device for producing paper, paperboard, and other fibreboards, consisting of a moving endless belt of wire or plastic screen that receives a mixture of pulp and water and allows excess water to drain off, forming a continuous sheet for further drying by suction, pressure, and heat. Calenders (rollers or plates) smooth the paper or board and impart gloss or other desired finish to the surface. The first machine to produce a continuous web (roll), the Fourdrinier machine was invented in France in 1799 by Louis Robert and was subsequently improved in England, where it was patented by Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier.