Improvements in the Methods of and in Apparatus for Engraving and Preparing Rollers and Surfaces, with the Aid of Photo- graphy, for Printing upon Calico, Paper, and other Fabrics and Materials.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1895-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Methods of and in Apparatus for Engraving
and Preparing Rollers and Surfaces, with the Aid of Photo-
graphy, for Printing upon Calico, Paper, and other Fabrics and
Materials.
We CHARLES ANTHONY BURGHARDT of 35 Fountain Street, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Analytical Chemist, and HENRY
MELLER of
2 Churchill Street, Manchester, aforesaid, Photo-engraver, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to improvements in the methods of and in apparatus
for transferring and engraving designs to and upon rollers and surfaces for printing
upon calico, paper and other fabrics, substances and materials, with the aid of
photography.
In carrying our invention into effect we first prepare the design and obtain a
photographic negative therefrom.
A print is then taken from the negative upon a film of bichromated gelatine or
bichromated gelatine and albumen or bichromated albumen having a foundation of
glass, paper, zinc or other suitable flat body.
The print is then developed, and inked in the customary manner so as to produce
a photo-lithographic transfer.
We
We then proceed to place this photo-lithographic transfer print upon the
transferring roller a process which is effected by the following means.
provide an apparatus carrying a sliding bed which can be reciprocated to and fro
by any suitable means. Above the sliding bed we form slotted bearings to receive
the transferring roller which is preferably of metal and is coated with bichromated
gelatine or albumen. The transfer print is laid upon the sliding bed of the
apparatus, a pad or blanket being interposed between the transfer print and
the bed.
The bed is now moved backwards and forwards, the roller being pressed down
by weights or screws so as to roll upon the transfer print carried by the bed. By
this means the design on the print is transferred to the roller or rather to the
gelatine coating or film on the roller. The roller is now exposed to light so as to
render insoluble all parts of the film not bearing the design, and is developed in
water. The roller is then inked, and placed between centres or in bearings in a
transferring machine or head, capable of being adjusted towards the copper cylinder
to be engraved.
Au inking cylinder is arranged bebind the design roller so as to bear against it,
the said inking cylinder transferring ink from a trough or receptacle to the design
roller. A damping cylinder is or may be also arranged above the roller so as to rest
upon it.
Suitable driving arrangements are made whereby the inked design roller and
also the inking cylinder are rotated at the same surface speed as the copper
cylinder to be engraved, the design roller bearing against the copper cylinder.
When the pattern on the design roller has been printed once round the copper
cylinder, the design roller is shifted along the copper cylinder so as to transfer the
next repeat, and so on till the required number of the repeats has been printed on
the copper cylinder. The copper cylinder is then removed and etched by the usual
agents after which it is ready for placing in the printing machine.

page_text: As a modification we might make the so called design roller of steel, and after
the transference of the design thereto by the indicated means, the said roller might
be etched and case hardened so as to form a milling roller from which the design.
is transferred in the usual manner to the copper cylinder.
In some cases instead of a transferring cylinder, we might use a flat plate
bearing the design and caused to traverse in contact with the copper cylinder
the apparatus being furnished with inking rollers which ink the design for each
traverse or repeat. The copper roller thus treated is afterwards removed and
etched as usual.
As a further modification of the foregoing processes and where it desired to
produce prints of designs having gradations of light and shade, such for example
as photographs from Nature or from some shaded design, a gelatine mould or
Woodbury film is made and a metal electro taken therefrom, which electro is
levelled, hardened and is then placed against a soft metal roller which it indents
with the design, so that when hardened the indented roller constitutes a mill to
transfer the design to the copper cylinder.
Dated this 20th day of November 1894.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Methods of and in Apparatus for Engraving
and Preparing Rollers and Surfaces, with the Aid of Photo-
graphy, for Printing upon Calico, Paper, and other Fabrics and
Materials.
We CHARLES ANTHONY BURGHARDT of 35 Fountain Street, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Analytical Chemist, and HENRY MELLER of
2 Churchill Street, Manchester, aforesaid, Photo-engraver, 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 and
accompanying drawings
:-
Our said invention relates to improvements in the methods of and in apparatus
for transferring and engraving designs to and upon rollers and surfaces for printing
upon calico, paper and other fabrics, substances and materials, with the aid of
photography.
