Improvements in Printing Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1887
Complete Left, 4th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 4th May, 1888
Improvements in Printing Machines.
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention has reference to printing machines which will print two sheets on
one side and also perfect or print both sides with a set-off sheet, and the main object
is to reduce the space occupied by machines of this description by dispensing with
elliptic racks and other devices of similar character and the lifting movements
generally existing in this class of machine.
The invention is chiefly based upon a crank movement for giving reciprocating
motion to the imposing stone or bed of the machine, and upon the employment of
two impression cylinders arranged so that the one works in the forward movement and
the other in the backward movement of the bed, each of these cylinders receiving the
sheet to be printed on the line of the centres of the two cylinders. The invention
comprises the arrangement of two feeding cylinders each feeding a sheet to be
printed, or only one being employed when the machine is used as a "perfecting
machine without a set-off sheet, or the one feeding the sheet to be printed and the
other the set-off sheet for "perfecting" with set-off sheets.
"
The means for giving motion to the bed of the machine is analogous to those in
many machines for printing sheets on one side and consists of a crank acting on the
shaft of a wheel; this wheel is connected to a rack placed under the bed to which it
imparts a reciprocating longitudinal movement like that in other machines of similar
character.
The bed carries two formes and gears with two impression cylinders for printing
the two formes respectively. The cylinders are analogous to those in machines for
printing on one side, that is to say that the wheel connecting them with the bed is
without teeth at one part of its circumference. The starting and stopping of these

page_text: :
erected by means of stops, the one situated at the front and the other at
the back of the machine. These stops are worked by excentrics as in other machines
of like character.
When the machine works as a perfecting machine with set off sheets the white
sheets are supplied by a layer on to a feeding board. Each sheet is taken hold of by
the grippers of the first impression cylinder and printed by this cylinder on the
passage of the corresponding forme. While this cylinder is performing its revolution
the layer on at another feeding board has fed a set off sheet which is taken hold of by
the grippers of the second impression cylinder at the moment the first impression
cylinder stops, a moment at which the transfer of the sheet from the first cylinder to
the second takes place. On the return movement of the bed the first impression
cylinder is stopped and the sheets are drawn by the second cylinder which prints the
second side of the sheet on the passage of the corresponding forme and sends them to
the receiving device as in other machines..
When the machine is worked for printing two sheets on one side the sheets are
taken by the two impression cylinders alternately and delivered to the exit roller
corresponding to each cylinder.
Having explained in general terms the mode in which the machine works I will
describe the construction more in detail.
The sheets are fed as already explained by two layers on situated at two feeding
boards. The boards are hinged so as to present each successive sheet to the feed
regulating stops and to grippers that take the sheet. The grippers are carried by
feed cylinders. These cylinders make two turns for every complete evolution of the
bed. Their circumferential speed is very slow, their diameter being considerably less
than that of the impression cylinders. The object of this reduced speed is to not force
the sheet against the grippers of the impression cylinders, these cylinders taking the
sheets at the dead point of their movement, that is to say: with the minimum speed.
The feeding cylinders take their sheets in turn at the upper part and quit it at the
line of the centres of the two impression cylinders. These cylinders each take a sheet
only every second revolution. The closing of the grippers is effected by a cam
mounted on an axis turning at half the speed of the cylinder and which acts on the
grippers' only every second turn; the closed grippers are opened under the action of
another cam and leave the sheet between the tapes that run from the feeding cylinders
to two rods. The grippers remain open during the following revolution of the
cylinder held as they are in this position by the action of a spring as is usual
in other machines and closing only at the third revolution when the cam acts on
them.
The sheet carried by the tapes is conducted between the impression cylinders. The
grippers of the first impression cylinder take hold of it and draw it during the
revolution of this cylinder and bring it back to its point of departure. At this
moment the grippers of the second impression cylinder close and draw it again; the
movement of these grippers is produced through the intermediation of levers by two
cams whose faces are inclined planes. When these cams by acting on their levers
have closed the grippers that have to take hold of the sheet the least projecting part of
the cams has come below the rollers of these levers and permits their passsage when
the impression cylinder moves.
When the printing is to be with a set off sheet the grippers of the second impression
cylinder take hold of both the sheet from the first impression cylinder and the set off
sheet. When on the other hand the printing is to be that of two sheets on one side
the second impression cylinder takes hold of only one sheet, the sheet previously taken
by the first impression cylinder having been delivered to the corresponding exit
roller. The sheets printed by the second impression cylinder are on the other hand
delivered to the other exit roller. In order to adapt the machine for printing two
sheets it suffices to have a fixed cam or guide to open the grippers of the first
impression cylinder as they pass the corresponding exit roller. This cam acts on the
gripper lever placed opposite the gripper closing lever.
