for Stereotype Plates and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1885

page_text: for Stereotype Plates and in Apparatus therefor.
I FRANCIS BERNARD WELCH of Manchester Chambers, Market Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the preparation or construction of matrices for
stereotype plates and in apparatus therefor and has for its object to enable the
matrices to be produced in less time than at present.
The Improvements consist in compressing the sheet or sheets of paper upon
the surface of the forme or other object by means of fluid pressure alone or in
conjunction with the means ordinarily employed.
Various
The forme or other object is laid upon a metallic or other table or frame and the
sheet or sheets of paper are laid thereon as in existing processes. The upper
surface of the forme or other object is then enclosed within a cover hood or
chamber which may be made fluid tight and the interior of the cover hood or
chamber is put into communication with a source of fluid pressure.
precautions and devices may be adopted for securing the essential application of
the fluid pressure upon the upper surface of the paper only. Thus, the forme or
other object may be ventilated if it is not already pervious to such fluids as may
be employed, in such a manner that the air or other fluid between the surface of
the forme or other object and the paper may escape or the air may be exhausted
from the cover hood or chamber before the application of the fluid pressure.
I prefer to employ for the fluid under pressure dry atmospheric air or a mixture
of atmospheric air and superheated steam as these facilitate the drying of the
paper but other fluids such as dry steam or ordinary atmospheric air or in some
cases liquids under pressure may be employed.
Instead of enclosing the upper surface of the forme or other object I may obtain
the fluid pressure upon the upper surface of the paper by enclosing the lower
surface or part of the forme or other object and by exhausting the air therefrom.
In this case the bedding of the paper by atmospheric pressure may be assisted by
the application of a brush in the usual manner and the drying of the paper may
be facilitated by passing a current of warm or dry or dried air over it.

page_text: The operations hereinbefore described may be repeated when it is desired to
obtain a greater thickness for the matrix or additional sheets of paper may be
applied in the ordinary manner to the matrix obtained according to these
Improvements.
Dated this thirtieth day of September in the year of Our Lord one thousand
for Stereotype Plates and in Apparatus therefor.
I FRANCIS BERNARD WELCH of Manchester Chambers, Market Street, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical 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:—
This invention relates to the preparation or construction of matrices for
stereotype plates and in apparatus therefore and has for its object to enable the
matrices to be produced in less time than at present. The improvements consist
in compressing the sheet or sheets of paper upon the surface of the forme or other
object by means of fluid pressure alone or in conjunction with the means ordinarily
employed.
In order that my invention may be more readily ascertained and understood,
I have hereunto appended a sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference.
One method of carrying my invention into effect consists in applying fluid
pressure greater than atmospheric pressure for compressing the sheet or sheets of
paper upon the surface of the forme or other object by means of an apparatus
similar to that shown by figure 1. The forme or other object a is laid upon a
metallic or other table or frame b and the sheet or sheets of paper c are laid
thereon as in existing processes. The upper surface of the forme or other object
is then enclosed within a cover, hood or chamber d, which can be made fluid tight
against the surface of the forme and paper by indiarubber or other packings e e.
The cover d is shown on the drawing to be fitted with an inlet pipe f with a
swivel joint and pressed upon the packing by a screw g passing through a bow h
fixed to the table or frame 6 by bolts ȧ, but any other convenient arrangement for
making the cover removable and pressing it upon the packing may be employed.
In some cases I attach the cover d to the piston rod of a piston working in a
cylinder fixed above the cover to a standard bolted to the table or frame b, and

page_text: raise and lower it by admitting hydraulic or other fluid pressure below and above
the piston as required, and use a telescope or flexible pipe connection for the inlet
pipe f which allows of those movements of the cover. When the cover b has been
made tight, the interior of the said cover is placed into communication with a
source of fluid pressure through the pipes fand k. Various precautions may be
adopted for securing the application of the fluid pressure to the upper surface of
the paper. Thus the paper may be placed under the indiarubber packing as shewn
and the forme or other object may be ventilated if it is not already so and the
table or frame b provided with perforations as shewn on figure 1 in such a manner
that the air from between the paper and the surface of the forme or other object
may escape. Or the air may be exhausted from the hood cover or chamber before
the application of the fluid pressure. In that case the table or frame 6 is covered
underneath with a sheet of indiarubber or with a plate packed round the edges to
close the communication of the perforations in the table or frame b with the
atmosphere and the forme or other object made air tight upon it by indiarubber
or other suitable packing, and the paper is not extended underneath the packing
for the hood d. The air is then exhausted from the hood and the forme or other
object, after which the fluid under pressure is admitted to the hood and the
covering underneath the frame removed simultaneously. I prefer for the fluid
under pressure dry atmospheric air, which may be procured in any ordinary or
known manner, for instance by passing the air over sulphuric acid, or a mixture
of atmospheric air and superheated steam, as these facilitate the drying of the
paper, but other fluids such as dry steam or ordinary atmospheric air under
pressure or in some cases liquids under pressure may be employed.-In some cases
I obtain the fluid pressure upon the upper surface of the paper by enclosing the
lower surface or part of the forme or other object and by exhausting the air from
under the paper. Two arrangements for carrying out this method of preparing
matrices for stereotype plates are shown by figures 2 and 3 respectively. The
arrangement shown by figure 2 is employed when atmospheric air under atmo-
spheric pressure is used as the compressing fluid. The forme or other object a¹
is placed upon a frame or casing b¹ closed except at the top and the paper c¹ placed
upon the top of the forme or other object al. Indiarubber or other suitable
packing is placed between the forme a¹ and the casing b¹ and similar packing may
be placed round the edges of the forme over the paper and an open frame d¹ placed
on the top of this and the joints made tight by clamps e¹ and screws f¹ in order to
prevent air being drawn under the paper when the air is exhausted from the
casing b. In some cases when a forme or other level surface has to be stereotyped,
the frame d' and its packing and the clamps may be dispensed with, as the air
pressure will in such cases make the joints sufficiently tight. A perforated plate h¹
is placed underneath the forme or other object and the forme or other object are
ventilated if they are not naturally ventilated. The casing is connected by the
pipe g to an air pump or equivalent apparatus and as the air is exhausted from
the chamber the atmospheric pressure on the top of the paper c¹ presses it upon the
forme or other object. The bedding of the paper may in this case be assisted by
the application of a brush in the usual manner and the drying of the paper may
be facilitated by passing a current of warm or dried air over it.
Figure 3 shows the arrangement of the apparatus when other fluids than
atmospheric air at atmospheric pressure are to be employed with the arrange-
ment for exhausting the air from under the paper. In this case instead of the
frame d' shown on figure 2 a cover, hood or chamber d similar to that described
with reference to figure 1 is placed upon the top of. the forme and paper and inade
tight in any convenient manner as herein before described with reference to
figure 1. The air is exhausted from the chamber or casing b³ through the pipe g*
as in the herein previously described arrangement and the fluid admitted to the
top of the paper through the pipes f' and k³. Any of the fluids bereinbefore
enumerated with reference to the arrangement shown on figure 1 may be used at
atmospheric or other pressure with this herein lastly described arrangement.

page_text: The operations herein before described may be repeated when it is desired to
obtain a greater thickness for the matrix or additional sheets of paper may be
applied in the ordinary manner to the matrix obtained according to these
improvements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the details of the arrangements shewn
on the drawings for carrying my invention into effect, but I declare that what
I claim is:
Firstly. The preparation of matrices for stereotype plates by compressing the
sheet or sheets of paper upon the surface of the forme or other object by fluid
pressure substantially as hereinbefore described.
Secondly. The preparation of matrices for stereotype plates by compressing the
sheet or sheets of paper upon the surface of the forme or other object by fluid
pressure greater than atmospheric pressure on the top of the paper substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to figure 1.
Thirdly. The preparation of said matrices by compressing the sheet or sheets of
paper upon the surface of the forme or other object by atmospheric pressure alone
or in combination with the means ordinarily employed for preparing said matrices,
substantially as described with reference to figure 2.
Fourthly. The preparation of said matrices by exhausting the air from under
the sheet or sheets of paper and compressing said sheet or sheets of paper upon the
surface of the forme or other article by fluids under atmospheric or other pressure
acting on the top of the paper, substantially as herein before described with
reference to figure 3.
...1.. 001l.
T
An 7000
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.