Louis-Nicolas Robert

Not to be confused with balloonist Nicolas-Louis Robert.
Nicolas Louis Robert
Nicolas Louis Robert painted by his sister
Born(1761-12-02)2 December 1761[1][2]
Église Saint-Eustache, Paris[1]
Died8 August 1828(1828-08-08) (aged 66)[1][2]
Vernouillet, Eure-et-Loir[1][3]
Occupation(s)Soldier, mechanical engineer, clerk, teacher
Known for1799 patent for manufacture of continuous paper

Nicolas Louis Robert (2 December 1761 – 8 August 1828) was a French soldier and mechanical engineer, who is credited with a paper-making invention that became the blueprint of the Fourdrinier machine.

In 1799, Robert patented the first machine to produce 'continuous paper'.[2][1][4] After a series of legal and financial quarrels with Saint-Léger Didot, Robert lost control of his patent. The machine was then shipped out of post-revolutionary France and further developed in England. Robert's invention became the core of the Fourdrinier machine, the basis for modern papermaking. He eventually became a school-teacher and died in penury.[5][1][4][6]

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  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Britannica 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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