Flat-woven dryer fabric and spiral dryer fabric are the two most mainstream types of polyester dryer fabrics used in paper drying. Their core differences stem from weaving processes (plain weave with interlaced warp and weft / monofilament spiral interlocking). Their advantages and disadvantages are highly complementary, making them suitable for different papermaking scenarios.

A precise comparison is provided below in terms of core advantages, obvious shortcomings, and applicable scenarios, together with key selection references:

I. Flat-Woven Dryer Fabric

Core Advantages

• Strong structural stability: Regular interlacing of warp and weft yarns provides good rigidity and small deformation. The fabric is less prone to deviation or wrinkling during operation, with low difficulty in tension control, suitable for conventional drying on medium- and low-speed paper machines.
• High surface flatness and uniform air permeability: The dense interlaced structure ensures no obvious gap differences on the fabric surface, enabling more uniform heating and dewatering of the paper sheet. It effectively reduces paper defects such as weave marks, spots, and uneven thickness, suitable for applications with basic requirements for surface appearance quality.
• Higher cost performance: Mature weaving technology and high raw material utilization result in a purchase cost 15%–30% lower than spiral dryer fabric of the same specification. Parts and maintenance are easily available on the market, leading to low later operation and maintenance costs.
• Good wear resistance: Tight fitting at interlacing points gives the fabric better overall wear resistance than spiral dryer fabric with the same filament diameter, ensuring a longer service life in ordinary dryer section environments.
• Wide adaptability: Available in various structures including single-and-a-half layer, double layer, and flat filament types, covering almost all paper grades such as thin paper (cultural paper), thick paper (packaging paper), and paperboard. It is a “universal” dryer fabric in the papermaking industry.

Obvious Shortcomings

• Poor flexibility and low joint smoothness: Rigid structure results in weak bending performance. Traditional plug joints or skived joints have splicing gaps, which tend to cause vibration and noise at high speed, and may even scratch the paper sheet or equipment. Not suitable for high-speed paper machines (> 800 m/min).
• Limited adjustability of air permeability: Fixed woven structure cannot flexibly change air permeability by adjusting pitch like spiral dryer fabric, resulting in weak adaptability to special drying processes (e.g., rapid dewatering of high-moisture paper sheets).
• Local damage tends to spread: Warp and weft yarns are interrelated. If a broken filament is not repaired in time, it may cause chain wear of adjacent yarns, reducing overall stability after maintenance.

II. Spiral Dryer Fabric

Core Advantages

• Excellent flexibility and smooth operation: Weft-free structure made of interlocked monofilament spirals offers good bending performance. The joint adopts spiral loop connection, which is gap-free and stepless. It features low vibration and noise at high speed, suitable for high-speed paper machines (> 800 m/min) and curved dryer equipment.
• Flexibly customizable air permeability: By adjusting the diameter and pitch of spiral filaments, air permeability can be precisely controlled over a wide range, adapting to special process requirements such as rapid dewatering of high-moisture paper sheets and low-temperature drying of thin paper.
• Easy repair of local damage: Without interlaced warp and weft constraints, a single broken spiral filament can be partially replaced individually without replacing the entire fabric. Maintenance is convenient and does not affect the overall operational stability.
• Lighter paper sheet impression: No obvious interlacing points on the fabric surface provide gentler contact with the paper sheet, effectively reducing “mesh marks”. Suitable for applications requiring extremely high surface smoothness (e.g., high-grade cultural paper, coated paper).

Obvious Shortcomings

• Weak structural rigidity and easy deviation: Lack of weft restraint leads to large fabric deformation. It requires extremely high precision of the tension control system and guide devices during operation. Insufficient equipment precision easily causes deviation and wrinkling.
• High procurement and operation costs: Complex weaving process and higher material requirements lead to a purchase cost more than 30% higher than flat-woven dryer fabric of the same specification. It also has strict requirements for operating environment (e.g., cleanliness, tension stability), resulting in higher daily maintenance costs.
• Relatively weak wear resistance: No interlacing support points cause concentrated contact pressure between monofilaments, dryers, and paper sheets. Local wear speed is faster than flat-woven fabric after long-term operation. Suitable for clean drying environments free of impurities.
• Narrow adaptability to paper grades: Weak rigidity makes it unsuitable for drying heavy paperboards (e.g., corrugated paper, linerboard), as the weight of paper may deform the fabric and affect drying uniformity.

III. Core Selection Reference (Quick Matching of Scenarios)

IV. Conclusion

Flat-woven dryer fabric is a “cost-effective universal type”, excelling in stable structure, low cost, and wide adaptability. It is suitable for most medium- and low-speed papermaking lines producing conventional paper grades.

Spiral dryer fabric is a “high-end customized type for special processes”, excelling in excellent flexibility, smooth operation, and adjustable air permeability. It is suitable for high-speed production of high-grade thin paper and specialty paper with special drying processes, but has higher application thresholds in equipment precision, cost, and maintenance.

In practical selection:

• Prioritize flat-woven dryer fabric if the paper machine speed is < 800 m/min and mainly produces thick paper or paperboard.
• Consider spiral dryer fabric if the speed is > 800 m/min, producing high-grade thin paper or specialty paper with qualified equipment precision.