A New Process and Apparatus for Printing and Dyeing Fabrics.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Process and Apparatus for Printing and Dyeing Fabrics.
I, FRANÇOIS SCHREURS, of Rue de l'Enseignement, Brussels Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The process comprised in my invention consists in causing colouring matter to
penetrate the fabrics required to be dyed by passing it through a stencil plate or
pattern of suitable material in order to produce on the fabric the design required,
This penetration of the colouring matter is produced either by pressure of a felt
roller charged therewith or by pressure applied to a sheet of felt charged. with the
colouring matter and stretched over or under the fabric the felt roller or the sheet
of felt being separated from the fabric by the stencil plate.
Instead of felt other spongy material may be used, but for convenience of
description I will assume that felt is the material used. The stencil plate which is
the main feature of this invention consists of a gelatine film or pellicle adhering to
a tulle support suitably stretched over a frame.
The permeability of this gelatine film or pellicle which is interposed between
the fabric and the felt, allows the colouring liquid wherewith the felt is to be
impregnated to penetrate the fabric on the other side of the film when by means
of pressure suddenly applied. and immediately removed the felt is compressed on
the film and on the fabric or when the fabric is compressed upon the film and the
felt. According to the degree of permeability of the film a greater or less
quantity of liquid will obviously be supplied to the fabric that is to say if in some
parts the gelatine is entirely dissolved the colouring liquid will pass without
obstruction and impart to the fabric the maximum amount of colour, while at the
same time a less quantity will pass into the parts where the gelatine is interposed.
Moreover if the film of gelatine be rendered more or less impermeable in certain
places the different degrees of permeability at the different parts will produce
corresponding differences of intensity of colouration of the fabric at parts.
It will be understood that if the gelatinized tulle is previously impregnated with
a certain quantity of bichromate of potash, and. is exposed after drying to the
light behind any suitable design or a photographic plate for instance the light acting
upon the gelatine thus prepared will produce therein different degrees of insolubility
at different parts according to the quantity of light which has passed through the
different parts of the design. The gelatine film or pellicle thus obtained will
serve as a stencil in which the design consists of portions of various degrees of
permeability. Owing to the said film being supported by the tulle it will retain its
form and proportions which is of importance in order that correctness of junction
of the several parts of the design may be obtained where the dyeing is effected by
Ineans of several colours with the aid of several films or stencils applied
successively upon the fabric.
The preparation of the gelatine need not be specially mentioned here unless it be
stated that the use of colouring matter heated to a high temperature requires the
addition to the solution of a quantity of chrome alum to avoid the dissolution of
the parts which have not been transformed by the action of light. This precaution
is however unnecessary when the designs are formed of lines, as in such cases it is
not required to obtain different degrees of permeability but only soluble and
insoluble parts.
The mode of printing consists in covering the gelatine with felt, impregnated
with liquid tinctorial matter. The gelatine thus covered is laid upon the fabric
required to be dyed and the whole is placed under the platten of a percussion press

page_text: of special construction hereinafter described. The pressure being suitably
regulated, the felt is compressed so that the liquid contained in it passes through
the stencil film and enters the fabric. This mode of printing may likewise be
used with stencils formed of sheets of paper, metal or other suitable material out
of which the design to be reproduced has been cut. Woven materials such as
lace, and other analogous material may also be used as stencils provided the fibres
of these fabrics be rendered impermeable.
Independently of the graduations of tints or shades which may be obtained
according to the different degrees of permeability of the gelatine or according as
the lines are more or less separated differences in the intensity of the colour for
different degrees of compression of the felt may also be obtained, by forming for
instance reliefs or protuberances under the upper platten of the press which reliefs
or protuberances cause the pressure upon the corresponding parts of the felt to be
increased in proportion to their height whereby the fabric is supplied with a greater
quantity of colouring matter and hence a deeper tint or shade is imparted thereto
at the parts on which the reliefs press. On the other hand the use of gelatine
stencils allows of corrections or modifications being made after the exposure to
sunlight either by means of cyanide of potassium or of caustic potash when greater
permeability is required to be imparted to too exposed parts; or by means of nitric
acid for the purpose of reducing the permeability.
The whole of these combinations form the new process which is comprised in
this invention which process admits of the printing of all kinds of designs upon
any given fabric by means of liquid dyes.
