Improvements in Machinery for Printing or Embossing Certain Fabrics and Materials.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 29th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 5th Oct.,
1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Printing or Embossing Certain
Fabrics and Materials.
I Sir JAMES FARMER of the Adelphi Street Iron Works, Salford in the County
of Lancaster Knight, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
"
My present Invention consists.in certain improvements on the Invention for which
I obtained Letters Patent numbered 10431 dated July 27th 1887 and entitled
Improvements in and in machinery for printing floor cloths and textile and
"other fabrics and materials and also for embossing certain materials or fabrics."
The objects of my present improvements are to improve the mechanism for
actuating the printing block or platen, and the arrangement for inking the
same.
My improvements are applicable to either a single colour printing machine or to
a machine for printing two or more colours. For convenience of description I will
describe my improvements as applied to a two colour printing machine.
On the main framing at each side of the machine.I mount in suitable slideways
two frames connected together by screwed rods and nuts or equivalents so that the
distance apart of the two frames can be adjusted. To these combined frames a
reciprocating movement to and fro on the main frame is imparted by means of a
rocking lever and connections actuated by a crank or equivalent on the main shaft
of the machine or by any other convenient arrangement of mechanism. Each of
the sliding frames has a standard in which is a vertical slideway with a slideblock
mounted therein and each pair of slide blocks on opposite sides of the machine
carry one of the platens or printing blocks. On a trunnion secured to or formed
with each sliding block is mounted an antifriction roller which runs on a guide rail
fixed on the main framing.
To
These guide rails for a certain length beyond each platen lie in a horizontal plane
and then dip suddenly down and rise again to the same level. Below the bottom
of each curve or dip in the guide rail is placed an adjustable table to which a
reciprocating motion is imparted at a certain time as hereinafter described.
the framing above the centre of each dip in the guide rails are pivoted an elbow
lever on the side nearest the first platen the long arm of which is kept normally
raised by a spring and on the other side a lever which is kept by its own weight
normally lowered in the same plane as the horizontal portion of the guide rail.
Between each platen and the dip in the guide rail is placed a colour box the position
of which is adjustable and in which are mounted a colour roller and two doctor
rollers one on either side of the colour roller, the three rollers being geared together
and driven by a rack on the platen.
The operation of the machine is as follows
The floorcloth or fabric to be printed is traversed through the machine at the
varying speeds necessary preferably by means of a chain with needle points on
either side of the machine said chains being driven by chain wheels driven by
adjustable eccentric gearing from the crank shaft so that by adjusting this eccentric
gearing I can insure the fabric travelling at the exact speed required at the moment
of printing. As the rocking lever oscillates and the combined sliding frames begin
to move forward each platen passes over and is inked by its colour roller which is
caused to revolve while the platen passes over it by the rack before mentioned.
After the platens leave their respective colour rollers they pass under the raised
long arms of the pivoted elbow levers and leaving the horizontal portions of the
guide rails they descend the curves and print the fabric upon the adjustable

page_text: reciprocating tables the gearing or operating mechanism being so arranged that the
platens the fabric and the reciprocating tables all travel forward together at exactly
the same speed. Immediately the fabric has been printed the platens begin to ascend
the opposite side of the curves then raising and passing under the second pairs of
pivoted levers they again arrive on the horizontal portions of the guide rails but
on the opposite side of the curves from that on which they started. The rocking
lever now begins to move in the reverse, direction and the platens return along the
guide rails in a horizontal plane being supported for parts of the distance by the pairs
of pivoted levers the spring elbow levers being pressed down by the platens passing
over them and the other levers falling into the required position by their own weight.
As the platens are returning and before they reach their initial positions each is inked
by its colour roller which is driven in the opposite direction by the reverse movement.
of the aforesaid rack.
It is obvious that my improvements are equally applicable to a single colour
printing machine and also to machines with three or more printing blocks or platens.
The mechanism herein detailed may be varied or modified without departing from the
nature of my Invention as set forth.
T
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Printing or Embossing Certain
Fabrics and Materials.
