A Machine for Printing in Several Colours.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., - 188
Complete Specification Left, 21st June, 1889-Accepted, 24th Aug., 1589
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Machine for Printing in Several Colours.
1, EDOUARD JOSEPH LAMBERT of No. 43 Rue de Turbigo, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a machine for printing in several colours, arranged in the
following manner. On one framing I provide as many platten presses as there are
different colours to be printed, these presses being placed side by side, each of them
provided with a forme table, inking apparatus and a reciprocating platten. Along the
whole range of machines between the formes and the plattens extend two sets of bands
and pressing rollers, between which bands the paper that is to be printed, either in
separate sheets or in a continuous web, is firmly gripped. These bands receive an
intermittent lengthwise motion, each movement being equal to the interval between
the centre of each press and that of the next, and they also with their pressing rollers
receive an intermittent reciprocating motion to and from the formes. The inking also
is effected intermittently, either by passing inking rollers over the formes in a
direction perpendicular to the line of the bands, or by moving the formes in the same
direction under inking rollers. The various movements are imparted by cranks or
eccentrics and cams from a driving shaft, and are so timed that the operation is as
follows. Assuming all the plattens to have descended pressing on each forme a
sheet or part of a web held between the bands, the plattens then ascend, the bands.
and paper also ascending away from the formes, the inking of the formes takes place
by a to and fro movement of the inking rollers over the formes or of the formes under
the inking rollers, the bands then move lengthwise and thus transfer each sheet or
impression from one press to the next in order,--the bands descend carrying the paper.
down to the formes, and the plattens descend causing each sheet to receive a new
impression. Fresh sheets being intermittently fed at one end of the machine are thus-
made to receive as many successive impressions as there are presses, and are delivered
at the opposite end of the machine, or a web of paper fed at one end and thus
printed with successive impressions is delivered at the other end where it may be cut
into separate sheets. Each forme being inked with a different colour, the paper is
printed with these colours in succession. In order to effect rapid drying of the ink
in the intervals between the successive impressions, the plattens or the forme tables.
or both may be heated by steam or gas flames. The gripping bands, by which the
paper is transferred from press to press, consist of thin steel straps on which
are cemented bands of caoutchouc. They are perforated with holes at regular intervals
which engage on studs on the peripheries of the pullies which drive them, so that a
certain aniount of rotation of the pullies determines accurately a certain longitudinal
movement of the bands and the paper carried by thein; and thus true register of the
successive impressions is ensured. The formes may either be as above described,
horizontal, with the paper and plattens arranged to ascend from them and descend to
them vertically, or the formes may be vertical, the paper and plattens moving to and
from them horizontally.
This arrangement is convenient when the machine is a perfecting machine, printing
on both sides of the paper, some formes being arranged on the one side of the paper
and some on the other side. Also, when the formes are vertical, the successive
presses, instead of being placed side by side in a horizontal row, may be placed one
above the other in a vertical row. In a modified form of the machine, the plattens
are stationary, with the paper guided along thin faces; the formes retreat from them
to receive ink and at the same time the paper travels from the face of one platten
o the next, the forines then advance towards the plattens and effect the impressions.
When the vertical arrangement of plattens and formes is adopted, it is preferable to.

page_text: apply to each platten reciprocating grippers which hold the upper and under edges
of the paper while it receives an impression, and open to let the paper travel onwards
after having received the impression.
Dit
of Containbar 1988
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Machine for Printing in Several Colours.