The following description is illustrated by three sheets of drawings.
Fig. 1 on Sheet 1 shows an apparatus for placing a photo-lithographic transfer
print upon a transferring roller.
Figs. 2 and 3 on Sheet 2 show an apparatus for transferring from the transfer
roller to the copper cylinder.
Fig. 4 on Sheet 3 shows an apparatus for transferring from a flat plate instead of
a roller to the copper cylinder.
In carrying our invention into effect we first prepare the design and obtain a
photographic negative therefrom. A print is then taken from the negative upon
a film of bichromated gelatine or bichromated gelatine and albumen or bichromated
albumen having a foundation of glass, paper, zinc or other suitable flat body. The
print is then developed, and inked in the customary manner with the ordinary acid
resisting ink so as to produce a photo-lithographic transfer.
We then proceed to place this photo-lithographic transfer print upon the
transferring roller, a process which is effected by such means for example as are
illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.
We might utilise the shears and poppet heads of a turning lathe for example,

page_text: the shears being marked a the fixed head band the shifting head c. The trans-
ferring roller d is placed on a mandril e and hung between the centres of the lathe
beads as shown.
Upon the ordinary slide rest or upon a substitute therefor, we secure a box
frame which carries in vee slides an outer rest 9. This rest g is capable of being
raised and lowered by means of the shaft h, which is operated by bevel gear from
the hand wheel i.
The shaft carries two bevel wheels which gear with similar bevel wheels j¹ on
the lower ends of two right and left screw shafts k. The said screw shafts k engage
with two nut projections & extending from the fixed box frame f and also revolve in
snugs m projecting from the movable outer rest g. Slots are formed in the sides of
the rest 9, to enable it to clear the nut projections in rising and falling.
Thus it will be seen that by turning the hand wheel i the rest g can be raised
and lowered. Upon the rest g we carry the slide n formed with a rack o which
gears with a toothed spur wheel p carried on a hollow sleeve p¹ in and out of which
slides a shaft p², the shaft p² remaining in its position while the hollow sleeve pl
rises and falls with the rest g. The shaft p² is so connected to the sleeve by a slip
feather and groove as to permit of this rising and falling while constantly driving
the sleeve. The foot of the shaft p² carries a bevel wheel g' connected by slip
feather and groove with a horizontal shaft q which can be driven in one direction
or the other by operating a slide rod which operates an ordinary reversing
motions at the ends of the shears so that the shaft q can be run in either direction
at will. The reversing motion is connected by gearing to a toothed bevel wheel sl
on the end of the spindle of the fast head b. Thus it will be seen that by operating
the slide rod r we can reciprocate the slide n to and fro. The shaft q might carry
a pulley communicating motion by a belt to a pulley on the mandril of the transfer
roller and thus or by other suitably arranged connecting gearing, the slide and the
transfer roller might be made to move positively at exactly the same surface speed.
We prefer however in this arrangement to dispense with connecting the shaft q to
the mandril of the transfer roller and depend merely upon the frictional contact of
the transfer roller d and the transfer print or block to rotate the roller.
The transfer print or block vis clamped to the slide bed n, a pad or blanket
being preferably interposed between the transfer block and the slide bed. The
slide bed is now raised by revolving the hand wheel i until the transfer block vis
powerfully pressed against the transfer roller d. We now operate the machine by
the hereinbefore described means and roll the transfer print below and against the
roller. By this means the design on the block vis transferred to the roller or
rather to the gelatine coating or film on the roller. The operation it may be stated
is performed in a dark room by the light of the ordinary photographers' lamp or
other suitable lighting apparatus.
The roller d having thus received the design is now exposed to light so as to
render insoluble all parts of the film not bearing the design and is developed in
water. The roller is now in a fit state to transfer the design to the copper cylinder.
The apparatus for thus transferring the design to the copper cylinder is illustrated
by Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 is a plan. We provide a head A having centres B to take the transfer
roller d. The same head. A carries an inking roller C with ink trough D, the
inking roller and trough being adjustable against the transfer roller d by screws E
passing through the back of the head.
The head A is mounted in slides on a saddle F which is arranged to slide on the
lathe or other shears a.
