Letterpress Printing Apparatus.
Year: 1884

page_text: Letterpress Printing Apparatus.
I CHARLES POLLARD of the firm of George Mann and Company of 22 Malvern
Road and "Paragon Works" Elland Road Leeds in the County of York Printers
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN LITHOGRAPHIC, ZINCOGRAPHIC METALOGRAPHIC, OR LETTERPRESS PRINTING
APPARATUS, to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a result equal to "flat-bed" printing at
a quick speed, and with perfect register, such as is desirable for fine colour work
in any number of printings. A further advantage being that the apparatus may
be used for "proving or obtaining impressions and transfers by hand, or other
power instead of the usual press. The invention consists of the arrangement and
combination of the following parts. The Cylinder is preferably of cast iron, turned
perfectly true, and provided with longitudinal or other grooves in which are secured
blocks of wood or other suitable material adapted to receive the screws or fasteners
of the lithographic, stereotype, electrotype or other plates or printing surfaces which
may of course be of various sizes. The requisite inking, distributing, and damping
rollers are attached in the ordinary manner to suit the periphery of cylinder or
printing surface attached thereon.
Where a flat traversing bed with moveable grippers is employed for supporting
and carrying the sheets whilst receiving impression of subject from cylinder, the said
bed is mounted above a segment, and is fed over by means of the ordinary loose
wheels struck off by the usual pawl and levers, the segment engaging with the
underside of the bed plate and carrying it back to its normal position. If a curved
feeding bed is preferred, it may be secured to or made to form part of the said
segment, the radial arms of which being in either case so pivoted and actuated by
the driving mechanism, that the paper or sheet to be printed upon the curved
feeding bed is brought against the cylinder at the proper time to meet the impres-
sion from printing plates thereon, the bedplate subsequently returns to receive
another sheet to be similarly printed.

page_text: The gripper fingers are adjustably secured to the bed plate in such a position
with relation to the cylinder that a perfect register may be obtained without
altering the printing plates, the paper or sheets being thus fed to the bed plate
and not to the cylinder.
A pivoted take off apparatus provided with grippers receives the sheet when
printed, and delivers it, printed side uppermost without turning it over or without
the intervention of tapes.
Improvements in Lithographic, Zincographic, Metalographic, or
Letterpress Printing Apparatus.
I CHARLES POLLARD of the firm of George Mann and Company of 22 Malvern
Road and "Paragon Works" Elland Road Leeds in the County of York Printers 1
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN LITHOGRAPHIC ZINCOGRAPHIC METALOGRAPHIC, OR LETTERPRESS PRINTING
APPARATUS, 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 obtain a result equal to "flat-bed" printing at 2
a quick speed and with perfect register, such as is desirable for fine colour work
in any number of printings. A further advantage being that the apparatus may
be used for "proving" or obtaining impressions and transfers by hand or other
power instead of the usual press. The invention consists of the arrangement and
combination of the following parts, reference being made to the accompanying
drawings which form part of this specification, and in which
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 an end elevation.
Fig. 3 a plan of the coffin or bed. Fig. 4 an end view of one of the loose spur
wheels and Fig.
an elevation of said wheel and portion of the cylinder. The
cylinder S is preferably of cast iron, turned perfectly true and provided with
longitudinal or other grooves in which are secured blocks of wood or other suitable
material adapted to receive the screws or fasteners of the lithographic, stereotype
electrotype or other plates or printing surfaces which may of course be of various
sizes.

