IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th July 1859.-A communication from abroad by William Hermann
Stübbe, of Boston, in the United States of America.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in self-acting lithographic printing
machines consists, firstly, in the means of supporting and sustaining a revolving
tympan, in combination with a scraper for operating on the said tympan, to
produce the impression.
It consists, secondly, in an improved mode of applying the parts which carry
the tympan and scraper for the purpose of preventing any damage occurring
to the stone by reason of the too great rigidity of the scraper, or the parts
which support it.
It consists, thirdly, in a novel method of driving the revolving tympan,
whereby its operation is caused to be suspended during the movement of the
stone in one direction for the purpose of permitting the wiping (moistening)
and inking of the stone to be effected, and whereby such operation is resumed
again as soon as required for the purpose of producing the impression.
It consists, fourthly, in certain apparatus for wiping (moistening) the face
and back and front edges of the stone; and it consists, fifthly, in certain
apparatus for wiping the side edges of the stone. The lithographic stone is
placed upon a moveable bed, which is supported by a. carriage composed of

page_text: three axles connected by perches, and having six flanged wheels, which run
upon two horizontal rails near the bottom of the framing. One of the axles
is connected by a rod with a crank on the constantly rotating driving shaft
for the purpose of producing a reciprocating movement of the carriage or bed.
Upon the central axle there is a toothed wheel, which engages with a
stationary rack, and also with a rack on the bottom of the bed. By the
revolution of this wheel produced by the reciprocating movement of the
carriage on the rails, the bed is caused to travel back and forth a distance
equal to double that made by the carriage. As the bed, with the stone upon
it, traverses back and forth in the above described manner, the operations of
wiping" (moistening,) inking, and printing, are performed in succession.
The water for moistening the stone is contained in a trough, whence it
drops through two funnels into receivers, which are fitted to the ends of the
shaft of the moistening roller; this shaft is made hollow, and is pierced with
holes at short distances apart to permit the water to flow through and saturate
a covering of sponge which surrounds it. Outside the sponge is a covering of
flannel, and this is surrounded by one or more thicknesses of linen cloth. As
the bed moves, the surface of the stone bears against the moistening roller,
and is "wiped" as required.
For taking up the superfluous water, an absorber, composed of a straight
bar, faced with sponge or other suitable material, is placed immediately in
rear of the roller, and is raised and lowered with it. When the bed moves
forward the moistener and absorber are allowed to drop upon the surface of
the stone, but when the bed returns in the opposite direction, after the stone
has been inked, the moistener and absorber are raised clear of the stone. The
absorber serves also to wipe the front and rear edges of the stone for the
purpose of preventing them taking ink as they pass the ink rolls. There are
also two wipers saturated with water for the purpose of moistening the side
edges of the stone to prevent them taking ink; these wipers are of angular
form to fit the edge of the stone, and they are both carried by a transverse
rod, upon which they may be adjusted in position to suit stones of various
widths. As the carriage moves forward the stone is inked; the ink is con-
tained within a trough, whence it is transferred by the rollers to the vibrating
distributing cylinder by which the ink rollers are served, and in contact with
these latter the stone on the bed passes twice, viz., once as it advances, and
again on its return.
The paper is introduced by the attendant into nippers, stationary cylinder
heads are secured to a fixed shaft, and these heads contain the bearings for
a number of rollers, which combine to form what may be considered as a

page_text: stationary cylinder for the purpose of supporting a revolving tympan of sheet
inetal, which, together with the nippers, are secured to a plate of metal which
extends the whole length of the cylinder of rollers. Upon the central shaft
there are two spur wheels, one at each end, and which are caused to revolve
by racks upon the bed, and to each of these wheels there is connected one end
of the metal plate, and thus as the wheels revolve the plate is carried round
the cylinder of rollers, and with it the tympan and nippers. This revolution
of the wheels, the plate, and the tympan takes place only in one direction,
while the bed is running back after the ink has been applied to the stone,
when the bed advances. After an impression has been taken, the racks are
disengaged from the wheels, so that the latter remain stationary. One of the
wheels carries upon its outside face, and directly over the part where the teeth
are cut away, a pin which at certain times enters a notch in the end of a lever,
which is pivoted to the framework. The position of this lever is governed by
two corresponding cams, which are set counter to each other on the shaft.
These cams are partly concentric to the driving shaft, and partly excentric
thereto, so that motion is imparted by them to a vibrating lever. There are
two stops which arrest the sheet of paper at the proper point as it is fed by
the attendant to be grasped by the nippers. These stops are dropped in
contact with the tympan when a sheet of paper is to be fed to the nippers, and
they are raised clear of it before it begins to revolve.
It now remains to explain the manner in which the scraper is applied and
operated to descend upon the tympan and force the paper down upon the
stone to take the impression. It has already been explained that the rollers
which support the moveable tympan remain stationary, except so far as they
may be caused to rotate upon their own axes by the passage of the tympan
around them. Between the two lower rollers of the set is a timber or block
which carries the scraper; this block is held up so that the scraper shall not
come in contact with the tympan by springs which hang upon the central
shaft of the stationary tympan cylinder. The said block is, however,
depressed for the purpose of forcing the scraper down upon the stone by
means of cams which are attached to the toothed wheels of the cylinder, and
rotate therewith.
The printed sheet is led out of the machine by tapes in the well known
manner. The cylinder of rollers and its shaft are hung in bearings, which are
connected with the framework by springs, so that the stone may not be broken
by the too great rigidity of the scraper, or the parts which support and
actuate it. I have spoken of the tympan as made of sheet metal; leather
may, however, be used instead.

page_text: The operation of printing in this press is as follows:-The carriage and
the bed is moved forward, and the stone passes first under the wiper, and is
then inked as described. While this is going on, the toothless portion of
the side wheels being opposite to the racks, the tympan and nippers remain
stationary, the nippers being retained open, and the stops rest upon the
tympan. Occasion is taken of this state of things to introduce a sheet of
paper to the nippers, and the next instant, as the carriage proceeds in the
same direction, the nippers are closed by the sudden motion of the cams, and
the stops are raised to permit the revolution of the tympan. The cams upon
the main shaft now move the vibrating lever, and engage the side wheels
with the racks. The carriage now commences to return, and the gears are
caused to rotate, and the nippers and tympan are carried round, whereby the
paper is brought in contact with the stone. The cams now force down the
scraper upon the tympan, which presses the paper down upon the stone, and
thus the impression is taken.