IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CALENDERING OR HOT-PRESSING PRINTED SHEETS OF PAPER
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CALENDERING OR HOT-PRESSING
PRINTED SHEETS OF PAPER." A communication from abroad by Cyrus
Chambers, junior, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd June 1881.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CALENDERING OR HOT-PRESSING PRINTED SHEETS OF PAPER." [A communi-
cation from abroad by Cyrus Chambers, junior, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.]
The object of this Invention is to provide improved machinery for calendering or
hot-pressing printed sheets of paper damp from the press, the construction and
arrangement of the calendering rollers being such as will enable the relative
amount of pressure exerted upon the middle and edges of the sheet to be regulated
with exact nicety, so that the sheet will be subjected to an even pressure in every
part, and come from the rolls smooth and flat, and free from those, wrinkles which
often occur in paper calendered in the ordinary manner. I also provide devices for
keeping the rolls and paper clean, and other features of improvement hereinafter
described.
If a wide sheet of paper is pressed between plain calender rolls set together with
sufficient force to take out the impressions of the type, the rolls will spring apart
in the middle and will not properly calender the middle of the sheet.
Paper in the roll or pile of sheets when dampened for printing naturally bags
slightly in the centre, owing to the drying taking place most rapidly near the
edges of the pile or roll. If passed in this condition between parallel calendering

page_text: rolls made exactly cylindrical, it has a tendency to crease proportioned to the
difference in dryness, and hence in length, between the edges and the middle portion
of the sheet. With a view to overcome these difficulties calendering rolls are
commonly made barrel-shaped, i.e., having a larger diameter in the centre than at
the ends. Such a construction is open to the objection that there is no provision
for adjustment to enable it to compensate for the varying irregularity of different
sizes and kinds of paper under different relative conditions of moisture and tension
as to the centre and edges. It could, in fact, only meet perfectly the requirements
of a single case, leaving the evil in all others but partially remedied.
In a calendering machine constructed according to this Invention I make use of
rolls turned truly cylindrical, and I regulate the relative degree of pressure and
impelling force between the middle and ends by giving to the axes of the rolls a
slight and adjustable inclination to each other. It is obvious that by this arrange-
ment the greatest pressure and impelling force acting upon the interposed sheet is
at the middle of the rolls, decreasing by a regular and even gradation towards
either end, the amount and rapidity of the decrease depending upon the angle
of inclination of the axes, being greatest when the inclination is greatest, and
vice versa.
By this device a wide sheet requiring a heavy pressure throughout the whole
length of the rolls, and consequently subjecting the rolls to the greatest spring, may
be most heavily calendered in the middle by setting the rolls at a greater angle.
If a narrow sheet is to be calendered the pressure required is not so great, and
hence there is less spring on the rolls, and they may be set at a less angle, and the
pressure remain uniform throughout the width of the sheet.
When the sheets are longest in the middle, from defective manufacture or unequal
drying, the tendency to wrinkle may be overcome by applying the greatest
pressure on the edges; and when the edges are longest and the sheet tight in the
middle, wrinkling may be prevented by applying the greatest pressure in the
middle.
The tendency of sheets of paper to wrinkle in calendering may also be lessened
by starting the two outer edges between the rolls in advance of the centre, so that
the two outer edges would tend to separate as the sheet passes between the rolls,
and the sheet be held flat at every part of its course. My Invention embraces a
device for this purpose.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a bed plate, which with
two uprights and their caps form the frame, which supports the journal-boxes for
the rollers and the other working parts. On one end of the driving shaft there is
a pulley, and on the other end of said shaft there is a pinion which gears into a
wheel on the journal of the upper roll. On this journal is a gear-wheel which
engages with and drives a gear-wheel on the journal of the lower roll.
The two rolls are of chilled iron, ground as true and smooth as possible, and
having a core bored out through the journal opposite to that to which the gearing
is attached, and extending throughout the length of the roll. This core is for the
admission of steam to heat the rolls to a uniform temperature throughout. The
steam enters through horizontal branches of a small tube. These branch pipes
extend nearly to the bottom of the core, but do not revolve with the rolls, being
held in position by reducing crosses in a larger upright pipe. A short sleeve
connects the journal ends of the rolls with a pipe and a stuffing box in the ends
of the rolls, and makes a steam tight joint in the ordinary way. The water of
condensation is carried off through the sleeve and pipe. The journal-boxes of the
lower roll can be adjusted horizontally so as to throw that roll out of line with the
upper one, for the purpose herein before described, by means of set screws in the
uprights. The amount of pressure that the upper roll is to exert on the paper is
regulated by wedges with set screws located in the uprights under the journal boxes,
and by springs and set-screws in the caps of the uprights.