For inking the formes I employ a cylindrical inking arrangement which has

page_text: already been used for some time in machines of another kind but instead of working
the inking table by a toothed wheel placed behind the said table in a longitudinal sense
I place a toothed wheel directly under the centre of the impression cylinder which
gears directly with the rack of the bed and transmits the movement to the inking
table through intermediate devices. This arrangement has the advantage of avoiding
the prolongation of the rack generally employed in machines with cylindrical inking
apparatus and consequently of considerably diminishing the length of the machine.
If it were found that the inking roller placed nearest the impression cylinder touched
the forme which it ought not to ink this roller could be pivoted around the axis of the
inking table so that while remaining in contact therewith it would be slightly separated
from the forme that it has not to ink.
The impression is effected as already explained by the two impression cylinders
the one working in the forward movement and the other in the backward movement
of the bed. They act the same as those in machines for printing on one side, that
is to say they are held by stops. Each of the cylinders has its own rack, the one in
front and the other behind the machine, and the stops are controlled by excentrics
similar to those employed in like machines.
In a modification of the machine above described the layer on, when the machine is
used as a "perfecting" machine, feeds the sheet to a feeding board from which it is
taken by grippers at the upper part of one of the impression cylinders; they carry it
to the line of the centres of the two cylinders just when the second cylinder stops
after having finished its complete revolution; the grippers open and those of the
other cylinder take the sheet which they print during the revolution of this cylinder.
This revolution having been completed the grippers open and those of the second
cylinder close on the sheet and carry it round to be printed on the second side.
These grippers again open when they reach the exit roller and the sheet thus freed
and conducted by a tape like those used in other machines is carried to the delivery
board.
When a set-off sheet is employed this sheet is fed by a layer on to another table and
is carried between the printed sheet and the impression cylinder as in machines now
in use.
When the machine is used to print two sheets on one side, the second layer
on feeds his sheet to a separate table, the grippers of the first impression cylinder
take the sheet at the top of the cylinder, the cam which opens and closes the grippers
on the line of the centres is removed so that the grippers hold the sheet which they
print as the cylinder rotates and they open under the action of another cam and
give up the sheet to the exit roller corresponding to the first impression cylinder.
I have already mentioned that the inking rollers can have a lifting movement to
prevent their coming in contact with other formes than those they have to ink. This
is effected by pivoting the holders of the roller around the linking table; each
holder bearing on a lever fixed to a shaft that traverses the machine and is actuated
by a cam.
A longitudinal shaft transmits the necessary movements to the different parts of the
machine.
The machine can have a flat inking table instead of a cylindrical inking table as
described.

page_text: Improvements in Printing. Machines.
A communication from abroad by JULES DERRIEY, of 1, Boulevard St. Denis, Paris,
France, Mechanical Engineer.
1
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Flect Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of l'atent Agents, 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:-
This invention has reference to printing machines of the kind generally called
Perfecting machines" and more particularly to those known as " Anglo-French
perfecting Machines," and its object is to overcome the objections inherent in these
Anglo French machines while retaining and increasing the advantages obtained by
the use of such machines. The increase of advantages is attained by constructing
the machines so that they can be employed as desired either as "perfecting machines.".
or as double "
single cylinder machines," by reducing the space occupied by the
machines and by providing a better arrangement for inking the formes. The lifting
movements which have always existed in this class of machine for raising the
impression cylinders are dispensed with and so is the usual rack movement.
The accompanying drawings represent a machine constructed according to this
invention. Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the machine. Figure 2 represents
in detail the mechanism for moving and stopping the impression cylinders and also
shows the grippers and the parts for operating them. Figure 3 is a plan of the
machine partly sectional the sections being at different heights so as to show some of
the parts more clearly.
