Paper machine clothing and method

1 . A clothing or press felt for a machine for producing or processing a fibrous material web, the clothing comprising:

a woven fabric base structure having an upper surface and

a fibrous structure comprising at least one fibrous layer of nonwoven fibers disposed on the upper surface of said base structure,

wherein said fibrous structure of nonwoven fibers comprises bonding fibers and further fibers,

wherein said bonding fibers and said further fibers differ in at least one material property,

wherein said bonding fibers differ from said further fibers in that said bonding fibers substantially absorb NIR radiation in a wavelength range between 780 nm and 1100 nm, and said further fibers are entirely or substantially transparent for radiation in said wavelength range, and

wherein, due to controlled energy input carried out by irradiation of the clothing in a wavelength that is absorbed by the bonding fibers, at least some of said bonding fibers are connected by weld connections to at least one of:

one or more of said further fibers and

elements of said base structure.

2 . The clothing according to claim 1 , which further comprises absorber additives disposed in or on said bonding fibers, said absorber additives absorbing NIR radiation in at least one wavelength range between 780 nm and 1100 nm.

3 . The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said bonding fibers are provided in a proportion of less than 30 wt % of an entirety of said at least one layer of nonwoven fibers.

4 . The clothing according to claim 3 , wherein said proportion is less than 15 wt %.

5 . The clothing according to claim 3 , wherein said proportion is less than 8 wt %.

6 . The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said bonding fibers are formed entirely or predominantly of a polymer material identical to a polymer material forming said further fibers.

7 . The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said bonding fibers are formed entirely or predominantly of a polymer material different from a polymer material forming said further fibers.

8 . The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said bonding fibers have a melting temperature equal to or greater than a melting temperature of said further fibers.

9 . The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said bonding fibers are formed entirely or predominantly of a polyamide, a copolyamide, a polyurethane or a polyether-block-polyamide copolymer (PEBA).

10 . The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said further fibers include at least two types B1 and B2 of fibers, and said type B1 and type B2 fibers differ in at least one of titer or polymer material.

11 . The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said fibrous structure is connected to said base structure by needling.

12 . A clothing or press felt for a machine for producing or processing a fibrous material web, the clothing comprising:

a woven fabric base structure having an upper surface and

a fibrous structure comprising at least one fibrous layer of nonwoven fibers disposed on the upper surface of said base structure,

wherein said fibrous structure of nonwoven fibers comprises bonding fibers and further fibers,

wherein said bonding fibers differ from said further fibers in that said bonding fibers substantially absorb NIR radiation in a wavelength range between 780 nm and 1100 nm, and said further fibers are entirely or substantially transparent for radiation in said wavelength range, and

wherein, due to controlled energy input carried out by irradiation of the clothing in a wavelength that is absorbed by the bonding fibers, at least some of said bonding fibers are connected by weld connections to at least one of:

one or more of said further fibers and

elements of said base structure.