Improvements in Machines for Scoring, Embossing, or Bending Strawboard, Cardboard, and other Material for Use in the Manufacture of Boxes, Packets, and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Scoring, Embossing, or Bending
Strawboard, Cardboard, and other Material for Use in the
Manufacture of Boxes, Packets, and the like.
1, JOHN EDWARD THORNTON, of Rokeby, Oldfield Road, Altrincham, in the
County of Cheshire, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means for scoring, embossing, or
bending strawboard, cardboard, and other material in the manufacture of boxes,
packets, and the like, in a quicker, cheaper, and better manner than heretofore.
Hitherto the operation has been done in one of the following different ways:-
First, by knives or cutters that partially cut through the board, or by knives or
cutters that take a V shaped grove out of the board. These means enabled the
board to be readily bent, but weakened it according to the depth of the cut or
groove. Second, by using a blunt embossing or bending knife, or combination of
knives, which forced the board into a metal groove or between other knives, thus
forming a channel or bend in the board. This process made the board so that it
could be readily bent without being materially weakened, as it did not take away
any part of the board.
By the first method, using several cutters in one machine, it was possible
to make several scores parallel to each other at one operation, the board being
reversed and put through the machine again for the lines at right angles.
By the second method it is usual to make all the bends by separate operations.
The second, or bending process, possesses obvious advantages over the first or
scoring process, but is not very rapid, and the necessity for so many operations to
complete one box, not only makes the process longer, but there is more waste, as
the operator may spoil the board when making the last bend, and therefore waste
time and material.
By this invention all the bends are made before the board leaves the machine,
at a very rapid rate, and without any partial cutting of the board, and is therefore
a vast improvement over any method heretofore used.
In carrying out my invention I pass the board between male dies, consisting of
circular discs, which are mounted on shafts so as to be adjustable at different
widths apart.
One set are grooved and the other raised, so that they both fit, and
are fixed so that the pressure may be adjusted by screws or other means, to suit
different thicknesses of board. Instead of adjustable discs of course rollers with
fixed dies thereon may be used.
The dies may be used cold, but in some cases I prefer to have either one or both
sets of dies heated. This may be done in any suitable manner, such as by making
them hollow, and passing steam or hot air through, or by gas or they may be
made of brass or copper, and the shaft itself heated at one end, in which case
the heat would be communicated throughout the whole of the shaft and dies.

page_text: The machine is provided with a feeding board or table having the usual side
guide, with lateral adjustment, up to which the boards are laid. Endless tapes
pass through the machine and over the feeding board, into which they are sunk so
as to be a little below the surface thereof. These tapes carry fixed stops or gauge
pins. The board is laid upon the feeding board close up to the stop thereon, and
immediately the stops or gauge pins on the moving tapes catch the back edge of
the board they force it forward until the dies grip the front edge of the board and
carry it through the machine.
After the board has been passed once through the machine to make all
the scores in one direction, it may be turned round and passed through again
(or through a separate machine) to make the other scores at right angles to the
first.
I prefer, however, to do both operations before the board leaves the machine,
preferably by duplicating the dies, and turning the board between the first and
'second set. This may be done in different ways, for instance by the endless tapes
that carry the board through the first set of dies, delivering the board on to a
second set of endless tapes, which thereupon carry it through the second set of
dies. In this case the board is delivered on to a delivery platform till it abuts
against a stop or guide. The second set of tapes cross this platform, at right
angles to the direction of travel of the first set, and are sunk below the surface of
the platform. As soon, however, as the gauge pins on the travelling tapes catch
the board, they sweep it into the second set of dies. Thus two edges of the board
abut against the stops or gauges before it passes through either set of dies, and
therefore an exact position for the scoring is ensured.
Instead of the second set of tapes they may be made continuous, so that the
board passes through both sets of dies whilst gripped by the original tapes and
stops or gauge pins that carried it into the machine. In this case the board may
be turned by passing over rollers or guides at angles, on the principle adopted in
web printing machines.
Where the machine is used with only a single set of dies, the boards may be
pushed in by hand as usual, or by an automatic feeding apparatus.
Instead of using discs or rollers to score or emboss the board longitudinally in
the direction of its travel, I may use either rollers or revolving knives that emboss
the board transversely its full width, one or more impressions being made at every
'revolution.
Or I may combine both methods and so avoid the necessity for turning the board
between each operation, making lateral scores by rollers or revolving knives, and
longitudinal scores by discs or rollers, the board travelling in one direction until
completed.
When the impressions are made transversely in the board, the endless tapes
cannot be conveniently passed through the scoring devices as they would soon cut
or wear out; I therefore let them carry the board close to the scoring devices,
where it is thereupon gripped between frictional gripping or draw rollers which
feed it forward, whilst the tapes pass beneath the scorers out of the way.
émerging from the scorers the board is either gripped between other gripping
rollers, or is again received direct by the travelling tapes.
After
For some kinds of boards, especially soft or very thin descriptions, it is
unnecessary to have male and female dies, as the male ones alone may be used in
combination with blank surfaces in lieu of the female dies. The board is thereby
compressed and reduced in thickness, where the dies act, sufficiently to enable it to
fold or bend easily.
Dated this 25th day of February 1805

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Scoring, Embossing, or Bending
Strawboard, Cardboard, and other Material for Use in the
Manufacture of Boxes, Packets, and the like.
I, JOHN EDWARD THORNTON, of Rokeby, Oldfield Road, Altrincham, in the
County of Chester, Manufacturer, 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 invention is designed to provide apparatus for scoring, embossing or
bending cardboard, leatherboard, strawboard or similar material for making boxes
or packets in a more efficient and more expeditious manner than has heretofore
been the case.
Hitherto in the manufacture of these boxes or packets it has been customary
to cut or score the material by means of kuives or cutters which cut a V shaped
groove and remove part of the board which very much weakens it, or to emboss or
impress the board by means of dies with an intermittent reciprocating movement
which while causing the board to be readily bent without reducing its strength is
very slow in operation.
This invention consists of suitable dies in the form of discs or rollers and of
a machine with rotary movement by which the boards can be bent or
" scored,"
creased or indented for bending at a rapid rate as they are passed through the
machine and without any partial cutting or scoring of the boards.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1. Longitudinal section of one form of machine.
Fig. 2. Transverse section of same.
Fig. 3. Longitudinal section of modified form.
Fig. 4. Transverse section of same.
Fig. 5. Longitudinal section of another modification.
Fig. 6. Longitudinal section of another modification.
Fig. 7. Elevation of first pair of dies.
Fig. 8. Sectional elevation of second pair of dies.
Fig. 9. Sectional elevation of third pair of dies.
The machine is constructed with a suitable framing A of metal wood or other
convenient construction which carries upon shafts rollers or otherwise mounted
adjustable bearings one, two or more sets or pairs of rotating male and female
dies B, C by which the board is impressed or creased along the lines upon which
it is required to be bent.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 7, 8, and 91 at present prefer to make the dies in
the form of circular discs D which are mounted on shafts d so as to be adjustable
at any position thereon and the position of the shafts d are adjustable vertically in
their bearings E by the screws e. The shafts are driven by a pulley and may
be geared together or not as found most desirable. Each pair or set of discs are
complementary oue fitting into the other to cause a "score," crease or indentation
on one side of the board and to raise a bead on the opposite side as it has been
found that this gives the best results in allowing the board to be bent without
breaking. The dies shown in Fig. 8 are suitable alone for bending strong or
tough board such as leather board and the operation is effected by passing the
board once between these dies. For common board however, such as straw board
or wood pulp board I find it necessary to complete the operation by successive
stages and for this purpose the board may be twice passed between dies shown
in Fig. 8 the dies being set at a greater distance apart in the first operation but a
nodified form of the die is preferable without the rib b as in Fig. 7 so that for a

page_text: poor class of material I pass the board successively through the dies Fig. 7 and
Fig. 8. For very thick or stiff boards the dies shown in Fig. 9 may also be
employed to finish the operation after the board has passed through one or both of
the previous sets of dies.
