IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Siddons Grierson and Robert Philips, of Edinburgh,
in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, Machinists, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES."
caled the 11th May 1877, and dated the 17th November 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Siddons Grierson and
Robert Philips at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th
November 1876.
JOHN SIDDONS GRIERSON and ROBERT PHILIPS, of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Machinists. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES."
This Invention has principally for its object the printing of two or more colors in
an accurate and rapid manner, whilst machines made with the improvements may
also be used for printing single colors.
In the machine as constructed for printing four colors four formes or stereotypo
plates corresponding to the colors are fixed upon a forme cylinder so as to present
curved printing surfaces, and between the formes the cylinder is made up of smooth
cylindrical surfaces serving the purpose of ordinary inking tables.
An ink trough with feed roller and doctor is provided for each color, the feed
roller in each case supplying ink to a roller which reciprocates longitudinally, so as
to effect an equal distribution of the ink, and which transfers it to rollers applying
it to the cylindrical inking surface. These inking surfaces impart the ink to
two or more small rollers, which apply it to the proper forme as it passes under
them. The inking rollers have guide pulleys on their end spindles, the pulleys for
the rollers of one color being in a different position from that of the pulleys of the
other rollers; and the forme cylinder has fixed to or turning with it cams shaped
to act on the guide pulleys and lift off the different rollers, excepting when the
inking surface and forme of their color pass under each respective set.
The paper to be printed is carried round in contact with the forme cylinder-by an
impression cylinder proportioned and geared to make as many turns for one of the
forme cylinders as there are formes on the latter.
The paper is fed from a board or plate so as to be caught by grippers fitted to the
impression cylinder, on which each sheet is carried round as many times as there are
formes, being finally released by the action on the grippers of cams or tappets on
[Price 6d.]

page_text: the forme cylinder. When released the printed sheets are led from the cylinder by
means of a revolving brush, and are delivered upon a board or plate by flyers, which
turn the printed side uppermost.
When the machine is used for printing a single color the four formes are made
repetitions of each other, and cams or tappets are arranged to act on the grippers of
the impression cylinder so as to throw off a sheet at each turn of that cylinder.
The machine may be modified so as when printing a single color to make two or
more impressions simultaneously by arranging two or more impression cylinders
with their feeding and delivering details at suitable parts round the forme cylinder.
This modification will not require more inking apparatus than that used with the
multiple color machine first herein-before described.
By a further modification two or more colors may be printed simultaneously by
means of two or more impression cylinders combined with the one forme cylinder,
separate inking apparatus for the several colors being applied between each two
impression cylinders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Siddons Grierson and Robert Philips in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 16th May 1877.
65
JOHN SIDDONS GRIERSON and ROBERT PHILIPS, of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Machinists. IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES."
Our said Invention has principally for its object the printing of two or more colors
in an accurate and rapid manner, whilst machines made with our improvements
may also be used for printing single colors.
In our improved machine as constructed for printing four colors four formes or
stereotype plates corresponding to the colors are fixed on a forme cylinder so as to
present concentric curved printing surfaces, and between the formes the cylinder
is made up of smooth cylindrical surfaces serving the purpose of ordinary inking
tables.
Separate inking apparatus is provided for each color, with mechanism to prevent
the inking rollers for one color from coming into contact with the inking plates of
other colors.
.
The paper to be printed is carried round in contact with the forme cylinder by an
impression cylinder proportioned and geared to make as many turns for one of the
forine cylinders as there are formes on the latter, and each sheet of paper is kept on
the impression cylinder until all the four impressions are made on it.
The machine is susceptible of certain modifications, which are herein-after
described.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we hereunto append two Sheets of explanatory
Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing a modification of our
improved printing machines adapted for printing four colors. In these Drawings
the same reference numerals are used for marking the same or like parts wherever
they are repeated.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a vertical section of the
machine as at right angles to the shaft 1 of the forme cylinder 2; and Figure 2 is a
side elevation.
Figure 3 on Sheet 2 is a partial end elevation, and Figure 4 is a partial elevation
of the side opposite to that shown in Figure 2; whilst Figure 5 shows details for
working the grippers which hold the paper on the impression cylinder.
The framing consists mainly of two end standards or gables 3, connected by tic
rods and made with bearings for the shaft 1 of the forme cylinder 2. On the shaft 1
outside the frame standards 3 there is fixed a large spur wheel 4, which is in gear

page_text: with a pinion 5 on a first motion shaft 6, having on it fast and loose pulleys 7 for a
driving belt and a fly wheel 8, and is carried in bearings at the upper parts of the
standards 3. At four separate parts of its circumference the forme cylinder 2 is
formed or fitted with concentrically curved plates 9, upon which the formes or stereo-
type plates 10 are fixed, the plates 9 being inade with grooves to receive the holding
clamps or screws by means of which the formes are adjusted and fixed.
ور
Between the formes 10 inking tables or boards 11 are fixed on the forme cylinder,
and there is a set of inking rollers for acting in connection with each inking
table 11. These inking rollers are held by means of their end spindles in slots in
the frame pieces 3, and each set of them comprises an iron roller 12 driven by means
of a pinion 13 from the large spur wheel 4, and revolving almost in contact with an
inclined bar 14, which forms the bottom and outer side of an ink trough, and also
serves as a "doctor or gauge to regulate the amount of ink taken round by the
roller 12. The roller 12 has in contact with it a roller 15, with which there is in
contact a roller 16 that at the proper times is also in contact with the inking
table 11, and this last-mentioned roller 16 is made to reciprocate longitudinally in
order to equalise the distribution of the ink. For this last-mentioned purpose the
end spindles of the roller 16 are passed through elongated bushes 17, and on one
projecting end there is fixed an inclined disc 18, which, running in a stationary
guide 19, produces the required reciprocation. As the forme cylinder revolves, each
ink table 11 after passing in contact with its proper reciprocating ink supplying
roller 16, next passes in contact with four (or other suitable number of) distributing
rollers 20, 21, 22, 23, and keeps these rollers supplied with ink, which they in turn
apply to the proper forme 10 as it comes round.
In order that each set of inking rollers may act in concert with only one of the
inking tables 11 and one of the formes 10, the forme cylinder has formed or fixed
on it at each side a number of cam rails 24, 25, appropriated severally to the
different colors, and the end spindles of the inking rollers 20, 21, 22, 23, have fixed
on them guide pulleys 26, which are in different positions for the different colors, so
as to bear on different cam rails 24. End bushes on the several spindles and fitted
to work in the bearing slots in the framing have springs 27 (Figure 3) connected to
them to make the respective rollers move towards the centre when free to do so,
but the cam rails 24 keep the rollers sufficiently out to prevent them touching the
tables 11 or formes 10 excepting when each particular table and forme is under
rollers appropriated to its own color. The respective cam rails 24 are depressed or
rebated at the proper parts to allow each set of inking rollers 20, 21, 22, 23, to be
moved by its spring 27 into contact with the proper inking table 11 and forme 10.
As the reciprocating ink supplying rollers 16 have not to come in contact with the
formes 10, but only with the inking tables 11, a separate set of cam rails 25 is pro-
vided for them, these rails acting on guide pulleys on their end bushes 17. All the
inking rollers, with the exception of the first 12, are made or coated with the usual
inking roller composition.
The impression cylinder 28 is placed above the forme cylinder 2, being fixed on a
shaft 29, which has on it a pinion 30 in gear with the large spur wheel 4, and pro-
portioned to make the impression cylinder turn as many times for each turn of the
forme cylinder as there are colors. This impression cylinder 28 is held by its end
journals in bearings which can be adjusted by means of screws so that it can be
set with the greatest nicety in relation to the forme cylinder. Its circumference is
cut away at one part, which is the part that is towards the forme cylinder at the
time that any of the inking tables 11 is passing under it, and at the cut away part
the grippers 31 are arranged for holding the sheets of paper on the cylinder, also the
spindle 32 for holding and tightening up the blanket, which covers the acting
surface of the cylinder.
The sheets of paper to be printed are fed by hand from a board or plate 33 so as
to be caught by the grippers 31, which are at the proper time opened by the
mechanism shown in Figure 5. On the gripper spindle there is, outside the cylinder
end, a pinion or toothed sector 34 gearing with a toothed sector forming part of a
'

page_text: bell-crank lever 35, which has an antifriction wheel at the end of one arm, and
which is acted on by a small cam piece 45 on the forme cylinder 2 so as to open
the grippers 31, these afterwards closing again by the action of springs. After a
sheet has received all its impressions it is led off the impression cylinder 28 by
two or more endless tapes 36 passing round pulleys 37, 38, the former of which
lead the tapes in contact with the cylinder, and over these inner pulleys 37 there
is a revolving brush 39, which whenever the grippers 31 open to set free the leading
edge of the paper acts on that edge so as to turn the paper outwards and insure
its passing off on the tapes 36. The pulleys 37 are on a shaft which receives
motion by means of a pinion gearing with the wheel 30, whilst the shaft of the
brush 39 is driven from that of the pulleys 37. The tapes 36 deliver the sheet upon
inclined flyers 40, which are acted on at suitable periods to turn the sheet down on
a board 41 with its printed side uppermost. The flyers 40 are worked by toothed
sectors and a bell crank 42, a rod 43 jointed to the bell crank being acted on by a
cam piece 44 (Figure 3) on the forme cylinder 2.
When the machine is used for printing a single color the four formes are made
repetitions of each other, and cams or tappets (45) are arranged to act on the
grippers (31) of the impression cylinder (28) so as to throw off a sheet at each turn
of that cylinder.
The machine may be modified so as when printing a single color to make two or
more impressions simultaneously by arranging two or more impression cylinders (28)
with their feeding and delivering details at suitable parts round the forme cylinder
(2). This modification will not require more inking apparatus than that used with
the multiple color machine herein-before described with reference to the accom-
panying Drawings.
By a fourth modification two or more colors may be printed by means of
two or more impression cylinders (28) combined with the one forme cylinder (2),
separate inking apparatus for the several colors being applied between each two
impression cylinders.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but that what we believe to be novel and
original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The combination of two or more concentrically curved formes on one cylinder
with interposed inking tables or surfaces, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described.
2. The combination of the endless tapes (36) and revolving brush (39) for leading
the printed sheets away from the impression cylinder (28), as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Philips, on behalf of the said John
Siddons Grierson and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
RT. PHILIPS. (L.S.)