Improvements in or relating to Rotary and other Sheet Printing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Rotary and other Sheet Printing
Machines.
I, JOHANN PETER LUHN, Manager of Printing Works, of 13, Johannisplatz,
Leipzig in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a rotary or cylinder printing machine
in which separate sheets may be printed, the same being fed to the machine by
the attendant in exactly the same manner as is done in quick printing platen
machines.
The rotary printing cylinder is provided with a feeding apparatus for the sheets
to be printed and a device for taking off and stacking the printed sheets, and is
capable of receiving the sheets at a speed limited only by the speed of the feed of
the sheets, of accurately adjusting and carrying around these sheets one after the
other as received until they reach the stripper, which removes them mechanically
one by one. The apparatus for these purposes comprises the adjusting marker for
laying on, the sheet clamping device with the apparatus for carrying the sheet to
the cylinder, which said apparatus may be duplicated or arranged in any number
entering alternately into action as a series so as to print simultaneously one behind
the other on the cylinder more than one sheet if the machine is so constructed, this
carrying apparatus being so governed that it takes the sheet to the cylinder with a
movement of gradually increasing celerity and in a direction partly tangential,
partly radial until it comes to rest in a recess of the cylinder to carry the sheet
round therewith, the carrying apparatus returning to its first position in turn to
receive another sheet.
In front of the machine is a table for the stack of clean sheets, and near behind
the latter is an inclined table on to which each sheet is laid for printing. Here the
adjusting of the sheet is done by the usual lateral fingers or marks and by a special
set of end fingers which form an adjustment or abutment for the sheet in sliding
towards the machine. The cross bar carrying these end marks rocks on centres so
as to bring the marks in front of the end of the sheet when the latter is put in and
lift them out of the path of the sheet after the grasping fingers have taken hold of
the end of the sheet to draw it on to the cylinder. This grasping and carrying
device is supported on arms rocking upon pivots in the axis of the cylinder and
movable to and from said centre. The arms are governed by two curves or cam
discs acting in combination, the one being fixed, the other rotary in such a manner
that, as the cross rift provided in the cylinder on the revolution of the latter
approaches the place for laying on the sheet, the grasping device closes on the sheet
and commences to draw it in the same direction as the cylinder and towards the
latter with a gradually increasing speed until the carrying device enters the rift and
sheet lies on the following part of the periphery of the cylinders and continues to
pass around with the latter so long as may be necessary for the printing, or until,
the grippers coming directly or indirectly in contact with a stop, the sheet is
released. Near the periphery of the cylinder at a suitable place are the stripping
bands which are intended to take the printed sheet from the cylinder and carry it
to the stacking apparatus. These bands carry the sheet to deliver it between
a series of pairs of rollers arranged one above the other, the sheet, passing down
between these rollers, lies in a vertical plane. At the lower end of this gang of
rollers is the centre of a rocking arm or series of arms or plates, which has a
rocking movement across the assumed vertical plane in which the sheet lies. The

page_text: rocking of this device to the one and other side alternately will carry the sheet in
the path of the device either to the one side or the other, and thus lay it
horizontally on one or other of two receiving tables on which are moving vertical
plates which meet the edges of the sheets, and, pressing against these, slide each
sheet as it falls accurately over the others to form an even pile. Cams or wedges
separate the pairs of rollers aforesaid at the moment the arm passes, so that the
sheet may be released from the rollers to move with the arm.
Dated the 12th day of September 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Rotary and other Sheet Printing
Machines.
I, JOHANN PETER LUHN, Manager of Printing Works, of 13 Johannisplatz,
Leipzig in the Empire of Germany, 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 for its object a rotary printing machine having a constantly
revolving printing cylinder, and in which the laying on of separate sheets is effected
in exactly the same manner as in the case of flat steam printing machines hitherto
employed.
In order to render the laying on of single sheets possible, the gripper is not
rigidly connected to the printing cylinder, but is arranged independently of the same,
..in fact, two or more grippers are employed, which are operated alternately in such
a way that one grips the sheet and is then brought in connection with the printing
cylinder, so that the latter carries with it in its rotation the gripper together with
the sheet, whilst simultaneously the other gripper is ready for receiving a fresh
sheet.
When the sheet has been printed, the grippers are opened by means of a suitable
contact piece or a catch, so that the printed sheet is released, which is then removed
by the bands of the distributing device.
Such a machine is shown on the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side view of the parts in question.
Figure 2 shows the gripper on a larger scale.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the same.
Figures 4-7 show the device in its various positions.
Figures 8 and 9 are side and front views respectively of the distributing device.
Figure 10 shows a detail of the registering device.
The gripping device consists essentially of a bar D, which carries the grippers d,
Figures 1, 2 and 3, and which is attached to the arms G (see Figure 1) which
revolve on the cylinder's shaft. Slots are formed in the arms G, and in these
slots sliding pieces k, which are seated on the shaft l, are adjustably fitted.
Springs m, in the slots, have a constant tendency to press the arms G outwards.
There are two rollers n n² on the arms G, which rollers rest against the cams or
curved guides H₁ and H. One of these guides, H', is fitted to the printing
cylinder, whilst the other, H³, is firmly connected to the frame. The guide
curve H2 is provided with a notch or recess t, which corresponds to the position of
the arm G at which the sheet is to be laid on. When the roller n² enters this
recess. the spring m presses the arm G outward so that the gripper bar D assumes
its outermost position, that is to say, that one in which it is ready to receive the
sheet. The sheets, which are to be printed, rest on the table B and are fed
separately by hand. The opening of the grippers d, seated on the gripper shaft, is
brought about by means of the eccentric E which acts on the double armed lever e

page_text: fastened on the gripper shaft, whilst a spiral spring closes the grippers, as soon
as the eccentric E allows it, these parts will be clearly seen from Figure 2.
In order that the sheets may be applied or laid on with accuracy, special bars a
are made use of in addition to the usual registering devices at the sides, which
bars a are fixed on the revolving shaft c. As soon as the grippers d have seized a
sheet, the movable bars a are lifted up by the action of the eccentric C on the
lever, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.
When the gripping device is to share in the rotation of the printing cylinder, the
arms G must be drawn inwards until the bar D has entered the recess in the
printing cylinder, when, coming in contact with the surface o, it is thereby carried
with the cylinder on its further rotation. This inward movement of the arm G is
caused by the end of the curve H¹ being bent inwards, so that, on the rotation of
the printing cylinder, it pushes the arm G inwards as soon as it passes over the
roller n¹.
The mode of working of the apparatus is as follows:-
When one gripping bar D stands in its highest position the grippers lie exactly
in front of the table B. The grippers are then opened by means of the eccentric E,
so that the person attending to the machine can push a sheet against the rests a
which are then in their lowest position. When this has been done, the grippers
close, the parts a rise and the bars D are ready for carrying the sheet forward.
The other gripping device has, in the meantime, been carried forward by the
printing cylinder and the sheet last inserted is thus carried round the printing cylinder
and printed, whilst the guide bands 6 and hold the sheet firmly on the cylinder,
Figure 4.
When the printing cylinder has completed about three-quarters of its revolution,
Figure 5, the pin of the double lever e encounters a fixed catch w, Figure 1, which,
on the further revolution of the cylinder, opens the grippers, whereupon the printed
sheet is released and is then conveyed between the carrying bands 63 and 6 to the
distributing device. The cylinder, in the meantime, continues to revolve, and,
when it has almost reached its starting point, the roller n² of the gripper arm G
enters the recess of the curve H, Figure 6, so that the gripper bar D springs out
of the slot of the printing cylinder and is freed from the latter. At the same time,
however, the rearwardly curved part of the curve H¹ acts on the roller n¹ of the
hitherto stationary arm G, and presses the same inwards, so that the gripper
bar D enters the slot in the printing cylinder, and is carried with the latter on its
further rotation, whilst, in the meantime, the first gripping device, which was
carried round, remains stationary in its highest position in front of the table where
the sheets are laid, and is thus ready to receive a fresh sheet.
IS
In order that the gripper bar D may be pressed firmly against the surface o of
the printing cylinder, springs u are arranged on the latter, which press from behind
against the bar D and press the same against the edge o. There are also springs p
on a horizontally adjustable bar 7, Figures 11 and 12, which springs press against
the stationary arm G and hold the same fast. When the previously stationary
gripping device is to be moved round with the printing cylinder, the bar
pushed sideways by the part so that the springs p release the arm G. The
printed sheet is, as already stated, conveyed to the layering or piling apparatus by
the bands . In this apparatus, vertical driving bands are employed which
run over spring rollers a. Beneath the latter, the distributing device N is
arranged on the spindle c', which device lays the sheets alternately to the left
and right. Before the distributor reaches the sheet lying between the driving
bands, the rollers a are somewhat separated so that the sheet may become
released. This is effected by a rod g', which is provided with wedge-shaped
pieces e¹, being raised by the cam P, Figures 8 and 9, seated on the spindle c',
whereupon the wedge pieces enter between the rollers in such a way that the latter
become separated.
In order to place the separate sheets as removed, exactly and regularly on one
another, special movable rests are further arranged on the receiving table O,

page_text: which are operated by means of the cords ¹ from the lever ¹. This lever, in its
turn, receives an oscillating motion from the spindle c¹ by means of the toothed
sector Q. In this manner, the movable rests are alternately drawn inwards, and
thus push the sheets just laid on them into their correct position. Spiral springs fl
then draw the rests back again into their original position after they have performed
their duty.
When several sheets are intended to lie simultaneously on the circumference of
the printing cylinder, the gripping devices must be correspondingly increased in
number, and suitable slots made on the cylinder. Instead of using two or more
gripping devices, sheets may be fed to a constantly rotating printing cylinder by
means of a single gripping device. The gripping device must, in this case, be so
operated that, as soon as the grippers have released the sheets, it comes out of the
slot in the printing cylinder, and is moved forward with increased speed to the pile
of sheets, so that it reaches such before the recess in the printing cylinder, and, in
the interval, can grip a sheet. In case of need, the printing cylinder might be
temporarily moved sideways or caused to rotate more slowly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A rotary printing machine of the kind described, having its gripping device
or devices independent of the printing cylinder but connectable therewith by
entering a slot in the printing cylinder after it has gripped a sheet, so that, on the
further rotation of the cylinder, the device is carried with it, whilst, after the sheet
is printed, it will release the sheet, come out of its slot and be ready to seize a new
sheet, and, where several gripping devices are employed, they come alternately into
action, one being ready to receive a fresh sheet, whilst the other is engaged and
carried round by the printing cylinder, together with the sheet which is held by the
grippers, all substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
2. In a rotary printing machine of the kind specified in Claim 1, a distributing or
removing device in which rollers a°, holding the sheets, are separated by means of
wedge-shaped pieces el at the moment in which the flies N grip the sheet.
3. In a rotary printing machine of the kind specified in Claim 1, the arrangement
of movable rests on the receiving table O, which are alternately moved inwards
and thus bring the sheet just laid thereon to its correct place, whereupon they are
returned to their original position by means of springs, substantially as herein-
before described and shown.
Dated this 19th day of June 1803
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.