I, EDOUARD JOSEPH LAMBERT, of No. 43 Rue de Turbigo, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Engineer, 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 invention relates to a machine for printing in several colours, arranged in the
following manner. On one framing I provide as many platten presses as there are
different colours to be printed, these presses being placed side by side, each of them
provided with a forme table, inking apparatus and a reciprocating platten. Along
the whole range of machines between the formes and the plattens extend two sets of
bands and pressing rollers, between which bands the paper that is to be printed, either
in separate sheets or in a continuous web is firmly gripped. These bands receive an
intermittent lengthwise motion, each movement being equal to the interval between
the centre of each press and that of the next, and they also with their pressing rollers
receive an intermittent reciprocating motion to and from the formes. The inking
also is effected intermittently, either by passing inking rollers over the formes in a
direction perpendicular to the line of the bands, or by moving the formes in the
same direction under inking rollers. The various movements are imparted by cranks
or eccentrics and cams from a driving shaft, and are so timed that the operation is as
follows. Assuming all the plattens to have descended pressing on each forme a sheet
or part of a web held between the bands;-the plattens then ascend, the bands and
paper also ascending away from the formes, the inking of the formes takes place by
a to and fro movement of the inking rollers over the formes, or of the formes under
the inking rollers, the bands then move lengthwise and thus transfer each sheet or
impression from one press to the next in order, the bands descend carrying the paper
down to the formes, and the plattens descend causing each sheet to receive a new
impression. Fresh sheets being intermittently fed at one end of the machine are thus
made to receive as many successive impressions as there are presses, and are delivered
at the opposite end of the machine or a web of paper fed at one end and thus
printed with successive impressions is delivered at the other end where it may be
cut into separate sheets. Each forme being inked with a different colour, the paper
is printed with these colours in succession. In order to effect rapid drying of the
ink in the intervals between the successive impressions, the plattens or the forme
tables or both may be heated by steam or gas flames. The gripping bands by which
the paper is transferred from press to press, consist of thin steel straps on which are
connected bands of caoutchouc. They are perforated with holes at regular intervals
which engage on studs on the peripheries of the pulleys which drive themi, so that a
certain amount of rotation of the pulleys determines accurately a certain longitudinal
movement of the bands and the paper carried by them; and thus true register of the
successive impressions is ensured. The formes may either be as above described,
horizontal, with the paper and plattens arranged to ascend from them and descend to
them vertically, or the formes may be vertical, the paper and plattens moving to and
from them horizontally.
This arrangement is convenient when the machine is a perfecting machine printing
on both sides of the paper, some formes being arranged on the one side of the paper
and some on the other side. Also, when the forines are vertical the successive
presses, instead of being placed side by side in a horizontal row, may be placed one

page_text: above the other in a vertical row. In a modified form of the machine, the platters
are stationary, with the paper guided along their faces; the formes retreat from them
to receive ink and at the same time the paper travels from the face of one platten to
the next, the formes then advance towards the plattens and effect the impressions.
When the vertical arrangement of plattens and formes is adopted, it is preferable to
apply to each platten reciprocating grippers which hold the upper and under edges of
the paper while it receives an impression, and opens to let the paper travel onwards
after having received the impression.
Fig. I of the accompanying drawings is a front view, Fig. II is a transverse
section and Fig. III is a plan of one form of printing machine according to this
invention, Fig. IV shews to an enlarged scale one of the transferring. bands and
pulleys.
On a base A are fixed two side frames B and two end frames which latter are
connected at the top by girders D carrying bearings E for the transverse
shafts K. On the side fraines B are fixed the transverse guides F for the tables G
carrying the formes H. The shafts K which are driven by worm gear L, T, from
the longitudinal shaft U, have at each end cranks M which by forked rods N are
linked to slides O that move in vertical guides P carried from the girders D.
Each pair of slides O carries a cross shaft Q passing through brackets R projecting
up at each side from the platten S. The longitudinal shaft U has at its one end a fly
wheel V, at the other end fast and loose pulleys W. On one of the cross shafts K
at the left end of the machine is fixed a cam X against which bears a roller Y on an
arm Z of a rocking shaft I. Each platten S can turn on the shaft but is adjusted
to position and fixed by setting screws a, the shaft Q itself being fixed in the slides O
by setting screws b. The pins of the forked rods N are adjusted in the slides O
by setting screws d. The inking apparatus e extends the whole length of the
machine but is divided into as many compartments as there are plattens so as to form a
separate ink duct for each impression.
