D from the press nip in a machine direction along which the transfer belt runs, the transfer belt being arranged to bring the paper web into contact with the structuring fabric in the suction zone for a length L in the machine direction, such that suction is exerted on the paper web to transfer the paper web from the transfer belt onto the structuring fabric at the transfer point, the transfer belt having a surface in contact with the wet paper web characterized by a non-uniform distribution of microscopic-scale depressions.