-
On the driving shaft at the top of the machine is a worm which gears into a
worm-wheel on the outside of the left hand frame, which has a crank-pin giving a

page_text: vibrating motion to a vertical lever by means of a connecting rod. In this lever
are fastened two pins, one above and the other below its fulcrum. These pins give
a horizontal vibrating motion to two scrapers, one for each roll, by means of collars
on the shafts of said scrapers. Their function is to remove any ink or dirt that
may adhere to the rolls while the printed paper is passing between them. These
scrapers are thin steel blades ground perfectly true on the edge which comes in
contact with the roll. The journal boxes for the upper scraper are fastened to the
inside of the uprights. The bearings of the lower scraper are fastened to the
journal boxes of the lower calender roll, so that the scraper shall move with
the roll, and not get out of line when the lower roll is placed at an angle with
the upper one. The scrapers are held up to their work against the rolls by means
of ball weights on levers fastened to the scraper-frames. The upper scraper has its
edge bevelled to allow the sheet to slide past.
The lower scraper has a series of fingers rivetted at intervals on the top of the
upper clamping bar, which bear the sheet off from the blade and prevent the
lower side of the sheet from becoming soiled. The ink and dirt scraped from
the rollers will collect in the angle between the blade and bar and may be readily
removed.
A table on which the paper is fed to the rolls rests in the front on a brace of
cast-iron which is fastened to the uprights and connects them as a girder. The
front-edge (towards the rolls) of this brace is curved to the radius of the upper
roll. Behind this curve is a mortise, in which the front section of the feed table is
held to its place by a tenon. This intermediate piece of the feed-table has a
similar mortise in its rear edge to receive a tenon by which the feed table proper is
united to it. This front-section of the feed-table can be taken out when it is not
required. Its function is, by means of its rise and central swell, to raise the
forward end of the sheet when approaching the rolls, and when the end has
entered the bite of the rolls to raise up the centre of the-sheet just back of the
forward edge and take up all the slack of the paper, so that the paper when entering
the rolls is stretched in both directions and free from wrinkles. In passing the rolls
the paper is subjected to a lateral strain, to which it. yields to an extent measured
by the amount of the "bagging" added to its natural elasticity, but sufficient to
correct any contorsions it may have received from irregular drying or from being
"
cross cut or stretched by the type-impressions.
(
Should the paper not be "baggy," but have the opposite fault of being long on
the edges and tight in the middle, the said front section would not be required, and
should be removed and a plain section substituted for it, or the table moved up till
the tenon on its front edge enters the mortise at the brace, when the sheet will be
fed directly from the table to the rolls.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Harris Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st December 1881.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CALENDERING OR HOT-PRESSING PRINTED SHEETS OF PAPER." A communi-
cation from abroad by Cyrus Chambers, junior, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
The object of this Invention is to provide improved machinery for calendering
or hot-pressing printed sheets of paper damp from the press. The said Invention
partly consists in such a construction and arrangement of the calendering rollers
as will enable the relative amount of pressure exerted upon the middle and edges
of the sheet to be regulated with exact nicety, so that the sheet will be subjected
to an even pressure in every part and come from the rolls smooth and flat, and
free from those wrinkles which often appear in paper calendered in the ordinary
manner.
It further consists in devices for keeping the rolls and paper clean, and in other
novel features of improvement hereinafter described.
If a wide sheet of paper is pressed between plain calender rolls set together with
sufficient force to take out the impressions of the type the rolls will spring apart
in the middle and will not properly calender the middle of the sheet.
Paper in a roll or pile of sheets when dampened for printing naturally bags slightly
in the centre owing to the drying taking place most rapidly near the edges of the
pile or roll, and if it is passed in this condition between parallel calendering rolls
made perfectly cylindrical it has a tendency to crease proportionately to the
difference in dryness, and hence in the distance between the edges and the middle
portion of the sheet.