Before describing the mechanical means which I use in order to produce the
required compression for carrying my process into practice I will remark that
however intense may be the pressure if the same be followed by a slow and gradual
release as occurs with presses in general use, the desired result will not be attained,
for if felt impregnated with a coloured liquid be covered with a dry fabric and
pressure be exerted thereon even to an extent sufficient to destroy the felt the
surface of the fabric in contact with it will not be coloured the only effect produced
being the squeezing of the liquid out of the felt. On the contrary if the fabric be
suddenly compressed by a vigorous blow and released immediately afterward the
fibrous cells of the fabric after the air has been driven out of them by the sudden
compression will return to their former state when the compression ceases and
produce an exhausting action when the liquid molecules which were momentarily
contracted by the shock or blow will in consequence of their small compressibility
quickly occupy the vacant space and the fibres of the dry fabric will be
impregnated with the coloured liquid. It is on this principle that the mechanical
means which I am now about to describe for carrying out my invention are based.
In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 shew a platten press used in the
carrying out of my process upon small size work.
The upper platten A of the press is suspended from a cross bar C by means of
two rods B B secured to springs B B which have a constant tendency to raise the
said platten A which is strengthened by means of cross ribs upon its upper surface.
At the point of intersection of these ribs at the middle of the platten a cup or
socket is formed in which is placed a steel ball or sphere a. Above the platten is
conveniently arranged a horizontal shaft D carrying a fly wheel E and a steel.
cam which bears on the ball or sphere a the eccentric part of which cam causes
the platten A. to descend at each revolution of the shaft D while the springs B
raise the same instantly after the compression has taken place. The object of the
sphere or ball is to reduce the frictional strain of the cam. The felt impregnated
with the colouring matter may be arranged upon the inner surface of one of the
two plattens and may be made to adhere to the fixed or to the movable part of the
apparatus it may for instance be secured to the upper platten and be raised and
lowered therewith. Moreover the whole surface of the platten need not be
covered with felt; the latter may be arranged on the platten only at the parts
corresponding to the designs and each surface or part of the platten provided,

page_text: with felt may form a special and independent organ acting separately like a hammer.
Instead of so arranging the apparatus that the shock or blow may be produced
downwardly, it may be arranged for the blow to be imparted upwards or horizontally
or obliquely or in any other direction. For large size work and for the printing
of lengths of fabrics I use a machine which although producing the same effects
differs greatly from the former. This machine is shown in end elevation in
Figure 3 and partly in Figure 4 which is a transverse section on the line X Y
Figure 3. The gelatine stencil or perforated pattern A designed to be reproduced
upon the fabric is stretched over a frame A' laid flat upon two cast iron girders B
(only one of which is shown in Figure 4) each of which girders carries a rack B'.
These girders B rest at upon a roller o turning loosely upon the main shaft D
while the racks gear with toothed wheels E keyed upon the shaft D which imparts
a rotary motion thereto. The shaft D also carries a cylinder F covered with felt
the lower part of which cylinder dips in a tub or trough G containing the dye,
while its upper part supports the stencil or perforated pattern A. On one end of
the shaft D is keyed a large toothed wheel H with which gear pinions kk which
communicate motion to two parallel shafts carried by a series of supports LL
bolted to cross girders M supported by uprights T. To a bracket cast integrally
with each support L a lever P is suspended by a pin O. There are thus two
series of levers P, one for each shaft each series carrying a bar Q having the
form of a knife, the cutting edge of which bears upon the cylinder F. The other
and shorter arm of each lever P is terminated by a tooth S engaging in the teeth
of a ratchet wheel R keyed upon the shaft i. When the machine is set in motion
in either direction, the cylinder F turns and the felt covering it is saturated at each
revolution with the liquid dye contained in the trough G. The racks B' driven by
the wheels E carry the stencil or pattern A. away, the latter being throughout its
length in contact with the felt covering of the cylinder F which felt covering.
is saturated with dye. The fabric to be dyed which is stretched over the stencil
or pattern A is hammered on its passage by the knives Q as it is carried away by
the stencil over the felt covered cylinder F each stroke of the knife producing a
line of dye upon the fabric except at the parts protected by the impermeable
portions of the stencil. Owing to the rapidity of the strokes of the knives
no break of continuity in the dyeing of the fabric is caused by the succession of
these lines.
When the rack 13' has reached the end of its stroke it may be caused to return
inactive to its former position in order to continue the impressions upon a fresh
length of fabric and so on, or if the pieces of fabric requiring to be dyed are not
too long the motion may be repeated in a reverse direction in order to dye a fresh
piece at each stroke of the rack.
I have shown in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings an arrangement in
which the blades Q are replaced by discs Q lined with felt and mounted like the
said blades upon levers P which are raised by the action of the teeth of the ratchet
wheels R upon their short arms S and drop down suddenly into their normal
position either by gravity or under the action of springs upon the cylinder U
which acts solely as a table upon which travels the fabric covered with its
perforated pattern or stencil.
