An Improved Guillotine Cutting Machine for Paper, Cardboard, and other Materials.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 25th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 29th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Guillotine Cutting Machine for Paper, Cardboard, and
other Materials.
We BENJAMIN HOOKER, FREDERICK HOOKER and HENRY HOOKER, all of
Pear Tree Court Farringdon Road London E.C. Engineers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This our invention relates to an improved guillotine cutting machine and consists
in the construction combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described.
Our invention relates more particularly to a machine for cutting paper card or
other material and the object of our invention is to utilize fluid pressure for the
purpose of operating or imparting motion to the clamping and cutting devices.
In carrying our invention into practice we construct the framing of the machine
substantially in the usual manner employed in machines constructed for this
purpose. The clamping mechanism also is similar to that commonly employed and
has a diagonal vertical movement within guides in the side framing of the machine
but in order to a cusure a vertical pressure on the surface of the paper or other
material to be cut we provide directly beneath the clamp a bar which rises and falls
vertically and whose upper face carries anti-friction rollers, so that the clamp in its
descent slides over said bar and thus the diagonal motion of the clamp is converted
into the required vertical movement of said bar for clamping the paper.
To operate the clamping and cutting devices we make use of mechanism which
consists of a hydraulic cylinder the ram or plunger of which is connected to the
said clamp and knife carrier. The said cylinder is arranged beneath the table or
bed of the machine and the longitudinal axis is parallel to the direction of the
movement of the clamp and knife.
The ram or plunger of said cylinder is provided at its outer end with a suitable
centre on which is mounted a transverse rocking arm which extends on either side
of the ram, one end of said arm being loosely connected to the end of the clamp by
a suitable rod and the other end of the arm by a similar rod to one end of the knife
carrier.
The cylinder is provided with an inlet and escape valve of the ordinary pattern
the rod of which is extended and carries adjustable stops to control the admission
and cut off the supply of fluid to the cylinder as hereinafter described.
To operate the machine fluid is supplied to the cylinder from any hydraulic
accumulator which may be found desirable it being understood however that the
fluid pressure required may be obtained from any convenient source without.
affecting the subject of our present invention.
The fluid entering the cylinder forces out the ram carrying out with it the
transverse arm thereby causing the clamping bar and cutting knife to descend
simultaneously the clamping bar being however adjusted slightly in advance of the
knife edge. When the clamping bar arrives on the paper or other material under
operation its descent is arrested thereby causing the end of the rocking arm to
which it is connected to remain stationary but the ram continuing its descent or
outward movement oscillates the rocking arm thus causing the knife through its
connecting rod to continue its descent and effect the cut. When the knife reaches
its lowest point the valve is moved and the fluid allowed to act on the other face of
the plunger thereby returning the ram and again raising the knife and clamp ready
for a fresh cut.

page_text: The valve rod as before mentioned carries adjustable stops to control at will the
travel and timing of the valve and is operated by a bar attached to the knife carrier
and parallel to the valve rod the said bar carrying an adjustable arm which strikes
the stops on the valve rod and thus opens and closes the valve.
The knife carrier is further connected to the clamp by means of a spring latch
which retains the pressure on the clamping bar by the continued descent of the
knife carriage until the "cut" is commenced when the latch is released.
Various minor modifications may be effected in the machine without departing
from the spirit of our invention.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1895.
An Improved Guillotine Cutting Machine for Paper, Cardboard, and
other Materials.
We BENJAMIN HOOKER FREDERICK HOOKER and HENRY HOOKER all of
Pear Tree Court Farringdon Road London E.C. 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 :-
This our invention relates to an improved guillotine cutting machine for paper
cardboard and other materials and consists in the construction combination and
arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.
Our invention consists of a machine for cutting paper cardboard or other
materials in which the force required for operating the clamping and cutting
devices is obtained by means of an hydraulic pressure ram which is connected by
suitable means to the said clamp and cutting knife.
In order that our invention may be more readily understood reference is made to
the accompanying drawings which illustrate a guillotine constructed in accordance
with our invention parts of the machine being removed to shew the essential
features of the invention.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the machine.
Fig. 2 is a back view of the upper part of same shewing the clamp and locking
device hereinafter described.
The frame A of our improved machine is substantially of similar design and
construction to that hitherto employed in machines of this description being
provided with guides in the side frames or standards for the vertical movement of
the clamp B and knife carriage C which rise and fall therein in the ordinary and
well known manner.
The hydraulic mechanism for operating the clamping and cutting devices consists
of a cylinder D the ram or plunger of which is connected to the said clamp B and
knife carriage C in the manner to be described.
The said hydraulic cylinder D is arranged beneath the bed or table of the machine
and the longitudinal axis of the said cylinder is parallel to the direction of the
movement of the clamp and cutting knife as shewn."
The ram or plunger E of the cylinder D is provided at its outer end with a
transverse rocking arm F which extends on opposite sides of the said plunger being
mounted thereon on a centre f. One end of the said rocking arm is connected
by the rod G to the end of the clamp B and the other end by a similar rod H to
the end of the knife carrier C.
The cylinder D is provided with a valve d controlling the admission and escape
of the fluid, the valve being of the usual and well known slide pattern and operated
in the following manner. a is a rod parallel to the axis of the cylinder D connected
at one end to the knife carrier C and moving therewith.

