Paper Machine Clothing RFQ Checklist: Data Suppliers Need for an Accurate Quote

An accurate paper machine clothing quotation starts with an accurate machine-position description. Width and length identify whether a product can be manufactured, but they do not determine the right forming fabric, press felt or dryer fabric construction.

Use this checklist to make supplier offers technically comparable and reduce clarification cycles.

1. Company and Project Information

State the mill location, contact person, project stage, required quantity, target delivery date, incoterm and destination. Clarify whether the request is for routine replacement, a trial, a machine rebuild or a new position.

If a distributor manages the project, identify who will approve technical data and who will receive installation documents.

2. Paper Machine and Exact Position

Provide the machine manufacturer and model when known, former type, press configuration and dryer arrangement. Name the exact position—not only “forming section” or “dryer section.” Add a machine sketch if position naming may be ambiguous.

Record design speed, operating speed and planned speed. Include finished length and width, seam requirement, running direction, edge treatment and relevant tolerances. Distinguish finished dimensions from machine-frame dimensions.

3. Paper Grade and Furnish

List all grades expected on the position, basis-weight range, furnish type, recycled content, filler, pH and temperature where relevant. Give the normal production mix, not only the highest-quality grade.

For a forming fabric, retention, white-water solids and formation concerns can materially affect selection. For a press felt, include sheet moisture and nip conditions. For a dryer fabric, include ventilation, steam and deposit concerns.

4. Current Clothing Specification

Attach the current datasheet or record the known structure, material, layer or weave, permeability with units and test method, caliper, weight, seam and edge construction. Include the installed date, typical life and removal reason.

A competitor product code is helpful context but should not replace measurable information. If the full specification is unavailable, send labelled photos and a used sample where practical.

5. Operating Conditions by Product Type

Forming fabric

Provide headbox consistency, drainage-element layout, vacuum settings, retention program, cleaning shower and the current issues such as formation, pinholes, fiber loss, wear or guiding.

Press felt

Provide press type, nip loads, roll covers, sheet moisture, felt moisture, Uhle-box vacuum and flow, shower pressures, chemical cleaning, startup behavior and the observed failure mode.

Dryer fabric

Provide dryer group, single- or double-tier arrangement, temperature, tension, pocket ventilation, air permeability, cleaning method, contamination type, sheet marking, seam concerns and wear pattern.

6. Define the Problem with Evidence

Replace broad phrases such as “poor quality” or “short life” with measurable observations. State when the problem started, where it appears, whether it is continuous, which grades are affected and what changed beforehand.

Useful evidence includes moisture or basis-weight profiles, vacuum and drive trends, defect maps, used-clothing wear maps and labelled photographs. Separate required outcomes from optional improvements, and do not state unverified savings as guaranteed targets.

7. Commercial and Quality Requirements

Specify quantity, packaging, labels, certificates, inspection documents, acceptable tolerances, warranty basis and required approval points. Ask the supplier to identify proposed material, construction, key technical values, test methods and any deviation from the RFQ.

For a new design, agree on trial success criteria before shipment. These may include stable installation, defined quality limits, operating trends and an inspection schedule; they should be realistic and controlled by the mill's process.

Copy-and-Send RFQ Summary

• Mill, machine and exact position
• Paper grades, basis weights and furnish
• Operating and design speed
• Finished length, width, seam and edge requirements
• Current product structure and technical data
• Installation date, typical life and removal reason
• Vacuum, load, tension, shower and cleaning conditions
• Main problem, location, timing and evidence
• Quantity, delivery date, destination and documents
• Trial objective and agreed measurement method

The broader PMC procurement guide explains supplier and order evaluation. Our paper machine clothing hub connects forming, press and dryer product families.

Conclusion

A complete RFQ does more than produce a faster price. It creates a traceable basis for comparing designs, planning installation and evaluating a trial. Send HengXing your RFQ; if some fields are unknown, label them as unknown rather than guessing.