Improvements in the Manner of Continuously Rotating Printing Machine Cylinders.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 21st Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
Improvements in the Manner of Continuously Rotating Printing
Machine Cylinders.
WILLIAM HENRY DAWSON ALLAN PARKER DAWSON and JAMES STOTT
Engineers Otley Yorks do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention, relates to a new, and novel combination of mechanism, for
continuously rotating printing machine cylinders, in one direction in connection
with a reciprocating table. The object of the invention, being the attainment of
a much higher rate of speed, than has hitherto been possible in this class of
machine, by freeing the table entirely, of the work, it has hitherto performed, in
the starting, stopping, or reversing, of the cylinder.
In carrying the invention into effect, we mount a reciprocating table with racks,
of sufficient, length to engage with the cylinder when in printing operation, over
which we place the cylinder of a suitable size, (in the usual way in fixed or rising
and falling bearings) to make one or more revolutions, (as may be desired), to every
complete travel of the table. That is when the table has completed one forward
and backward movement.
The cylinder being fitted with wheels, or segments, with a sufficient number of
teeth to engage with the rack on the table, when it is going in the same direction
only, the cylinder is also provided with a wheel, outside, (or segment of a wheel);
the bearings secured to the cylinder shaft which engages with, or is geared with
gearing receiving rotary motion, from any convenient part of the machine, and
lixed in any suitable position, so as to gear with the cylinder when not in printing
operation. When the invention is applied to a two revolution cylinder machine,
the wheel engaging with the rack on the table, or the wheel inside the bearings, is
secured to the cylinder in such a manner, that it carries the cylinder with it during
the forward stroke of the table, and runs loose on the shaft during its backward
stroke, or if permanently fixed, the cylinder is lifted entirely clear of the rack,
during the backward stroke of the table.
The operation is as follows, immediately the table commences the forward stroke,
which is in the same direction as the cylinder is revolving, and has travelled a
short distance, it engages with the cylinder, which is at the saine instant liberated
from the gearing outside the bearings, which leaves it in full command of the rack
on the table, while in the operation of printing, thus the cylinder inakes the same
surface speed as the table, at this period of its motion. The cylinder is thus
controlled by the table, until near the end of the forward travel, when it is again
liberated and taken up by the outside gearing, leaving the table entirely free to
reverse.
By this arrangement, a greater speed is attained than heretofore, and the
cylinder being during the process of printing in perfect control of the table all slur
is obviated.
WILLIAM HENRY DAWSON.
ALLAN PARKER DAWSON.
JAMES STOTT.

page_text: Improvements in the Manner of Continuously Rotating Printing
Machine Cylinders.
We, WILLIAM HESHY DAWSON, and ALLAN PARKER Dawson. of Ashfield
Foundry, Otley, in the County of York, and JAMES STOTT, of the same place,
Printers Engineers, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to continuously rotate the impression cylinder or
cylinders of a printing machine in one direction only, by a novel combination of
toothed gearing so arranged that, the jarring and vibration of the cylinder, caused
by the stopping, reversing auri starting of the table is obviated, and to so arrange
the gearing that, when an impression is being taken, the cylinder taking the same
is operated by wheels gearing with racks on the travelling table as hitherto, but
after an impression is taken for the cylinder to engage with, and the rotation
continued by gearing having a continuous rotary motion, such genring being
absolutely free of the racks on the table, and of such form as to drive the cylinder
until another impression is to be taken, when the cylinder is driven by the racks,
and thus by our novel combination of cylinder driving mechanism, free the table of
all jarring and vibration consequent of the stopping, starting or reversing of the
cylinder, all of which operations the table has hitherto hnd to perform, and which
las materially reduced the speed of the machine.
In describing our invention in detail, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings in which
Fig. I represents such portions of a front elevation of a printing machine as are
required to show our invention, which is added thereto.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, and
Fig. 3 shows how the gearing may be applied for driving a two cylinder printing
machine.
Similar letters represent similar parts where they appear.
In enrrying the invention into effect, the reciprocating table A. is mounted and
operated in the manner as hitherto, and is provided with racks B. and C. of
sufficient length to engage with spur wheels B and C at the respective ends of
the cylinder D. during the operation of printing.
The cylinder D. is mounted in bearings and raised and lowered in the usual
manner, and may be of such diameter as to make one or more revolutions in one
direction for one complete forward and backward movement of the table A.
When the impression is being taken on a single cylinder machine such as shown
by Fig. 1, the teeth of the spur wheels B and C are in gear with the respective
razks B. and C. secured to the table A, the cylinder D. is therefore in control of
the table and driven at the same surface speed, but immediately before the table A.
arrives at the end of its forward stroke, the teeth of the segment wheel E. mounted
on a stud or short shaft F. and driven by wheel G. gearing into wheel H. will come
into gear with wheel secured on end of impression cylinder shaft K. and
continue the rotation of the cylinder in the same direction for the remainder of the
forward and the entire return stroke of the table A. and until the wheels B' and C¹
at the ends of the cylinder are again in gear with the teeth of the mcks B. and C.
on the table.
The wheel B is mounted loose on the cylinder shaft K. and is free to revolve in
one direction without operating the cylinder D, but when the table A. is moving
in the direction for taking an impression, the said wheel is engaged with the
cylinder D. and assists in driving the cylinder in a well known manner, by means

page_text: of a catch of the ordinary description, such as is commonly used on the class of
printing machines known as the "Wharfedale"
The wheel Cat the opposite end of the cylinder D. is secured to the cylinder or
shaft K. and is formed with teeth considerably shallower and preferably of finer
pitch than in the wheel B' so that when the cylinder D. is raised, on its return or
backward stroke, the teeth of the wheel C are clear of those in the rack C. thus
allowing the cylinder D. to be driven by the segment wheel E. in its continuous
course and independent of the racks on the table.
The cylinder D. is raised and lowered by the operation of the rod L. and ordinary
mechanism, and is lowered immediately before the segment E. is out of gear with
the wheel J. secured on cylinder shaft K. placing the teeth of the fixed wheel C
in gear with the teeth in the rack C. thus ensuring the cylinder D. and table A.
to have the same relative position to each other each time an impression is
taken.
In case the spur wheels B and C at the ends of the cylinder D. are secured to
the same, or to shaft K, then on the return or backward stroke of the table A. the
cylinder 1. is lifted until the teeth of both wheels are clear of the teeth of the
racks on the table, and lowered on the forward stroke before any part of an
impression is taken or the segment wheel E. out of gear with wheel J.
When applying our invention to a two cylinder machine, the cylinders are
arranged with wheels similar to those before mentioned B and C and are raised
and lowered in the usual manner. The two cylinders are geared together by spur
wheels J and J secured on the respective cylinder shafts K. and the motion to the
cylinders when out of gear with the racks on the table A. is continued at the
required intervals by the teeth of the wheel segment E. engaging with the teeth of
the wheel J, the toothed parts of the segment wheel E. being of such length and
so arranged as to come into gear with the wheel J when the table A. is near the
termination of its stroke at each end, and thereby continue the rotation of the
cylinders until the reversal of the stroke of the table, and the latter and cylinders
attained the same surface speed by the wheels B' and C gearing with the respective
racks of the table A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,
1. The operation of a printing cylinder D. by gearing controlled by the table A.
during a portion of its stroke and by other gearing acting intermittently on the said
cylinder and independent of the said table during the completion of the forward
and backward stroke of the table.
2. In a printing machine having two impression cylinders geared by spur
wheels J and J and operated during a portion of the stroke of the table by racks
combined with a wheel segment E. arranged substantially in the manner and for the
purpose set forth.
11 41%. DoTh
1. 1007