The saddle F has a projecting nut snug F1 through which a screw G passes,
lying parallel with the shears and by means of which the saddle can be moved
along the shears. The head A can be slid inwards and outwards towards and from
the copper cylinder X by means of the screw and handwheel H. The copper
cylinder X is carried in centres above the shears, for example it might be carried
in the centres of the ordinary fixed and shiftable poppet heads of a lathe. If.

page_text: desired a damping roller might be arranged above the transfer roller d so as to rest
on it. By means of the screw and hand wheel H the transfer roller d can be pressed
with any desired degree of pressure against the copper cylinder X. Suitable
driving arrangements are or may be made whereby the inked transfer roller and
also the inking roller are rotated at the same surface speed as the copper cylinder X.
When the mechanism has been adjusted and set in motion and the pattern on the
transfer roller d has been printed once round the copper cylinder X, the transfer
roller is withdrawn from the cylinder by the screw H and is drawn along by the
screw G until opposite a blank portion of the copper cylinder, when the transfer
roller is again advanced so as to transfer the next repeat and so on successively
until the required number of repeats have been transferred to the copper cylinder.
The copper cylinder is then removed and etched by the usual agents after which it
is ready for placing in the printing machine.
As a modification we might make the transfer roller of steel and after this
transference of the design thereto by the indicated means the said roller might be
etched and case hardened so as to form a milling roller from which the design is
transferred by pressure in the usual manner to the copper cylinder.
In pursuance of the same principle instead of making the flat transfer block of
zine for example we might make it of steel and after placing the film thereon we
might treat the steel plate and etch it by the usual means and then case harden the
steel plate. We would then roll the design from the plate upon a soft steel milling
roller and after hardening the latter, use it as a milling tool to roll and impress the
design upon the copper cylinder.
In some cases instead of a transferring cylinder we might use a flat plate bearing the
design and caused to traverse in contact with the copper cylinder, the apparatus being
furnished with inking rollers which ink the design for each traverse or repeat. An
apparatus for effecting this is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The copper
cylinder X is carried between the centres of the fixed and shiftable heads bc of a
lathe for example. The flat plate or block Y bearing the design is clamped to the
slide of the arrangement for carrying and reciprocating the block. This arrange-
ment is identical with the arrangement already described with reference to Fig. 1
therefore it will be unnecessary to repeat the description here. The belt t from
the pulley on the shaft q passes around the end of the copper roller the object
being to make the surface speed of the roller X exactly the same as the surface
speed of the block Y. Before the block Y passes beneath the copper roller, it
must be inked on each occasion so as to leave its imprint on the roller. At each
repeat the block Y and slide are moved along the shears a by means of the screw w
and handwheel w¹ so as to bring the block Y opposite to a blank portion of the
copper cylinder X. When the copper roller has been covered by a series of
transfer repeats it is removed from the apparatus and etched in the usual manner.
Although we have described and illustrated what we at present consider to be
suitable mechanism for carrying our invention into practical effect it must be under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to this as we are aware that mechanism very
different in design and even more efficient for the purposes might be produced and
employed by skilled mechanicians without however departing from our real
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is.
1. The new or improved process or processes for engraving and preparing calico
printers rollers and other similar printing surfaces with the aid of photography
substantially as described and shown.
2. Placing a photo-lithographic transfer print upon a transferring roller from a
flat surface and rolling the design from the said transferring roller in a series of
repeats upon a copper printing cylinder and afterwards etching the copper cylinder
in the manner and substantially by the means herein before described and shown.

page_text: 3. Transferring an inked design from a flat plate or block to a copper cylinder
by causing the said flat plate or block to traverse in contact with the copper
cylinder, a sufficient number of repeats being rolled upon the copper cylinder to
cover the same if required and the copper cylinder being afterwards etched, all
substantially as described and shown.
4. The production of a steel milling roller for milling or engraving a copper
cylinder from a photographically etched and hardened steel plate or other photo-
graphically obtained hard superfices the design on which is transferred to the
softened steel milling roller, the latter being then hardened and used to transfer
the design to the copper cylinder substantially as described and indicated.
Dated this 20th day of August 1895.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, Chartered Patent Agents,
For the Applicants.