page_text: b is an adjustable striker or arm mounted on and carried by said rod a. The
valve rod c connected at one end to a starting or hand lever J carries dogs or
stops and e respectively.
The operation of the machine is as follows.
The material to be cut being adjusted on the table of the machine (not shewn in
drawings) in the ordinary manner the hand lever J is moved so as to open the valve
and admit the operating fluid behind the ram forcing out the latter which moving
outwards carrying the arm F with it brings down the clamp B and knife carrier C.
When the clamp B has descended to the required distance viz. when it rests on the
top of the material to be cut the descent of the clamp is arrested and the end of the
arm F connected to the clamp by the rod G is likewise arrested but the continued
motion of the ram E rotates the arm F on the centre g and causes the motion of
the ram through the connecting rod H to bring down the knife thus effecting
the cut.
When the knife reaches the lowest point of its descent the striker 6 comes in
contact with the stop e on the valve rod and forces it downwards thereby throwing
over the valve and allowing the fluid to be admitted to the opposite side of the ram
forcing up the latter and raising the clamp and knife carrier to their original
position. On the return stroke the striker 6 contacts with the dog d' and shuts off
the valve inlet and opening the exhaust permits the fluid within the cylinder to
escape.
On the descent of the clamp the moment contact is made with the surface of the
material being cut the power of the ram is exerted solely on the knife carriage it is
however necessary that a pressure shall be maintained on the clamp until the cut
is commenced and to effect this we hinge at the end of the knife carriage a lever k
held down by a spring and having a notch adapted to receive a roller / on a stud
on the clamp. When in operation therefore on the stoppage of the clamp the
continued motion of the knife carrier exerts pressure on the roller stud / by means of
the lever k until the cut is commenced when the lever is thrown off. During the
cut the clamp is locked by means of a device consisting of a rod R fastened to the
upper part of the frame the said rod R having a sleever thereon which is connected
to a stud or bolts passing through the clamp.
The outer end of the bolts is connected to a lever T fulcrummed at t and having
a roller u at its other end which travels on an inclined plate U on the knife carriage
the lower edge of the said plate being bevelled or sloped off so that the roller u
may readily ride on to said plate U. On the arrest of the descent of the clamp
and the removal of the pressure therefrom as before described the end of the
lever T carrying the roller u will be forced outward by the plate U thus causing
the sleeve to exert pressure on the rod R and securely lock the clamp until the
return stroke of the knife carrier releases the lever T and allows the clamp to be
raised.
As the movement of the clamp is in a diagonal direction and a direct vertical
pressure is required on the surface of the material we provide the clamp at its lower
side with a loose bar w having a vertical motion in guides on the framing anti friction
rollers v being interposed between the upper side of the bar and underside of the
clamp.
The pressure exerted by the ram being distributed between the knife carrier
and clamp it will be readily understood that pressure on the latter will be in a
definite ratio to that on the carrier thus should an extra pressure be required on the
kuife owing to the dullness of its edge the nature of the material or other cause the
clamp will receive an extra pressure in like proportion. In ordinary self clamp
guillotines the pressure on the clamp is entirely independent of the cut and it
frequently happens that the extra pressure on the cut moves the material and spoils
the cut.
This objection is entirely obviated by our invention a sufficient pressure being
exerted by both knife and clamp according to requirement.
A further advantage obtained by our invention is that in a machine constructed

page_text: in accordance therewith the depth of the cut can be regulated to the height of the
work by simply adjusting the stop d¹ to open the valve exhaust at the required
point on the return stroke of the ram.
The hand lever J connected to the valve rod also allows the operator to raise or
lower the clamp and cutting knife at will and from any point between their highest
and lowest positions while the speed of the cut can be regulated by the extent to
which the valve is opened.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A guillotine cutting machine in which the clamping and cutting devices
are simultaneously operated by fluid pressure substantially as described and
illustrated.
2. In a guillotine cutting machine the use of a cylinder and ram operated by fluid
pressure for operating the clamping and cutting devices substantially as described
and illustrated.
3. In a guillotine cutting machine operated by fluid pressure a cylinder or ram
operated by such pressure the latter being connected directly or indirectly to
the clamping and cutting devices by mechanism substantially as described and
illustrated.
4. A guillotine cutting machine operated by fluid pressure and having a cylinder
and ram for imparting motion to the cutting and clamping devices the controlling
valve of such cylinder being automatically operated by the motion of the clamp and
cutting knife substantially as described and illustrated.
5. In a guillotine cutting machine having the clamping and cutting devices
operated by fluid pressure adjusting the depth of the cut and travel of the
clamp by the "timing" of the controlling valve of the cylinder substantially as
described and illustrated.
Dated this 18th day of June 1805
BENJAMIN HOOKER,
Agent for Applicants.