IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRINTING FLOORCLOTHS AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN WRIGHT, of 13 Townsend Place, Kirkcaldy, in the County of Fyfe,
North Britain, Floorcloth Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRINTING FLOORCLOTHS AND
OTHER FABRICS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My said Invention relates to machinery of the kind described in the Specification
of a Patent obtained by me and dated 19 October 1870, No. 2749; and consists of
improvements in various arrangements and details whereby the machinery is
made to operate more satisfactorily and advantageously.
Rollers with raised printing surfaces are used in the machinery to which my
Invention relates; and an entire piece of the fabric to be printed is stretched on n
large cylinder or drum which is of a width corresponding to the width of the
fabric. The printing rollers are of a length corresponding to a fourth or other.
convenient aliquot part of the width of the fabric and drum, and they are carried
on a frame which is moved across the width of the drum after printing each part
of the width of the fabric.
The frame carrying the printing rollers with their accessories is fitted to slide
upon a horizontal bench; and one important part of the present Invention consists
in combining two or more large drums in one machine with a single printing-
roller frame and a bench on which this frame can be moved from one drum to the
other. With this arrangement, whilst the printing rollers are operating on a piece
of fabric on one drum, a printed piece can be removed from another drum and a
fresh unprinted piece be placed thereon, thereby effecting a considerable saving of
time.
The other improvements comprised in the present Invention will be most
readily understood with the aid of explanatory Drawings of which two sheets are
hereunto appended. Figure, 1, on Sheet, 1, of those Drawings is a front elevation
and Figure, 2, on Sheet, 2, is an end elevation; and the same reference letters and
numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
The large drums of which there are two, D 1, D2, in the example delineated
are carried on shafts, 3, which are separate but in the same horizontal line; and
the drums are driven by separate gearing consisting in each case of a pinion, 4;
...nli

page_text: gearing with an internally toothed ring on one end of the drum. Each pinion, 4,
is fast on a shaft, 5, having on it fast and loose pulleys, 6, for a driving belt
from a pulley on a first-motion shaft, 7. Each drum, D1, D2, is made with a
recess, 8, at one part of its circumference and this recess instead of being quite
narrow as formerly is made somewhat greater in extent than the space occupied
by the printing rollers, P, in order to give more convenient access to these rollers
and to allow of their being moved across without being drawn back. At each end
of the recess, 8, there is a roller, 9, for holding and tightening the fabric, each
roller, 9, being armed with projecting points to take hold of the fabric, and as it is
of small diameter being supported by intermediate bearings, 10, whilst at its ends 1
it has ratchet wheels and pawls for holding it after turning it to stretch the
fabric. The fabric is put on in the manner described in the earlier Specification
herein before referred to.
The printing rollers, P, of which there are 6 in the example delineated but
which may be varied in number in different machines, are carried by a movable 1
frame, F, consisting of side standards, 11, connected by tie rods, and bolted down
upon a sole, 12, which is fitted like a lathe slide or saddle, to slide upon a
horizontal bench, 13, extending in front of the two drums, D1, D2. The
frame, F, is moved by means of a rack, 14, fixed along the middle of the bench,
there gearing with the rack a pinion on a shaft, 15, carried by the frame, F, and
driven by bevil wheels, 16, from a longitudinal shaft, 17, the bevil wheel on which
is fitted with a feather and groove to move along the shaft with the frame.
The shaft, 17, has at each end fast and loose pulleys, 18, for a driving belt from a
pulley on the first-motion shaft, 7; and hand gearing, 19, is fitted in connected
with the shaft, 15, carried by the frame, F, for moving this frame by hand when
required.
My improved arrangements for driving the printing rollers, P, are considerably
modified from those delineated and described in my earlier Specification herein-
before referred to. A frame piece, 20, fixed by means of studs to one of the side
pieces, 11, of the frame, F, is formed with bearings for short spindles opposite the
ends of the rollers, P, and on the outer ends of these spindles there are toothed
or sprocket wheels, 21, which are driven by means of a pitch chain, 22, (indicated
by a peculiarly dotted line in Figure, 2). This pitch chain, 22, passes round
various guide pulleys, 23, 24, and is driven by a toothed or sprocket wheel, 25,
which is movable with the frame, F, along a shaft, 26, and is fitted to the shaft
with a groove and feather. The shaft, 26, has at each end of it a pinion, 27,
gearing with a spurwheel, 28, on a shaft, 29, which has also on it a pinion, 30,
gearing with the toothed ring of the drum, D1, D2; and with these arrangements
the shaft, 26, and through it the printing rollers, P, are driven from whichever of
the two drums the printing rollers are operating on. Engaging and disengaging
clutches, not shown in the Drawing, are provided for putting the different parts of
the gearing into or out of action as required.
The toothed or sprocket wheels, 21, driven by the pitch chain, 22, are not fast on
their spindles but are adjustable thereon by means of the usual worm wheel and
tangent-screw device for securing the proper registering of the patterns of the
different rollers; and the spindles have fast on their inner ends disks or arms with
pins, 31, for acting on arms on the spindles of the printing rollers, P, this arrange-
ment allowing of the adjustment of the printing rollers more or less near the
surface of the drum or fabric. The printing rollers, P, are carried and adjusted in
the ordinary way and have in connection with them the usual accessory parts for
supplying color or paint, these accessories being partly shown in the Drawings in
connection with the top printing roller, but supposed to be removed in the cases of
the other printing rollers.
When either of the drums, D 1, D2, is in motion and the fabric on it is being
printed, the motions are automatically stopped on a turn of the drum being
completed, the drum being then brought into the position in which it is shown in
Figure, 2. The stopping details being at the inner end or face of the drum are

page_text: indicated by dotted lines, and comprise a pin, 32, fixed in the drum which acts on
a lever, 33, centered on a stationary horizontal axis. The lever, 33, is in a vertical:
position, when the pin, 32, begins to acts on it and is turned over until (when the
drum starts again) the pin can pass over the end of it. The lower arm of the
lever, 33, is connected by a link to a horizontal bellcrank, 34, centered on a vertical
pin, the other arm of this bellcrank being connected to a horizontal rod, 35, which
can move in the direction of its length (parallel to the axis of the drums). At a part
of the rod, 35, there is a depression, 36, (Figure, I,) which, when the rod is moved
through the action of the drum pin, 32, on the lever, 33, comes under a weighted
lever, 37, previously supported by the rod, and this weighted lever, 37, thus
becomes free to descend a slight distance. In thus descending, the weighted
lever, 37, by an arm, 38, on the other side of ita fulcrum lifts up a frictional
brake, 39, against the outer surface of the toothed ring of the drum and assists
in bringing the drum to rest. At the same time the rod, 35, by means of a fork, 40,
shifts the driving belt from the fast to the loose pulley, G, on the shaft, 5, which
drives the drum. For starting either drum again hand levers are arranged in
convenient positions and act upon the rod, 35, through suitable connections, which
are not shown.
Between each turn of the drum (excepting when it is considered necessary to
make the printing rollers act more than once on each part of the fabric) the
frame, F, is moved along the bench, 13, so that the printing rollers may operate on
a fresh part of the cloth. In Figure, 1, the frame, F, is shown as about midway
between its second and third positions and as moving towards the right hand. The
movement of the frame, F, is started by means of a hand lever, but is stopped
automatically on the frame reaching its next position. For this purpose the
fork, 41, which moves the driving belt from the fast to the loose pulloy, 18, is fixed
on a rocking shaft, 42, which bas also fixed on it a lever, 43, connected to a rod, 44,
which is placed in guides under the front edge of the sole, 12, of the frame, F.
Arms, 45, are fixed on the rod, 44, at proper points, and are in the way of a
projection, 46, formed or fixed on the under side of the sole, 12; so that as tho
fraine, F, moves along the projection, 46, encounters one of the arms, 45, and
through it moves the rod, 44, so as to cause the shifting of the driving belt from
the fast to the loose pulley, 18. When the frame, F, reaches its proper position a
weighted catch, 47, jointed to it engages in a hole provided for the purpose in the
top of the bench guide and prevents the frame from moving further. On the
frame, F, having to be moved again the catch, 47, has to be raised, and the rod, 44,
has to be turned by means of a hand lever, 48, to take the arm, 45, out of the
way of the projection, 46.
I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein before described or shown in
the accompanying Drawings provided that the distinctive features of my Invention
are retained; these being 1. the combination of two or more large drums upon
which the fabric to be printed is fixed with one set of printing rollers carried by a
frame which is movable on a guide bench into different positions in front of the
drums; 2. the gearing and arrangements for driving the drums combined with
the automatic stopping details; 3. the gearing and arrangements for moving the
printing-roller frame combined with the automatic stopping details; 4. the
combination of the endless pitch chain for driving the printing rollers with
the arrangement of the wheels which the pitch chain acts on and the accessory
details; 5. the making of the recess in each drum of somewhat greater extent
than the space occupied by the printing rollers.
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. The combination of two or more large drums upon which the fabric to be
printed is fixed with one set of printing rollers carried by a frame which is movable
on a guide bench into different positions in front of the drums substantially as
hereinbefore described.

page_text: 2. The gearing and arrangements for driving the drums combined with the
automatic stopping details substantially as herein before described.
3. The gearing and arrangements for moving the printing-roller frame combined
with the automatic stopping details substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The combination of the endless pitch chain for driving the printing rollers
with the arrangement of the wheels which the pitch chain acts on and the accessory
details substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The making of the recess in each drum of somewhat greater extent than the
space occupied by the printing rollers substantially as and for the purposes
herein before described.
Date: W
1
ET 1004
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.