The machine is actuated by 2 large wheels A connected together by a shaft which
constitutes a crank. The motion of this crank is transmitted by a connecting rod to
the wheels B which actuate the imposing stone or bed C of the machine giving it a
longitudinal travel double that of the wheels B. Above the bed Care 2 impression
cylinders D and E the circumference of which is equal to the length of the travel of
the bed C. The cylinder D works when the bed moves from right to left; it makes
a complete revolution and then stops. The cylinder E works when the bed moves from
left to right, likewise making a complete revolution and then stopping. When the
cylinder E is turning the grippers with which it is provided take hold of the white
sheet, which has been laid on the feed board F, when they pass the end of this board
and carry the sheet to the line of the centres of the 2 cylinders. At this point the
cylinder E stops, its grippers open and release the sheet and the grippers of the
cylinder D at the same time close upon it. As soon as the cylinder D begins to move
it carries the sheet with it and impresses it upon the forme placed on the first half of
the bed C. The cylinder D making its complete revolution again brings the sheet to
the line of the centres of the 2 cylinders. The grippers which held the sheet to the

page_text: cylinder D now open in
take hold of the sheet.
with it and impresses it
grippers open when they
receiving board H.
their turn, while those on the cylinder E close and again
The cylinder E again beginning to turn carries the sheet
upon the forme placed on the second half of the bed. The
pass the roller Ĝ and the sheet is removed by tapes to the
The foregoing is the action of the machine when it is employed as a perfecting
machine," that is to say, for printing a sheet on its 2 sides successively.
་་
When on the other hand it is desired to employ the machine as a single cylinder
machine it is necessary to remove the cams I and I which cause the grippers to
open or close on the line of the centres of the 2 cylinders. The result is that the
grippers which have taken hold of the sheet at the end of the feed board F retain the
sheet when the cylinder stops and when the cylinder again begins to move it carries
the sheet with it so as to print it on one side only after which it delivers it from the
machine at the roller Gas before. In addition to removing the cams I and I² a
cam is introduced in connection with the cylinder D similar to the cam J¹; this
cam J2 closes the grippers of the cylinder D to cause them to take hold of the white
sheet as they pass the feed board F2 and opens them at the roller G² after the
cylinder D in its revolution has printed the sheet on one side; the sheets thus
printed by means of the cylinder D are removed by tapes to the receiving board H².
When set-off sheets are employed in ordinary machines they are inserted by
nieans of a special feed board which encumbers the upper part of machine. But in
my improved machines, when it is required to use set-off sheets they are supplied by
means of the feed board F2 so that much more of the upper part of the machine
remains uncovered than in the ordinary machines which have a feed board for the
set-off sheets.
,
+
I will now proceed to describe the mechanism whereby the impression cylinders are
put into motion and stopped. In the so-called Anglo French machines, the
cylinders revolve continuously; the cylinder which has to print the sheet on the first
side is lowered upon the bed of the machine by means of special excentrics while the
other cylinder is lifted so as not to touch the bed. Then when the bed travels in the
reverse direction the first cylinder is lifted in its turn while the second is lowered. It
will be readily understood that as soon as the parts which effect these lifting move-
ments begin to wear there ceases to be any accuracy in the impression. In the
improved machine each of the cylinders is actuated directly by the bed by means of
a rack placed at the right of the bed for one of the cylinders and gearing with a
toothed wheel on the cylinder and by means of a rack placed at the left of the bed
and similarly acting upon the other cylinder. The starting of the respective cylinders
is effected by means of excentrics K which act upon levers K' through the interme
diation of connecting rods. The levers K' have each a forked or toothed end which
stops the corresponding cylinder when it has completed its revolution and holds it
fixed until it has again to be put into motion. These starting and stopping actions are
similar to those in what are known as 66 stop cylinder single machines and more
particularly in those of French and German construction. The retention of the stop
is assured by brakes L L actuated by excentries on the longitudinal shaft M. A special
feature of the improved machine is the combination of 2 cylinders like those in "single
stop cylinder machines," the one of which stops when the other begins to move and
the stop occurring so that the grippers which conduct the sheet are at the time of the
stop on the line of the centres of the 2 cylinders.
I will now explain the gripper movements and the travel of the paper. The gripper
movements will be best understood by reference to Figure 2. They are effected by
fixed cams and movable cains. The fixed cams cause the grippers to take hold of the
sheet and to deliver it after the impression. The movable, cams open and close the
respective grippers so as to cause the sheet to be transferred from the one cylinder to
the other. Take in the first place the case of a sheet which has to be printed on both
sides without the intervention of a set-off sheet. The white sheet is laid on. the feed
board F against the feed stops a; the gripper lever b'in revolving with the cylinder E

page_text: runs over the fixed cam J' and the incline of this cam lowers the lever which by means
of a toothed sector gearing with a pinion on the gripper rod causes this rod to turn
together with the grippers so that they close, take hold of the sheet and carry it off.