3
In front of each ink duct is mounted a cylinder f, all these cylinders being on
one shaft g being fed by inking rollers and having suitable distributing rollers k
applied to them. The inking of the formes is effected in the following manner. A,
pinion y on the shaft U, drives through gearing ẞ and a a pinion won the shaft g
of the cylinder f, and a pinion 8 on the shaft g drives the wheel A on the axis of the
ink duct rollers. e. On the shaft of the intermediate wheel a is a recessed cam y in
which runs a roller a mounted on an arm u which is fixed on a longitudinal rocking
shaft carrying other arms like u one for each platten. These arms are linked by
forked rods to toothed pinions which gear with fixed racks s below them and
with racks above thein the latter racks being fixed to plate m which with cross
bars form carriages for the inking rollers. By the action of the arms u the racks q s
and pinions these carriages are caused to run to and fro on rollers n taking ink from
the cylinders and transferring it to the formes H.
At each end of the machine are two bars a¹ which slide vertically in guides bl.
On each bar a is a pin el engaged in the gab of an arm d' of a rocking shaft e¹,
another arm f' of which is connected by a rod g¹ to an opposite arm of the correspond-
ing rocking shaft at the other end of the machine. One of the arms d' is linked by
a rod to an arm on the rocking shaft I which, as previously described, is moved
by the arm Z and cam X. The bars a' carry at each side of the machine a roller ¹
and a spindle carrying grooved pulleys k for the transfer bands as shewn in Fig. IV.
The bars a' at the right end of the machine carry a feed table 1. One of the bars a¹
at the left end of the machine carries the spindle of a toothed wheel m¹ which gears
with a pinion n¹ on the spindle carrying the pulleys k¹. On the axis of m¹ is fixed a
ratchet wheel p¹ engaged with a pawl q on an arm which is linked by a rod t to a
fixed pin u. The bars a¹ at the one end of the machine are connected to those at
the other end by angle iron bars which carry the brackets supporting the cross
rods w' and ', the latter carrying rollers y¹.
The two endless bands shewn in Fig. IV
pass the rollers, and the grooved pulleys k at the one end of the machine then over
the five rods w¹, and the pulleys & and rollers at the other end of the machine being

page_text: tightened by the weight of a roller ¹. Another pair of bands pass under the cross
bar 3 and the pulleys y'. The paper is held between the two sets of bands which
are pressed together between the bars w¹ and the rollers y¹ by the weight of the latter.
At the left end of the machine is a delivery table which may have its rake as
shewn. Each of the transfer gripping bands, as stated above and as shewn
by Fig IV, consists of a thin strip A of tempered steel to which is cemented a strip B
of caoutchouc. The band is pierced with holes C at regular intervals gauged to
studs D on the pulley ₁ the circumference of which is equal to the distance
from the centre of one platten to that of the next. Thus by each
revolution of the pulley the paper is transferred from one impression position
to the next. Assuming that the plattens are all raised as in Fig. I, that there
is a sheet under each, and a fresh sheet on the feed table 4₁, and that
the shaft U is caused to revolve, the plattens make their simultaneous down
stroke to effect an impression from each of the formes H, but while they are
descending the carriage of the inking rollers which was in the position shewn
in Fig. Il makes its stroke to the right bringing the rollers on to the cylinders f
where for a time they rest. The cam X allows the bars a, to descend along with all
that they carry, the bands with the paper, the brackets with their rods w¹ and
rollers y At the same time as the pawl q' escapes the ratchet wheel P
without
turning it, the sheets descend directly on the formes and receive impression. The
plattens now reascend and at the same time the cam X causes all the paper carriers
to ascend, but while they do so, the ratchet wheel p₁ is turned by the pawl,
and this movement communicated to the pulleys k₁ causes the printed sheets to
move over the interval from one platten to the next and at the same time brings the
fresh sheet from ₁ under the first platten.
When the sheets are raised sufficiently, the cam X retains them in the elevated
position while the inking rollers make their stroke across the formes from the
cylinders to the position shewn in Fig. II. The action is then repeated.
Fig. V is a transverse section and Fig. VI is a plan of a machine according to this
invention in which the surfaces of the formes and plattens are vertical, arranged for
printing one one side of each sheet. Fig. VII is a plan of a perfecting machine of a
similar kind. The plattens A are here stationary while the forme tables B are moved
to and fro horizontally on rollers L by rods D and cranks F on the gearing wheels G
which revolve in bearings H tied to the plattens through the framing K.
The wheels G are all driven by pinions M on one longitudinal shaft.