-
The dye is supplied by the cylinder F covered with a strong envelope of felt
which cylinder is arranged above the discs Q and is pressed against a longitudinal
opening V formed in one of the sides of a trough & containing the liquid dye.
The rotation of the roller F ensures an equal distribution of the liquid over the
whole surface of the felt with which it is covered. The discs Q Q act between
the cylinder U and the roller F and when they are raised by the wheels R they."
meet the distributing roller F which supplies to them a quantity of liquid dye
equal to the quantity supplied by them to the fabric. The discs Q Q are thus.
constantly saturated with liquid and the felt covering them cannot lose its shape..
owing to the rotation imparted to them by the distributing roller F and the table U:

page_text: The fabric covered with the stencil passes over the table U and hence receives
blows from the discs which are arranged in a line and strike the fabric in the
manner hereinbefore described with reference to the blades Q in the arrangement
illustrated in Figures 3-and.4.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4 a table covered with a flat piece
of felt similar to that shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 may be substituted for the
cylinder F. In this case the table d on which the felt i is secured is provided
with a projection which retains a certain quantity of liquid for saturating the
felt thus avoiding the necessity of recharging. the felt by means of rotatory
distributors which would require the stencil or pattern with which the felt is.
covered to be raised at each operation. Under these conditions if the stencil is
thoroughly impermeabilized it may be left in position and the labour is reduced
to the placing in position of the fabric to be dyed and removing the same after the
dyeing operation.
This method of dyeing, by means of transverse lines allows of continuous pieces
of fabric being operated upon notwithstanding that the machine operates. inter-
mittently. Another very important consideration in the arrangement. of the
machine is that owing to the distribution of the dye on the felt. being, effected.
automatically by capillarity it is easy to produce a great number of different shades.
simultaneously. It is sufficient to cut out the felt according to a given design and
to impregnate each part with a suitable colour the feeding being effected through
the underside of the table d by means of conduits e, e connected to reservoirs ft
in which a constant level is maintained. It is obvious that the different colours
should in this case be separated by thoroughly watertight partitions of india rubber,
bitumen or other suitable material as shown at h, h.
Having now particularly described and ascertained. the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that I
claim
First-The method of printing, and dyeing fabrics by the impregnation and
absorption of the colouring liquids characterized by the use of stencils or patterns
made of sensitized gelatine on a tulle support the gelatine, being dissolved in the
parts which are required to be open and being rendered permeable to various degrees
according to the depth of the shade required to be communicated to the various
parts of the fabric,.the printing: or dyeing being produced by the passage through
the stencil of liquid colouring matter from a spongy material or felt charged or
saturated therewith the passage of the said liquid matter into the fabric as required
being, produced by pressure forcibly applied and immediately removed.
Secondly:-The use for the purpose of carrying the above claimed method into
effect of a press with plattens in which felt or other spongy material' charged or
saturated with dye is arranged upon one of the plattens and covered with the
stencil upon or under which is stretched the fabric to be dyed, the upper platten.
being lowered and pressed upon the lower platten by the action of a rotary, cam,
the eccentric part of which acts upon an anti-friction sphere or ball located in
the upper surface of the said upper platten, the immediate rising of the said platten
being effected after the pressure by means of springs upon which the said platten is
suspended.
Thirdly The use in carrying into practice the above claimed process,, of a
machine wherein racks driven by gearing cause the stencil or pattern carrying, the
fabric to pass over the periphery of a rotary cylinder covered with absorbent
material charged' or saturated with colouring matter, blades or hammers beating
the fabric upon the stencil when moving, in contact with the cylinder..
Fourthly: A modified arrangement of the machine claimed in the preceding
claim which consists in the substitution for the blades of discs covered with felt
and raised by levers actuated by ratchet wheels. into contact with a roller from
which colouring, matter or dye is received by the said discs which. after being

page_text: charged with dye drop down upon a cylinder serving as a table over which the
fabric required to be dyed travels the said fabric being covered with a suitable
stencil or pattern.
Fifthly In the machine specified in my third claim the use in lieu of a rotary
cylinder, of a table covered with felt or a flat layer of spongy material in one piece
charged or saturated with colouring matter or covered with several pieces of felt
or spongy material the said several pieces being cut out according to a given
design and separated from one another by watertight partitions each of the several
pieces being respectively impregnated with dyes of the required colour and the
feeding of the colouring matter to the different parts of the felt being effected
from the underside of the table by means of suitable conduits connected to reservoirs
fixed by the side of the said table.
Dated the 24th day of October 1892.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.