The grippers bring the sheet up to the line of the centres of the 2 cylinders and the
cylinder stops. At this moment the lever b meets the movable cam 1' which is lifted
by the action of the excentric and causes the grippers to open. At the same time
the movable cam I is acted upon by means of the excentric which is on the same
shaft as the excentric/(the excentric is shown detached in Figure 2 so as not to
confuse the drawing). The movement thus given to the cam 1 causes the grippers
of the cylinder D to close and this cylinder begins to move immediately. These
grippers draw the sheet with them and make a complete turn with the cylinder. They
therefore return to the starting point and the cylinder stops. At this moment the
movable cam 1 is lifted by the excentric so that the grippers are opened and simul-
taneously the movable cam 1 under the action of the excentric/closes the grippers
of the cylinder E. This cylinder immediately begins to move and the sheet is carried
on for the second impression. When these grippers come to the roller G the lever
which acts upon theun rises over the fixed cam J' which causes them to open and to
release the sheet which is then carried to the receiving board H by tapes which pass
round the roller G and a rod g.
When it is required to insert a set-off sheet the action of the grippers is precisely
the same but a second layer on lays the set-off sheet on the feed board F² up to the
feed stops a' and as soon as the grippers of the cylinder D have passed the upper part
of the cylinder the rollers h are lowered on the cylinder and draw the second sheet
which is accompanied by tapes up to the rod . When it reaches this point the set-
off sheet is abandoned by the tapes and the rod is lifted by an excentric placed on
the brake pulley of the cylinder D. At this moment the cylinder D stops, its grippers
are opened and release the sheet which they carried and on which the set-off sheet
now lies the grippers of cylinder E close, this cylinder begins to move and draws
the printed sheet and with it the overlying set-off sheet which thus becomes
interposed between the already printed side and the cylinder E after which the
grippers open at the roller G and the sheets are delivered in the manner already
explained.
"
When it is required to employ the machine as a double "stop cylinder single
.machine the canis II are removed and a fixed cam J is fitted for the cylinder D
like the cam J for the cylinder E. In this case each cylinder takes its sheet at the
feed board and does not release it when the cylinder stops; after the stop the cylinder
again begins to move, prints its sheet on the one side and delivers it at the
roller G or G².
For inking the formes the inking apparatus employed (see Figure 1) is by prefer-
ence composed of rollers which are all of equal diameter so that in practice any of
the rollers can be employed either as vibrators, distributors or inkers, and the
necessity of having three kinds of rollers is thus obviated. The vibrator supplies
the ink to an iron cylinder which is in contact with both the vibrator and the
distributor ; the cylinder is rotated by the rubbing contact of the rollers and is
mounted on a fixed shaft cut with a screw having 2 crossed threads which causes the
cylinder to receive a to and fro movement so that the ink is distributed both on the
vibrator and the distributor independently of the action of the distributor on the
cylinder which is in contact with the inkers. The inking apparatus is carried in a
frame forming a sort of small inking machine which can be slid into place on the
frame of the printing machine. This will allow of its being moved out if required in
order to facilitate corrections in the formes placed in the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me,
I declare that what I claim, in respect of printing machines, is :-
1. A "perfecting machine" in which the two impression cylinders are so arranged

page_text: that each stops in its turn, and at the time of the stop has its grippers in the line of
the centres of the two cylinders, the circumference of each cylinder being equal to
the travel in the one direction of the bed of the machine, substantially as set forth.
2. In a "perfecting machine," a crank movement for imparting motion to the bed
of the machine in combination with 2 levers for stopping the respective impression
cylinders each of these cylinders coming into action in its turn without being
submitted to a lifting movement, substantially as set forth.
3. In a "perfecting machine," a crank movement for imparting motion to the bed
of the machine in combination with 2 levers for stopping the respective impression
cylinders and with brakes acting at the same time as the said levers, each of the
cylinders coming into action in its turn without being submitted to a lifting move-
ment, substantially as set forth.
4. The arrangement of fixed and movable cams for working the grippers
substantially as set forth, the said arrangement being such that by the removal of
the movable cams and the addition of another fixed cam the machine can be con-
verted from a "perfecting machine " to a double "stop cylinder single machine"
acting as described.
5. In a "perfecting machine" such as is hereinbefore described, the arrangement
whereby a set-off sheet is fed over one of the impression cylinders and conducted up
to the time of the stop of this cylinder when the sheet is released and then travels
with the sheet which has already been printed on one side; substantially as set
forth.
6. The inking apparatus hereinbefore described.
7. The improved printing machine constructed and operating substantially as
hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawings.