MACHINE FOR ENGRAVING FROM PATTERN
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN IMRAY of No 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the county
of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patont Agent do hereby declaro tho
nature of my invention for "MACHINE FOR ENGRAVING FROM PATTERN" to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to a machine for producing engraved plates copied from a
pattern plate to variable scale. The pattern plate has its hollow engraved parts
tilled in with non-conducting enamel and is fixed on a slide which is made, by a
cam motion from a driving shaft, to reciprocate under metal terminal of an
electric circuit. The blank plates to be engraved are also fixed on slides recipro
cating in time with the pattern slide under gravers, which are pressed down on the
plates by springs, but which have attached to them armatures of electromagnets,
that have their coils in circuit with the terminals above mentioned. As the pattern
plato passes in each stroke under the terminal, electric contact is made while the
terminal is passed by the metallic or raised parts of the plate, and the electro-
magnets being thus excited, attract their armatures and raise the gravers off
the blank plates. But, while the sunk parts of the pattern plate, filled with non
conducting material, pass the terminal, the electromagnets remain inert, and the
gravers act on the blank platos cutting hollows corresponding with those of the
pattern. As the gravers are suited for cutting only in one direction, the movement
of the plates in that direction is comparatively slow, but the return inovement is
effected more rapidly as in a planing machine, and during that return movement
the electrical current is maintained by a contact segment on the driving shaft of
the machine, so that the gravers are held off the plates during the back stroke. At
each reciprocation, the plate slides are moved a little laterally by screws worked by
ratchet and pawl action, so that the contact terininal and the gravers act at each
stroke along fresh lines of the plates parallel to the lines along which they
previously acted. When exact copies of the pattern are to be made, the slides
have the same length of stroke and the same extent of lateral movement at each
reciprocation. But, by altering the lengths of tho levor arms which work the
slides, the lengths of their respective strokes can be proportioned as desired, and by

page_text: means of change wheels, gearing together, the screws that give the lateral movement
of the slides, their lateral traverse at each reciprocation can be proportioned as
desired; and thus copies can be made to various scales, and also to different scales
in respect of either length or width, or both dimensions.
The machine in its simplest form carries only two slides, one for the blank plate
and one for the pattern, but it may be made with a number of slides so that a
number of plates can be engraved simultaneously.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.
.COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
I, JOHN IMRAY, of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare 1
the nature of my invention for "MACHINE FOR ENGRAVING FROM PATTERN
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 my invention is to provide a machine that will automatically
engrave a plate or block in intaglio and relief from a model or pattern previously
prepared. The engraving on this plate or block may be the same size as that on
the pattern, or be reduced or enlarged, or be inade disproportionate, as desired. In
its general construction my machine comprises two carriages or moving beds, each
of which has, by preference, two movements at right angles to each other. One
carriage bears the pattern or model under a metallic point, and the other bears the
The sunken lines
block or plate to be engraved under a burin or engraving tool
in the metal pattern or model are, by preference, filled with enamel or other hard
non-conducting material, and the metallic point which passes over its surface forms
part of an electric circuit, which circuit is broken by the passage of the point over
the said enainel. An electro magnet in the circuit is arranged to act on the burin,
which is attached to its armature, so that when the circuit is closed by contact of
the metallic point with the raised metallic lines of the pattern, the armature is
attracted, and the bruin raised out of contact with the plate to be engraved; but
when the said point rests on the enamel, which represents the sunken lines, the
circuit will be broken and the burin will be pressed down upon the plate by a
spring or weight, and will engrave the same. Means are provided for reciprocating
the carriages bearing the pattern and plate, for preventing the burin from resting
an the plate while it is being retracted or moved in one direction for feeding the
plates laterally, and for varying the relations between the movements of the two
carriages, whereby the figure engraved may vary in size and proportion from the
pattern. All of these will be liereinafter referred to.
My machine may be simple-that is to say, it may be constructed to engrave but
one plate at a time from the pattern, or it may be arranged to engrave several
plates at once from one pattern or model.

page_text: In the drawings I have shewn my machine-in its simple form in Figs. 1 to 7,
Fig. 1 being a front view of the same; Fig. 2, a plan; Fig. 3, an elevation of the
right hand side of the machine, and Fig. 4 an elevation of the left hand side of the
machine. Fig. 5 is a cross-section substantially on line 55 in Figs. 2 and 6; and
Fig. 6 is a section of one end of the machine, taken substantially on line 66 in
Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the pattern or model, shewing the enamel in
the recesses.
Movement is imparted to the machine from any suitable motor through the
medium of a belt-pulley, A, on a shaft, M, rotatively mounted in bearings B B on
frame W. On the shaft M is fixed a cam or eccentric, C, which bears on an anti-
friction roller, a, mounted on a carriage or slide, D, which plays in keepers b b.
The slide D is coupled to a lover, F, by means of a connecting-rod, E, the coupling--
pins cc on the ends of which engage, respectively, slots in the slide D and lover F,
(see Fig. 3) whereby the movement may be regulated. The rod E may also be
regulated as to length by a coupling. The lever F is mounted to oscillate on an
axis, G, and to its upper extremity is coupled a connecting-rod, d, the other end of
which is coupled to the carriage H, which bears the pattern or model y, from which
the engraving is to be made. This pattern moves under a metal point, e, which is
borne on the end of a pivoted lever, f, to the other ond of which is attached a
coil-spring, g. The point e is supported in an arın or bracket, k, which is insulated
from the metal frame of the machine by insulating material L.
To the carriage H is coupled a connecting-rod, I, the other end of which rod is
coupled to the free extremity of an arm, J, pivoted to the top of a post or
column, K, or some part of the frame. This arm has a slot, h, the margin of which
is graduated, (see Fig. 2,) and the carriage H₁, which bears the plate to be engraved,
has also a slot, h¹, with a graduated margin. A connecting-rod, L, couples the
arm J to the carriage H', tho coupling-pins of said rod taking into the slots h and h¹,
as shewn. Thus motion is imparted by the cam C to both of the carriages H
and H. The carriage H' moves under a burin, e¹, which is borne by a pivoted
lever, f¹, and the burin is kept normally depressed by a spring, g'. The lever flis
borne by an arm or bracket, A, insulated from the metal frame of the machine by
insulating material . The lever f¹ is an armature-lever, and over it is mounted
an electro-magnet, m. It will be obvious that if the magnet m be excited the
armature-lever f' will be attracted, and the burin e' raised or lifted free of the
plate to be engraved, which plate is borne by the carriage H, and this will take
place whenever the metallic point e touches a metallic portion or raised line of the
pattern borne by carriage H.
✗ represents the battery, and 11 the wires forming the electric circuit. The
current entering the frame of the machine cannot pass to the point e through arm k
by reason of the insulation 1, but may pass by way of the metal pattern borne by H
whenever any portion of same contacts with e. The current then passes through
e, f, and g and wire 1 to the electro-magnet, and thence to one pole of the
battery X
The engraving is effected while the cam C is acting to move the carriages.
When the point of the cam has passed tho roller a, the parts are quickly retracted
by a spring N, attached at its upper end to a column K and at its lower end an
arm, n, attached to the axis or shaft G of lever F. During this period of the
return movement of the carriages the burin e must be raised. This I effect by
sending an electric current through a contact plate or spring, o, which rests on a
wheel, o, on the motor-shaft M, which wheel is a conductor only in that fraction
of its revolution which corresponds to the return movement of the carriages.
I will now describe the mechanism for effecting the feed or lateral movement of
the carriages H and H, which is effected during the return movement of the
latter.
To avoid complexity, I have heretofore simply referred to the carriages H and H'
by letter. In order to obtain the necessary compound movement, the carriages are

page_text: of a somewhat complex construction, which is best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.
As both carriages are substantially alike, I will only minutely describe one.
a' is a plate which reciprocates in keepers in the bed of the main frame W. To
this plate is coupled the rod d.
b' is a bed mounted to slide transversely across a', and in keepers therein. This
bears the pattern y. The lower pendent part of bod 61 is dovetailed to slide on a
bed, c', when the carriage is reciprocated, and c¹ is dovetailed to slide laterally of
the machine on a fixed bed-piece, d. On c' is a pendent nut, c, which is engaged
by a feed-screw, O, whereby lateral motion is imparted to bed b¹, while at the samo
time this bed is free to be reciprocated through the medium of plate a¹. The
several parts a, b, c, and ell comprises the carriage H.
The screw O, which actuates the carriage H, is provided (see Fig. 4) at the end
of the machine with a ratchet-wheel, P, which is rotated intermittently by a
pawl, p, pivoted to an arm, p¹, hung loosely on the axis of the wheel P, and
connected by a rod, Q, with an adjustable crank, q, on the main shaft M. This
adjustable crank enables one to regulate the feed. Fixed on the same shaft with
the ratchet-wheel P, is a toothed wheel, r, which meshes with another toothed
wheel; r, on a shaft, R, which extends across to the other side of the machine. On
the other end of the shaft R (see Fig. 3,) is fixed a gear-wheel, 8, which drives
scrow through a gear wheel, 8', fixed on its end, and through intermediate gear-
wheels, 82, mounted in a slotted radially-mounted swinging arm T. This arm
permits the use of change-wheels in order to vary the lateral feed of carriage H¹.
By varying the position of the rod L along the slots h¹ the amount of
longitudinal movement of the carriage H' with respect to that of carriage H is
varied, and by changing the wheels & the amount of lateral movement or feed of
the carriage H' with respect to that of carriage H is varied. This enables the
operator to vary the proportions of the engraved plate with respect to the pattern
very considerably. To illustrato, if the pattern shews a circle, the engraving made
from it may present the form of an ellipse.
The
Instead of being single this machine may be of multiple arrangement. The
construction will be identically the same as with the single machinc.
articulated arin J actuates by means of an adjustable rod, the carriage H' which
carries the plates to be engraved. These, which are 4, 5, 6 etc. in number, are in
front of as many burins e¹, each combined with an electro-magnet. These burins
could all be carried by a single transverse beam actuated upon by a single electro-
nagnet. A machine might also be arranged in which the graduated or pro-
portioned lever J would actuate at variable points of its length, rods connected
to several carriages; by providing each of these carriages with a feeding screw
of variable speed. Objects of different forms and dimensions might be simul-
taneously engraved from a single pattern. In order to reproduce by means of the
described machine the smallest details of the engraving, the point of the tracer must
be very fine, from which a rapid destruction of this would result if the current
passing through the point and the engraved pattern is to be sufficiently strong for
actuating the burin working on the object to be engraved. In order to obviate
this inconvenience only a weak current is employed to pass through the tracer and
the engraved pattern which current is employed to act upon a relay establishing a
contact between a strong point and an eccentric so as to close an electric circuit of
greater intensity sufficient to actuate the engraving burins. Fig. 8, is a front view
of the multiple machine with six burins provided with this system of relay;
Fig. 9, is a side view and Fig. 10 a plan. Fig. 11 shews in detail the mechanism
of the relay establishing the closure of the electric circuit acting on the burin or
burius. When the engraved pattern of the carriage A is in contact by means of
one of its metallic parts with the tracer B2, a weak electric current passes through
the contact screw J, the wire Z³, the bobbins a² a of the electro-magnets
and the relay C³, the wire D', the contact screw E and the frame F' supporting
the tracer B insulated from the other part of the frame, the carriage A, and
the whole framing of the machino. At this moment the electro-magnets of the
"

page_text: relay C attract their armature 6 which, rocking on the axis c³, establishes an
energetic contact between the point C³ and the eccentric H situated on the driving
shaft of the machine By this contact the circuit of the battery I is closed and
its electric current passes through the screw.J', the wires K³ K', the electro
magnets LL, the burins e e³, the wire M², the screw N connected to the
framing O' on which is articulated the armature b* supporting the point G³, and
the eccentric H³ in electric communication with a screw P³ by means of the whole
