Improvements in the Folding Mechanism of Web Printing Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 9th June, 1894
VIDIUNAI TOITIATION.
Improvements in the Folding Mechanism of Web Printing
Machines.
1, ROBERT CUMMING ANNAND of Cornwallis Street, South Shields in the
County of Durham, Printers' Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the mechanism for giving a longitudinal fold to a web of
paper while on the run or to two or more webs of paper associated together.
It is found in practice that when a machine is run at a high speed with the web
passing over a stationary longitudinal fold forming device the ink on the freshly
printed web is liable to become deposited upon the sides of the fold former. This
deposit greatly increases the friction and causes ruptures of the web; it also smears
the print so that the product is less perfect.
Now the object of my invention is to construct a longitudinal fold forming device
which will obviate these objections. My improved fold former is composed of two
upper cones and two lower cones all of which are made to revolve on their axes.
The two upper cones together constitute the internal guide and support of the
running web and the two lower cones constitute the external guides of the web.
The points of the two upper cones are carried in bearings in a bush which forms
the end of the fold former; this bush may conveniently be carried by an arm
extending therefrom between the cones to the back framework of the machine.
There is a space between the two upper cones and this allows the tapes which bring
the sheet from the printing mechanism to be carried down nearly to the end of the
fold former so that the friction on the sheet is further reduced. The inner surfaces
of the lower cones are parallel and nearly touch, sufficient space being left to readily
allow of the web passing through between them.
As all the cones are made to revolve the friction is reduced to a minimum and
little or no ink becomes deposited thereon. In some cases I mount an anti-friction
disc at the end of the fold former.
I sometimes also employ a conical or tapered mandrel at the underside of the
end or point of the fold former; this mandrel extends down to or towards drawing
rollers and ending in a point completes the fold and prevents any liability of the
web to buckle.
In order to still further increase the efficiency of this fold former, I provide the
cones with heating appliances so that the ink is still less liable to adhere to them
while the web may be partly dried as it passes over. This object may be conveniently
effected by making the axles on which the cones revolve hollow, fitting them with
burners and connecting them with a gas supply.
Dated thi
T 1
1000
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.

page_text: Improvements in the Folding Mechanism of Web Printing
Machines.
I, ROBERT CUMMING ANNAND of Cornwallis Street, South Shields, in the
County of Durham, Printers' Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to mechanism for giving a longitudinal fold to a web of
paper while on the run or to two or more webs of paper associated together.
Longitudinal fold formers as hitherto constructed have generally consisted of a
stationary internal guide or conformator of approximately triangular form over
which the web is drawn and of external guides or turners with the assistance of
which the web as it travels onward in the machine becomes doubled or folded length-
wise upon the said internal guide.
It has been found in practice that when a machine is run at a high speed the
surface of the stationary internal fold forming guide offers great resistance to the
web that passes over it and this resistance is greater than is caused by ordinary
friction alone. It is, I believe, partly due to the fact that the paper contains a
certain amount of electricity which tends to make it adhere to the surface of the
internal guide, and as the consequent close contact between the web and the guide
to a certain extent excludes the air from the underside of the web the friction of
the web upon the guide is increased. Besides tending to rupture the web this
friction is liable to smear the ink on the freshly printed web and cause the ink to
become deposited upon the guide.
Now one object of my invention is to construct a fold forming apparatus which
will obviate these objections, and with this view instead of constructing the internal
guide as a stationary or non-moving device I construct it, or so much of it as is
practicable, of moving parts in the form of two cones which revolve on their axes;
the cones converge at their smaller ends towards the end of the fold former, and
this end consists of a stationary bush or nose, hereinafter more particularly
described, in which are ball or other bearings to receive the cone ends. The said
bush or nose is carried at the front end of, and is preferably cast with, a triangular
frame which is adjustably attached at back to a transverse bracket and has roller
or other bearings for the upper ends of the cones. The triangular space between
these two cones allows the tapes which bring the web from the printing mechanism
to be carried down nearly to the end of the fold former.
