The inventive idea of creating a machine for continuous paper production came from Louis-Nicolas Robert. In 1798, this worker at the Essonne paper mill proposed this invention and obtained a patent for it. Assembled in France in 1799, this machine, described as “very imperfect,” did not work. However, this failure did not slow down the momentum of innovation. Mr. Léger Didot, owner of this French paper mill, bought the patent, made a few modifications, and went to London to try to bring this machine idea to life. 

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In this experimental English context, Mr. Donkin, a worker in Mr. Hall's paper mills in Frogmore, succeeded in building the first continuous machine in 1803. Following this success, a second English machine was assembled in 1804 in Two-Waters. A few years later, in 1811, the first French paper machine was installed in the Sorel paper mill. Several similar machines, exceeding a dozen by 1833, appeared in the following years.

 

Later perfected by the Fourdrinier brothers in London, this technical innovation marked a decisive turning point in the history of papermaking. In fact, this shift to mechanized, uninterrupted production, which carried out all stages of processing without human intervention, led to a real paper industry revolution.