It will thus be understood that either one, two or three of these pairs of dies
may be employed to produce the desired crease. Where two or more pairs of dies
are employed to form one crease they are set one behind the other in the same
plane and whether one or more pairs are employed for each crease two or more
sets may be employed one behind the other in different planes as in Fig. 1 to
make two or more creases in the board whilst passing through the machine.
Instead of the discs D the dies B and C may be turned rolled or otherwise
formed on rollers which would extend the whole width of the machine but I prefer
the discs as they are adjustable to suit boxes of different sizes.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 the dies B and C may be made to lie longitudinally
of the rotating shafts or rollers and to score or crease the board from side to
side as it passes through the machine instead of in a longitudinal direction. In
this case the dies B and C are formed in bars t¹ attached to the discs D¹ which
are placed on the shafts d. One, two or more pairs of the bars d¹ carrying the
dies B and C may be attached to the discs D' according to the work to be done.
The male die B may be made a fixture and is always one thickness but the female
die C may be removable to allow of dies of different width or depth being
inserted to accommodate different thicknesses of board. For ordinary board I
consider that once passing through the dies will be sufficient to give the desired
score or crease but if found desirable not to do so at one operation the boards may
be passed twice through the same dies or through successive sets of dies in the
same or in a second machine.
In Fig. 5 a longitudinal section of machine is shown in which two sets of dies
are employed for forming one score or crease in the board at one side and two
sets of dies are employed for forming the score or crease at the other side the first
two sets being in one line or plane and the second pair in another. In this
machine all the scores or creases are made in one direction before the board leaves
the machine.
In each of these machines a feeding table G is provided in front of the dies
with grooves therein through which endless tapes or bands H travel. The endless
tapes or bands travel over rollers K and are provided with stops or ganges L
at intervals which catch the boards after they are laid upon the feeding table G
and carry them forward between the dies and deliver them at the other side of the
machine.
The dies may be used cold or they may be heated in any desirable way by a
gas jet or by a steam pipe carried through or around the shaft d or in any other
suitable way.
After the board has been passed once through the machine to impress upon it
all the scores or creases running in one direction it may be turned round and passed
through the same or another machine to make the scores or creases at right angles
to the first.
In Fig. 6 a machine is illustrated in which both operations can be performed
before the board leaves the machine. In the front part of the machine the dies B
and C are formed around the periphery of the discs D see Figs. 7, 8 and 9 two
sets being provided for forming two longitudinal scores or creases in the board and
at the back of the machine the dies are formed in bars d' mounted on the discs D'
as in Fig. 4 which make the transverse score or crease in the board. In this
machine instead of oue continuous endless band I prefer to place a separate endless
travelling band H between each set of rollers each band tape being provided with
the stops or guages L.
The operation of scoring or creasing the boards at right angles may also be
performed by placing one set of dies at right angles to the first set and causing the
boards to be delivered by the endless tapes outo a second feed table provided

page_text: with a stop or guide suitably placed from which they are carried forward through
the second set of dies by endless tapes running at right angles to the other tapes.
In this arrangement two edges of the board abut against stops or guages before it
passes through either set of dies and thereby an exact position for the scoring is
ensured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A machine for scoring or creasing cardboard, straw board or similar material
constructed with a number of rotating discs or rollers carrying complementary dies
upon their peripheries whereby the boards may be scored or creased at a single or
successive operations substantially as described.
2. In a machine for scoring or creasing card board straw board or similar
material rotating male and female dies formed on the periphery of discs substantially
as described and shown with reference to Figs. 5, 6, and 7.
3. Apparatus for scoring or creasing card board straw board or similar material
consisting of rotating discs mounted upon shafts with male and female dies of the
desired contour upon their peripheries substantially as described.
4. In a machine for scoring or creasing cardboard strawboard or the like the
combination with rotating discs D' mounted upon a shaft d of bars d' formed with
male and female dies B and C on their surfaces substantially as described.
5. A machine for scoring or creasing card board straw board or similar material
for making boxes or packets constructed substantially as described and shown with
reference to Figs. 1 and 2, Figs. 3 and 4, Fig. 5 or Fig. 6 of the drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.