As the external turners or guides which assist in longitudinally folding the web
I employ two revolving cones so placed relatively to each other that their inner
surfaces are parallel and nearly touch, only sufficient space being left between them
to allow of the passage of the double web. The parallel surfaces terminate a short
distance before they reach the point of the internal guide, and the external turners
or guides may either terminate where their parallel surfaces thus terminate, or as
is preferred they may be continued with a more rapid taper up to or a little beyond
the point of the internal guide so as in either case to allow the loop or central
portion of the doubled web to pass over the end of the internal guide in a somewhat
slack state.
Below the end or point of the fold former I fit a tapered mandrel extending
down in the direction of a pair of drawing rollers. This mandrel is preferably a
piece of metal about three quarters of an inch broad and half an inch deep tapering
to a point. The centre or loop of the web on leaving the fold former is drawn

page_text: over and creased by this mandrel and the fold is thereby completed. Instead of
a mandrel a creasing disc may be employed.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front elevation of folding mechanism constructed according to my
invention in its preferred form. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the external turners or guides in the position they occupy
relatively to each other.
Figure 4 is a side elevation on a larger scale of the nose or bush that constitutes
the fold forming point and of the conical mandrel for completing the fold.
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing a creasing disc substituted
for the mandrel.
Figure 6 is a section of the nose or bush on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a perspective view and Figure S an end view of the paper web as
it passes the ends of the external turners or guides.
a represents a bracket placed transversely of the general framework that carries
the printing and folding mechanism. b is a triangular frame jointedly connected at
its upper part at cc to lugs d d on the bracket a and. at its lower part at e to one
end of a stay the other end of which is secured to the bracket a by a screw thread
and nuts gas shown so that it can be adjusted to vary the inclination of the
frame a as may be desired. hh are two cones which constitute the movable part
of the internal guide; their upper and larger ends are mounted in roller bearings
atii carried by the frame bb and their lower and smaller ends are mounted in ball
bearings at jj in a stationary bush or nose k which is cast in a piece with or rigidly
connected to the frame and constitutes the end or point of the fold former. The
cones are caused to revolve and this motion can be communicated to them in
any convenient way. In the drawings I show them as driven by bands or tapes ¹
at their upper ends, these bands being driven by the tape rollers in the machine
to which the folding mechanism is attached; the bands pass round guide
pulleys placed to suit the angles at which the cones are fitted. I are tapes
which run in the triangular space between the cones h h and carry the web from
the printing mechanism down to nearly the end of the fold former; these tapes
pass around a roller m mounted in bearings in the bracket a and around
pulleys nnnn the shafts of which are mounted in bearings p carried by the
frame b. (Figure 2) represents the paper web. The sides of the nose or bush k
respectively form continuations of the outside lines of the two cones h h so that
these lines are continued by the sides of the nose and meet at or near the point or
end of the nose.
The top and bottom sides of the nose are, however, parallel, as
seen in Figure 2. I have found that if the surface of the nose & be made to
become gradually flat at some distance from the point the smooth travel of the
web is greatly facilitated and any tendency to wrinkles is avoided. I therefore on
the top surface of the nose & divert the lines that form coutiuuations of the lines of
the cones so that they gradually make the said top surface of the nose flat at
approximately the part r, the edges of this flat surface being however rounded so
that they will not cut the passing web. To allow clearance for the web as its two
sides or laps gradually approach each other under the nose I cut away the under-
side of the nose as seen at ss, Figure 6. In order to prevent the point of the nose
damaging the web as it changes its direction of travel I round it off as clearly seen
in Figures 4 and 5. But although the nose ends in a point the centre of the web
passes over it in a slack loop owing to the form and position of the external guides
as hereinafter explained a small widthwise portion of the web in the middle
remaining unfolded until it has passed the said point.
.?
tt are the external turners or guides; they are of conical form and their spindles
are mounted in bearings in the back bracket a and in a front bracket a'. Their
inner surfaces are parallel to each other, and nearly touch, as seen in Figure 3, only
sufficient space being left between them to allow of the passage of the doubled web.
As seen in Figures 2 and 3 the parallel surfaces terminate before they reach the

page_text: point of the internal guide the remainder of the turners viz., the parts marked t' t¹
having a more rapid taper so that space is left for the loop of the web 7 to pass
over the point of the internal guide in a somewhat slack state. The web in passing
between the turners t t gets the greater portion of its sides lapped or folded together
as seen in Figures 7 and 8; the part that passes between the parts t¹ t¹ is, however,
not completely folded but has the loop form seen at q.
u is the tapered mandrel or creaser; it is adjustably attached to the underside of
the nose by means of the screw and is so shaped and adjusted that the web in
passing over it is gradually distended from the centre line of fold and when the
web leaves the point of the mandrel its longitudinal folding has been completed.
w, Figure 5, represents the creasing disc which may be substituted for the
mandrel u. Instead of the disc w being merely a creasing disc it can be a circular
slitter with teeth of the well known forin to divide the web longitudinally.
From the mandrel u or from the creasing disc was the case may be the completely
lapped and folded web passes to the pair of drawing rollers xx. These are of the
ordinary well known form and merely serve to exert the necessary pull upon the
web to draw it through and over the folding devices. The external turners t t are
preferably driven by belts 2 from the drawing rollers these being driven by
ordinary gearing from the mechanism in the folder which cuts and delivers the
sheet as will be well understood.
From the drawing rollers the folded web is carried in the ordinary and well
known way to cutting cylinders or to transverse folding and cutting cylinders.
It will readily be understood that as the only stationary part of the internal
guide is that consisting of the nose there is very little surface to produce the
friction due to electrical and atmospheric influences as bereinbefore referred to.
I have found that when two or more superposed or associated webs are caused
to pass over a longitudinal fold former the internal guide of which is as usual
stationary the web next the guide, as it has the shortest distance to travel in
the process of folding, is liable to buckle in the centre. But when as in my
mechanism the sides of the internal guide are moving surfaces the buckling from
the cause just mentioned is in a great measure prevented because the revolving
cones have the effect of stretching the under web outwards from the centre.
Again when the external turners are as in my mechanism in the form of conical
rollers they tend to force the top or outer web outwards and thus relieve the inner
or under web and allow it to be folded without buckling. It is not essential
however to make the external turners conical throughout their length, as they may
be cylindrical except at the part t' which part must be of such form as to keep the
centre line or loop of the paper free from strain in passing over the point of the
internal guide.
Although I prefer the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein-
before described it is evident that revolving cones such as can be employed to
form the sides of an internal guide which does not terminate in a point and in
combination with external guides or turners of the usual cylindrical form; but in
such case only some of the advantages of my invention as herein before described
will be obtained.
In order to still further increase the efficiency of the fold former I provide
the cones with heating appliances so that the ink is still less liable to adhere
to them and the web may be partly dried as it passes over. This object may be
conveniently effected by making the axles on which the cones revolve hollow fitting
them with burners and connecting them with a gas supply.
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
1 claim in respect of mechanism for giving a longitudinal fold to a web of paper
or to two or more associated webs of paper while on the run, is
1. An internal guide, the sides or the greater part of the sides of which consist

page_text: of revolving cones which at their smaller ends converge towards the end or point
of the said internal guide, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore.
described.
2. Revolving external guides or turners preferably conieal the inner surfaces of
which are parallel and nearly touch and the conical formation of the front ends of
which is increased and formed so as to give free passage to the central loop of the
doubled or lapped web as this travels over the end of the internal guide, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination of revolving cones as referred to in Claim 1, and a stationary
bush or nose constructed substantially as hereinbefore described constituting a
continuation of the said cones and forming the end or point of the internal guide,
as set forth.
4. The combination of revolving cones as referred to in Claim 1, and revolving
external guides or turners preferably conical the inner surfaces of which are
parallel and nearly touch, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore.
described.
5. The combination of revolving cones as referred to in Claim 1, external guides.
or turners which are set close together but give free passage to the central loop of
the doubled or lapped web as set forth, and a tapered mandrel over which the
centre or loop of the web on leaving the fold former is drawn and by which it is
creased so as to complete the fold, substantially as hereinbefore described.
6. The combination of parts substantially as herein before described and
represented in the accompanying drawings forming improved mechanism for giving
a longitudinal fold to a web or webs of paper as set forth.
7. The combination with revolving cones which constitute the sides or parts of
the sides of the internal guide and with revolving external guides or turners, of
means whereby the said revolving parts can be internally heated as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described.
Dadhi, 57th den of A 120.1
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.