At each end of the machine is fixed a rack N on which a pinion having its
axis P carried in brackets projecting down from one of the forme tables B is caused
to roll to and fro. An arm projecting from the axis P is linked by a rod R to a
vertical slide S carrying the inking rollers which receive ink from the inking cylinder
and distributing rollers T, so that as the forme tables B retreat and advance the
inking rollers descend and ascend inking the formes.
.At Y. the sheets are fed in a vertical position and held at its upper edge by
grippers 6 against the travelling band a which has intermittent motion so as to carry
the sheets along from platten to platten and hold them facing each for impression.
The forme tables B are preferably pivotted at E so that they can be turned to a
horizontal position for convenience in placing or altering the formes fixed on them.
As shewn in Fig. VII some of the forines may be arranged on the one side of the
sheet,. some on the other, and thus the machine can be made to act as a perfecting
machine printing several colours on both sides of the sheets.
Obviously in the horizontal arrangement shewn by Figs. 1 II and III instead of
inking the formes by rollers travelling over them, the formes themselves might be
made to travel to and fro under stationary inking rollers, while the sheets are
travelling from forme to forme. In both the horizontal and the vertical arrange-
ment of machine, a continuous web of paper may be printed instead of separate
sheets, the web being afterwards cut to lengths when required. By means of steam
or gas flames the plattens can be heated for the purpose of more rapidly drying the
polour printed on the sheets: before they undergo a succeeding impression.

page_text: Instead of employing plattens, impression cylinders may be used as shewn in front
view by Fig. VIII and in transverse section by Fig. IX, Fig. X being a section
of the cylinder to an enlarged scale. This machine, by way of example, is suited
for printing four colours from the formes A B C D which may be all on one table E
as shewn, with one impression cylinder F for all of them, the action of the table and
cylinder being that of an ordinary cylinder press, that is to say the table reciprocates
taking the cylinder with it during the one stroke and leaving the cylinder at rest
during the back stroke, during which rest of the cylinder the sheets are transferred
from one part of its length to the next. In the throat of the cylinder F is fixed a
bar G having in its face a longitudinal groove a. Six grippers H arranged so that
each pair take a sheet between them are mounted on a bar K which can slide along
a bar Lextending between and pivotted in the two sides M and N of the machine.
The bar L has an arm 0 carrying a roller P which bears against a cam which by
oscillating the bar L raises and lowers the grippers H each of which at the place
where it bears on G has a facing of caoutchouc or other substance adhesive to paper
and a small pin b entering the groove a.
At the two ends of the bar L are mounted grooved pullies R over which pass two
bands, the one band has its one end fixed to the bar K at c and its other end attached
to a weight S at ; the other band is fixed by one end to Kate and by the other
end at f to a sector T which is pivotted on the frame M and has an arm U carrying
a roller V which is engaged in the groove of a cam path X attached to the
table E.
The cylinder F is provided with grippers Z working in the usual way. Assuming
that there is a sheet on the feed table Y, the table making its back stroke causes
the sector T to partly turn, the gripper Z are open, the grippers H are closed on the
bar G and are moved longitudinally to the position shown in Fig. VIII. The
grippers Z then close seizing the edge of the sheet, and by the action of the cam Q
the grippers H are opened. The table then makes its forward stroke the cylinder F
and sheet upon it turning with it. During this rotation tho grippors H still held
open are by the movement of the sector T made to travel back towards the first
formo A, and when the cylinder stops, they close, the grippers Z opening. The table
now making its backstroke causes the grippers H to travel with the sheet to the
position for forme B while a fresh sheet is supplied at Y. The action is then
repeated, and thus sheet after sheet is made to travel along the cylinder while it is
at rest to the proper position to be printed by one forme after another, and finally to
be delivered after its last impression.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A machine for printing in several colours consisting of several horizontal or
vertical printing machines or presses arranged side by side to act with intervals of
intermission during which the formes are inked and a series of sheets or a web of
paper is transferred from each press to the next in order, substantially as described.
2. In a machine such as is referred to in the preceding claim, the construction of
the travelling bands and the mode of actuating them so as to transfer the sheets in
accurate register, substantially as described.
3. The modified form of machine, whereby it is adapted for perfecting, substantially
as described.
c T
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.