With a view to overcome these difficulties calendering rolls are ordinarily made
barrel-shaped, that is to say, they have a larger diameter in the centre than at
the ends. Such a construction is open to the objection that there is no provision
for adjustment to enable it to compensate for the varying irregularity of different
sizes and kinds of paper under various relative conditions of moisture and tension
as to the centre and edges. It could in fact only meet perfectly the requirements
of a single case, leaving the evil in all others but partially remedied.
In my improved calendering machine I make use of rolls turned truly cylindrical,
and I regulate the relative degree of pressure and impelling force between the
middle and ends by giving to the axes of the rolls a slight and adjustable
inclination towards each other. It is obvious that by this arrangement the greatest
pressure and impelling force acting upon the interposed sheet is at the middle of the
rolls, decreasing by a regular and even gradation towards either end, the amount
and rapidity of the decrease depending upon the angle of inclination of the axes,
being greatest when the inclination is greatest, and vice versa.
By this device a wide sheet requiring a heavy pressure throughout the whole
length of the rolls, and consequently subjecting the rolls to the greatest spring,
may be most heavily calendered in the middle by setting the rolls at a greater
angle. If a narrow sheet is to be calendered the pressure required is not so great,
and hence there is less spring on the rolls, and they may be set at a less angle, the
pressure remaining uniform throughout the width of the sheet.
When the sheets are longest in the middle, from defective manufacture or
unequal drying, the tendency to wrinkle may be overcome by applying the greatest

page_text: sure on the edges, and when the edges are longest and the sheet tight in the
dle wrinkling may be prevented by applying the greatest pressure in the
dle.
he tendency of sheets of paper to wrinkle in calendering may also be lessened
starting the two outer edges between the rolls in advance of the centre, so that
two outer edges would tend to separate as the sheet passes between the said rolls,
the sheet be held flat at every part of its course. My Invention embraces a
ice for effecting this purpose.
[y improved calendering machine is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
pressure on the edges, and when the edges are longest and the sheet tight in the
middle wrinkling may be prevented by applying the greatest pressure in the
middle.
The tendency of sheets of paper to wrinkle in calendering may also be lessened
by starting the two outer edges between the rolls in advance of the centre, so that
the two outer edges would tend to separate as the sheet passes between the said rolls,
and the sheet be held flat at every part of its course. My Invention embraces a
device for effecting this purpose.
My improved calendering machine is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of the delivery side of my improved machine.
Figure 2 is an end elevation partly in section, and
Figure 3 a top view of one end of the same.
Figure 4 is a detached top view of the rollers with their axes inclined to each
other.
Figure 5 is an end view of the said rollers inclined.
Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent detail views of the said machine.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
A represents the bed-plate of the said machine which with the two upright
housings H, H, and their caps D form the frame which supports the journal-
boxes K', K2, of the rollers R, R', and the other working parts. The pulley P on
one end of the shaft E indicates the point of application of the driving power, and
on the other end of the said shaft is a pinion F which gears into a wheel G on
the journal of the upper roll R. On this journal is a gear-wheel I which engages
with and drives a gear-wheel K on the journal of the lower roll R'. The said
rolls R, R', are of chilled iron ground as true and smooth as possible, and have a
hole C bored through their journals J opposite to their ends at which the gearing
is attached, and extending throughout the length of the roll, as shown in dotted
lines in Figure 1. This hole is for the admission of steam to heat the rolls to a
uniform temperature throughout. The steam enters through the horizontal
branches e, e, of a small tube T. The said branch pipes extend nearly to the end
of the hole C, but do not revolve with the rolls, being held in position by reducing
crosses c, c, in a larger upright pipe P¹, as clearly shewn in Figure 1. A short
sleeve S connects the journal ends of the rolls with the pipe P, and a stuffing
box B in the ends of the said rolls makes a steam tight joint in the ordinary
manner. The water of condensation is carried off through the said sleeve S and
pipe P¹.
The journal-boxes of the lower roll can be adjusted horizontally, so as to throw
that roll out of line with the upper one, for the purpose hereinbefore described, by
means of set-screws L in the housings, see Figures 1 and 2. The amount of
pressure which the upper roll is to exert on the paper is regulated by wedges M, M,
with their set-screws g located in the housings H under the journal boxes K', and
by springs N and set-screws Q in the caps of the housings.