I, Sir JAMES FARMER, of the Adelphi Street Ironworks, Salford, in the County
of Lancaster, Knight, 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:-
"
My present invention consists in certain improvements on the invention for which
I obtained Letters Patent numbered 10431 dated July 27: 1887 and entitled
Improvements in and in machinery for printing floor cloths and textile and other
fabrics and materials and also for embossing certain materials or fabrics."
The objects of my present improvements are to improve the mechanism for
actuating the printing block or platen and the arrangement for inking the
same.
I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated by the accompanying two
Sheets of Drawings in which-
Figure 1 is a side elevation Figure 2 a plan and Figure 3 an end elevation of a two
colour printing machine to which my improvements have been applied.
In these views-a designates the main frame of the machine: bare two frames
mounted in slideways a' see Fig. 3 on the frame a and coupled together adjustably
by screwed connecting rods c and nuts e¹ or equivalent connections so that the
distance apart of the two frames & can he regulated as required. To these combined
frames a sliding reciprocating movement to and fro on the main frame a
imparted by the mechanism shown and hereinafter described or by any other
suitable and convenient arrangement. Each of the sliding frames 6 has a standard b₁
in which is a slideway fitted with a slide block and each pair of slide blocks ² on
opposite sides of the machine carry one of the platens or printing blocks d. On a
shaft extending across the machine or on a trunnion 3 secured to or formed with
each sliding block 62 is mounted an antifriction roller which runs on a guide rail e
fixed on the main frame a. These guide rails e for a certain length beyond each
platen d lie in a horizontal plane and then dip down and rise again in a curve to a
horizontal plane as shown best in Fig. 1. Below the bottom of each dip or curve in
the guide rails e is placed an adjustable sliding table to which a reciprocating
motion is imparted at a certain time as and by the means hereinafter described.; To
a bracket a on the framing and above the centre of each dip in the guide rails e are

page_text: on
pivoted an elbow lever g on the side nearest the first platen d and a short lever
the other side; the long arm of each lever g is kept normally raised as shown in
Fig. 1 by means of a weight y' or by a spring while each short lever h is kept by
its own weight normally lowered in a horizontal or approximately horizontal plane.
Between each platen d and dip in the guide rail is placed a colour box the position
of which is adjustable by means of screws and in each colour box is mounted a
colour roller and a doctor roller k; on each colour roller j is fixed a pinion j¹
gearing into a pinion on the doctor roller and on each forward stroke of the
sliding frames b, while the rollers are running on the guide rails e, racks d' fixed
on the under side of the platens d gear into the pinions and so drive both the
colour rollers and doctor rollers ; on the return stroke of the sliding frames b
while the rollers are running on the upper side of the elbow levers g as subsequently
explained the racks d¹ pass over without driving the pinions j¹ so that the colour
rollers and doctor rollers k rėmain stationary until the next forward stroke of the
sliding frames b.
The mechanism for imparting a reciprocating movement to the sliding frames b in
the arrangement shown consists of the following parts-The driving shaft / carries
a pinion which gears into and drives a spur wheel m² fixed on a shaft m on which
is also fixed a disc m² with an eccentric pin m³, connected by a link n to one of two
rocking levers o which are fulcrumed and fixed on a rocking shaft o' supported in
bearings a in standards of the frame a. The upper ends of the rocking levers o
are connected by links of to the sliding frames & so that as the disc m² revolves and
the eccentric pin m³, thereon by the link n rocks the levers o a reciprocating motion
is imparted by the links o' to the sliding frames & which are thus traversed to and
fro in the slideways a¹. On the sliding frames at each side are fixed three pairs
of adjustable catches or stops 66 66 67 respectively and when the sliding frames are
moving forward the pairs of stops 66 68 come in contact with and carry forward for
a certain distance the sliding tables while on the return stroke the sliding tables f
are moved backward by the pairs of stops 6.67.