page_text: The cylinder S is carried in bearings G secured to or forming part of the frame-
work A of the machine, of which B represents the cross rails and C the cast iron
foundation which tends to make the machine rigid during quick work. The flat
traversing coffin or bed plate D is provided with adjustable grippers W and on to
this bed plate the sheets are fed, instead of feeding them to the cylinder as is
customary. Said bed plate may be mounted above a segment and fed over by
means of the ordinary loose wheels struck off by the usual pawl and levers, the
segment engaging with the underside of the bed plate and carrying it back to its
normal position, or if a curved feeding bed is preferred, it may be secured to, or
made to form part of the said segment, the radial arms of which being in either.
case so pivoted and actuated by the driving mechanism that the paper or sheet
to be printed upon the curved feeding bed brought against the cylinder at the
proper time to meet the impression from printing plates thereon, the bed plate
subsequently returning to receive another sheet to be similarly printed. By experi-
ment I find however that it is preferable to support the bed plate D on bowls or
runners as at E E which are in turn carried by frames ell el. F indicates the feed
board. H the roller brackets. The main driving shaft T is provided with suitable
pulleys V V and transmits its motion through gear wheels L K and K to the
cylinder S. Moving forward and backward with bed plate D, are spur wheels Q
which engage with racks R secured to or forming part of said bed plate. Pinion L
on shaft T further imparts motion to pinion L" which through their shaft transmit
motion to two pairs of bevel wheels M the upper wheel M being secured to the
driving shaft N on which is keyed a pinion O which drives endless rack P secured
to the underside of the bed plate D. By the action of said pinion O on rack P
the bed plate is after printing returned home to receive the sheet next to be printed
and this arrangement is used for reversing the travel of the bed plate D at half
revolution of cylinder S so that the bed can be fed again whilst the cylinder is
making the other half revolution. On the plate or web of the spur wheel Q, and
on the inner side or that next to the cylinder end is mounted a Tee lever a working
loosely on a stud b.
In the plate or web is a slot c through which one end of the Tee lever can pass.
The cylinder S is provided with solid ends which carry pawls d so arranged that
one end of the Tee levers will strike them and both spur wheels and cylinder will
go round together a half revolution when as the bed plate is caused to return by
the action of mangle rack P the spur wheel Q will be taken back with it the Tee
lever a leaving the pawl d which it will press down and pass while revolving in
the reverse direction to cylinder S spring e causing pawl d to resume its proper
position. The lug f which is cast on the inner side of the web of the wheel Qis
to afford support and prevent the head of the Tee lever being broken off when
striking the pawl. A small spiral spring g is fixed on the outer side of the web of
the spur wheel and is attached to that end of the Tee lever which projects through
the slot, its purpose being to prevent the lever working loosely in the slot.
spur wheels are always in gear with racks R on the bed plate and as during
printing they travel with the cylinder an accurate and regulated register of the
two are ensured and this is an important feature. The shaft N is carried in suitable
bearings U as shown. The gripper fingers W are adjustably secured to the bed
plate in such a position with relation to the cylinder S that a perfect register may
be obtained, without altering the printing plates, the paper or sheets being thus
fed to the bed plate and not to the cylinder.
As
Gear K-actuates levers i j the latter being pivoted at h and carrying the
gripper finger or flyer rod k. The gripper fingers are caused to open and close
at the proper moments by means of their connected arms me coming in contact with
adjustable strikers n and as the rodsk lide in grooves o an accurate travel is
obtained-The grippers take the sheet from the bed plate and deliver it printed
side uppermost upon the table Y and this without turning it over and without the
intervention of tapes.

page_text: 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. In lithographic, zincographic, Metalographic or letter press printing apparatus,
the combination with the bed plate, of suitable grippers to which the material to
be printed is fed, the printing surfaces being secured to the cylinder substantially
as described.
2. In lithographic, zincographic, Metalographic or letter press printing apparatus,
the combination with the bed plate of an endless rack and mechanism for engaging
therewith and adapted to reverse the travel of the bed plate at half revolution of
the cylinder, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In lithographic, zincographic, metalographic or letter press printing, the feeding
of the sheets to the bed plate instead of to the cylinder substantially as described.
4. In lithographic, zincographic, metalographic or letter press printing apparatus
the combination with the bed plate upon which the sheets are printed, with a
pivoted take off apparatus provided with grippers which will receive the sheet
when printed and deliver it printed side up without turning it over and without
the intervention of tapes substantially as described.