On the driving shaft E at the top of the machine is a worm W, which gears
into a worm-wheel V on the outside of the left hand frame, the said worm-wheel
having a crank-pin p giving a vibrating motion to a vertical lever U by means of
a connecting rod r. In this lever U are fastened two pins b, b, one being above
and the other below its fulcrum a. These pins give a horizontal vibrating motion
to two scrapers X, X', one for each roll, by means of collars on the shafts f, f, of
the said scrapers. Their function is to remove any ink or dirt that may adhere
to the rolls while the printed paper is passing between them. These scrapers X, X¹,
are thin steel blades ground perfectly true on the edge which comes in contact
with the roll. The journal-boxes for the upper scraper X are fastened to the
inside of the housings, while the bearings of the lower scraper X1 are fastened to
the journal-boxes K³ of the lower calender-roll R¹, so that the said scraper X' shall
move with the said roll and not get out of line when the same is placed at an
angle with the upper roll. The scrapers are held up to their work against the

page_text: rolls by means of ball weights Y placed on levers fastened to the scraper frames:
The upper scraper X has its edge bevelled to allow the sheet to slide past.
The lower scraper ✗¹ has a series of fingers g₁ rivetted at intervals on the top of
the upper clamping bar, which fingers bear the sheet off from the blade X', and
prevent the lower side of the sheet from becoming soiled. The ink and dirt
scraped from the rollers will collect in the angle between the blade X¹ and the said
clamping bar, and may be readily removed.
The table Z, from which the paper is fed to the rolls, rests in the front on a
brace B' of cast iron, which is fastened to the housings H, H, and connects them
in a similar manner to a girder. The front edge towards the rolls of this brace is
curved to the radius of the upper roll, see Figure 6, and behind this curve is a
mortise m in which the front section O of the feed-table is held to its place by a
tenon t. This intermediate piece of the feed-table has a similar mortice m¹ in
its rear edge to receive a tenon by which the feed-table proper is united to it.
This front-section O of the feed-table is chamfered off laterally and longitudinally,
and can be taken out when it is not required; its form is clearly shewn in
transverse section in Figure 6 and in Figure 7. The function of the said section O
is by means of its rise and central swell to raise the forward end of the sheet when
approaching the rolls, and when the end has entered the bite of the rolls to raise
up the centre of the sheet just at the back of the forward edge, and take up all the
slack of the paper, so that the paper when entering the rolls is stretched in both
directions and free from wrinkles. In passing between the rolls the paper is
subjected to a lateral strain, to which it yields to an extent measured by the
amount of the "bagging" added to its natural elasticity, but sufficient to correct
any contortions it may have received from irregular drying, or from being cross
cut" or stretched by the type impressions. Should the paper not be "baggy," but
have the opposite fault of being long on the edges and tight in the middle, the
section would not be required, and should be removed and a plain section
substituted for it, or the table Z moved up till the tenon t on its front edge enters
the mortise m of the brace B¹, when the sheet will be fed directly from the table to
the rolls.
<<
The operation of the machine has been sufficiently indicated in the description
of its construction.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,-
First. In a machine for calendering paper the combination with a roller turning
in fixed journal-boxes, of a roller having its journal-boxes adjustable horizontally
for giving the rollers a variable inclination to each other, all substantially in the
manner and for the purpose above set forth.
Second. In combination with the rolls of a calendering machine, the vibrating
scrapers applied to the surface of the said rolls by ball-weights or their equivalents
on the scraper-arms, and operated by the lever U, substantially as above set
forth.
Third. The combination of the worm, the worm-wheel, the crank-pin p, the rod r,
the lever U, the pins b, b, and the scraper-shafts, all as above set forth and for the
purpose specified.
Fourth. The combination with the journal-boxes K' of the wedges provided
with adjusting screws g, and the spring provided with the set screws Q for
regulating the pressure of the rollers upon the paper, as above set forth.
Fifth. In combination with the feed-table of a calendering machine, the removable
section provided with the curved swell chamfered off laterally and longitudinally,
as described and shewn for taking up the "bag" or slack of the paper, and feeding
it without wrinkling to the rolls, all as above set forth.
Sixth. The combination of the brace, the table, the section O, and the rolls, all
.constructed, arranged, and operating as and for the purpose above set forth.

page_text: Seventh. The combination of the scraper X¹ with the journal-box of the laterally
adjustable roller, for the purpose specified.
Eighth. The combination with the scraper X' of the fingers, arranged and
operating as and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harris Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
HENRY H. LAKE. (L.S.)