t'
The floorcloth or fabric p to be printed is hatched upon a roller p₁ supported in
standards and the fabric is traversed through the machine at the varying speeds
necessary to insure good printing preferably by means of a travelling chain on
either side of the machine; these chains which have needle points extend from end
to end of the machine and are mounted upon chain wheels which are supported on
the framing a. The fabric p passes from the batch roller p¹ over a guide or roller p³
which extends across the width of the machine and is pressed on to the needle points
of the chains at each edge by means of brushes & which are fixed one above each
of the first pair of chain wheels r. The second pair of chain wheels are fixed upon
a shaft upon which is also fixed a bevel gear 3 which is driven by a bevel gear
fixed upon a shaft ; on the other end of this shaft is fixed a bevel gear 2 which
is driven by a bevel gear on a shaft on which is also fixed adjustably an elliptical
gear which is driven by another elliptical gear fixed on a shaft ; the shaft v
also has fixed upon it a spur wheel which is driven by a spur wheel m* fixed on
the shaft m which receives motion from the driving shaft as before described—As
the chains and chain wheels are driven from the shaft m which drives the sliding
fraines with the platens d and the said frames also actuate the sliding tables fit
will be readily understood that by adjusting axially the relative positions of the
elliptical gears u² and I can ensure the fabric travelling at the exact. speed
required at the moment of printing.
.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-As the rocking levers o oscillate and
the combined sliding frames bb begin to move forward each platen d passes over
and is inked by its colour roller which is caused to rotate while the platen passes
over it by means of the rack d' and gears as described. After the platens d leave
their respective colour rollers; they pass under the raised long arms of the pivoted
elbow levers g and leaving the horizontal portions of the guide rails e they descend
the curves and print the fabric p upon the sliding tables f, which at that moment
are caused to move forward with the sliding frames b by means of the pairs of
stops 6 6 as before described; the fabric also being drawn forward by the chains r¹

page_text: which at the moment of printing are driven at exactly the same speed as that at
which the platens d are moving it follows that the platens & the fabric p and the
sliding tables all travel forward together at exactly the same speed. Immediately
the fabric has been printed the platens d begin to leave the sliding tables fas
they ascend the opposite side of the curves in the rails e then raising and passing
under the second pairs of pivoted levers they again arrive on horizontal portions
of the guide rails e but on the opposite side of the curves from that on which they
started the levers falling down again after the rollers & have passed. The rocking
levers o now begin to move in the reverse direction and as the sliding frames b
with the platens d return the rollers & run on the upper side of the pairs of pivoted
levers and the levers g being pressed down into the required position by the
rollers passing over them. During the greater portion of the return movement
of the sliding frames the sliding tables remain stationary but a little before the
rollers leave the levers and come again on to the surface of the guide rails e
the stops be catch the tables and push them back to their initial positions
ready for the next printing stroke.
Although for convenience of description I have specified my invention as applied
to a two colour printing machine it is obvious that my improvements are equally
applicable to a single colour printing or embossing machine and also to machines
with three or more printing blocks or platens.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of a reciprocating frame arranged to slide to and fro on
the main framing, printing blocks or platens mounted in vertical slideways in said
reciprocating frame and supported by rollers arranged to run on guide rails said
rails being formed to guide the platens over and above the fabric during part of
the forward stroke during which the platens are inked and being curved to allow the
platens to descend and print the fabric upon sliding tables the platens during the
greater portion of the return stroke being supported upon pivoted levers which
guide them over the curves until they regain the horizontal portions of the rails,
the operating mechanism being so arranged that at the moment of printing the
platens the fabric and the sliding tables all travel forward together at exactly the
same speed substantially as herein set forth for the purposes specified.
2. The combination with the reciprocating frame the vertically sliding platens
mounted thereon the guide rails and the pairs of pivoted levers for supporting said
platens, the sliding tables, and the arrangement of operating mechanism herein shown
and described, of the inking device arranged and operating substantially as herein
set forth.
3. The combination with the guide rails e, of the pairs of pivoted levers g and h
or their mechanical equivalents substantially as herein set forth for the purposes
specified.
4. The several constructions combinations and arrangements of parts embodying
my improvements in machinery for printing or embossing certain fabrics and materials
all substantially as and for the purposes herein described and as illustrated by the
Drawings annexed.
L
boul 1
ր
1000
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.