To understand the manufacture of paper machine clothing, it is first necessary to understand the papermaking process. Centuries ago, papermaking was an art, but evolving technology has turned the process into a highly technical science.

The Egyptians were the first to use papyrus for writing purposes in 4000 B.C. The thinly sliced stems of papyrus were beaten into hard, thin sheets and coated with a gluelike material. The main difference between this process and today's papermaking process is that individual fibers were not separated.

In 105 A.D., the Chinese invented the papermaking process that is widely used today. Ts'ai Lun beat a water and mulberry tree mixture into a pulp. He then used a screen to separate the fibers and dried them in the sun, which resulted in the first sheet of paper made from wood.

The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century increased the demand for paper. By the late 18th century, Nicholas Louis Robert invented the forerunner of today's modern paper machine. The Fourdrinier brothers bought his patent and made numerous improvements. The new machine was named after them and still carries their name today.

As improvements have been made to the paper machine, paper machine clothing has undergone many transformations to keep pace. Originally, press and dryer fabrics were made with wool and cotton, and forming fabrics were made with bronze wires. Increased machine width and speed led the paper machine clothing industry to change from using these raw materials to using synthetic fibers of polyester and nylon, which have much longer lives and produce a better quality of paper.