framing of the machine. The framing of the machine and the screw P' are con-
nected to one of the poles of the battery 1' while the other pole of this battery is
connected to the screw J. During the whole of the time that this electric circuit
is established, the burin or burins e³ are raised and do not act upon the object to be
engraved, but as soon as the tracer B* passes over an enainelled part of the
engraved pattern, the current ceases to act in the electro-magnets of the relay C³
and the armature B, not being any longer attracted, no current will pass through
the bobbins of the electro-magnets L and the metal object to be engraved which
moves under the burin or burins will thus be engraved thereby. The bobbins of
the electro-magnets of the relay C' are wound with a very fine wire which offers a
great resistance to the passage of the current, and the cores of these electro-magnets
are also very fine. Thus the current passing between the tracer B' and the
engraved model A' will be of very weak intensity, so that the point of the tracer
can be very fine without becoming rapidly deteriorated. As in the simple machine
without relay previously described, the burin or burins e³ are raised during the
backward motion of the carriage or carriages d' carrying the object to be engraved,
by means of a contact blade T insulated from the framing but connected by a
wire U² to the screw which is in electric connection with the tracer B. This
contact T touches the driving shaft V₁ upon a washer which is only of conducting
material, in a part equal to that fraction of a revolution corresponding to the back-
ward movement of the carriages. On the other hand the shaft V2 is connected to
the carriage A that carries the engraved pattern by means of a wire W². Instead
of employing the eccentric H' for closing the electric circuit actuating the burins e³,
an eccentric H could be employed which would close the circuit when the
armature 6 of the relay C is not attracted and would thus produce a negative
engraving of the engraved pattern travelling under the tracer B³
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. An engraving-machine comprising a carriage for the pattern or model, and a
carriage for the plate to be engraved, both having a longitudinal reciprocating and
a lateral movement, means, substantially as described, for imparting the movement
to said carriages, a burin arranged over the plate to be engraved and normally
depressed into contact with the plate by a spring, an electro-magnet arranged and
adapted to lift said burin when electrically excited, an electric circuit of which
said electro-magnet forms a part, a metallic point in said circuit arranged to press
upon the pattern or model, and said pattern or model made from some conducting
material, and its raised lines adapted to be brought into contact with the metallic
point, and thus close the electric circuit, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. The combination, in an engraving-machine, of a carriage for the pattern or
model and a carriage for the plate to be engraved, said carriages having each a
longitudinal reciprocating and a lateral movement, mechanism, substantially as
described, for imparting the proper movement to the said carriages, a burin
arranged over the plate to be engraved, and electrical means, substantially as
herein described, for regulating the operations of the burin, whereby it is made to
engrave a design similar to that on the pattern, substantially as set forth.
3. In an engraving-machine, the combination, with the carriages H and H¹, and
the means, substantially as described, for imparting to them the proper motions, of

page_text: the metallic point e, the burin e, the imagnet in, the battery, the wires, and other
parts forming the electric circuit, and tho means, substantially as described, for
Faising the burin free from the plate when the carriages are retracted, substantially
as set forth.
4. In an engraving-machine the combination of the main shaft, the cam C; the
frame D, the lever F, the connecting rod E, the carriage H, connecting rod d,
arm J, rod I, carriage H, rod L, and means, substantially as described, for retracting
said carriages, all arranged to operate substantially as set forth.
5. In an engraving-machine, as a means for feeding the carriages laterally, the
combination of tho said carriages, tlie feed-scrows O O, the shaft R, the ratchet-
wheel Pi pawl p, the means, substantially as described, for operating said pawl, the
gear-wheels, the gear-wheels ass and the intermediate gear-wheels, 8², all
arranged to operate substantially as set forth.
6. The combination of the carriage H, the carriage H, provided with a slot,
the arm J; provided with a slot, h, the rod I, and the adjustable rod L, all arranged
to operate substantially as set forth.
7. The herein described multiple arrangement of the engraving-machine, whereby
several objects can be engraved from one and the same pattern.
: