Process and Apparatus for Printing Multicoloured Designs upon Fabrics and Warp Chains.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1896
Complete Carnification Laft 40th Mou 4007
Arcoated 10th Lu 1807
Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Loft, 10th May, 1907 Accepted, 10th July, 1907
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Printing Multicoloured Designs upon
Fabrics and Warp Chains.
I, CHARLES DRATZ, of 58 rue de Hongrie Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto the printing of designs of different colours upon fabrics required the
use of multiple printing rollers which deposit upon the dry fabrics liquid colours
derived from a special receiver for each colour by the same or by auxiliary rollers.
Besides the loss of time resulting from the successive passages required for the
printing of a large number of colours, there results from this system a great
complication of rollers and the impossibility of printing designs upon the two
sides of the fabric unless at another very great loss of time resulting from having
to print successively upon each of the sides of the finished fabric.
This invention consists in using solid colours for the printing of designs in many
colours upon tissues and bringing them in contact with a wetted fabric what allows,
as is shown hereinafter, of using only one roller for the printing of multiple colour:
upon the fabric.
I claim this process for dyeing stuffs in any state of their preparation or
manufacture and my invention consists also in causing the solid colours to operate
not upon a woven cloth but on a cloth in course of weaving upon wetted threads
conveniently removed from one another and then brought together again after
their contact with these colours, the whole in order to obtain a visible printing
upon the two surfaces of the fabric and of a very regular colouring.
For this purpose the usual loom is completed by addition of the following
construction.
In order to impregnate the straight threads with their colour and to prevent the
diffusion of the different colours towards places which they are intended not to
touch, I spread the warp threads upon the warp beam by making them occupy a
width greater than they will occupy at the place and at the moment of weaving.
From this results a gradual narrowing of the space occupied by the warp
threads at the point of weaving, and consequently a gradual diminution of the
distance gone over, between the warp beam and the lathe, by threads of the same
length, this distance being of course greater for the external threads than for
the interior ones, and this diminution would cause- inequality in the tension of the
threads of the chain from which inequality at the time of weaving deformation of
the design would result.
In order to avoid this inconvenience I have arranged after the printing roller:
hereinafter specified a curved comb between the teeth of which pass the straight
threads of the warp in such a manner that the threads from the middle of the warp
beam for instance by means of their passing over the highest part of the curved
comb make a course equal to that of the exterior threads passing upon the lowest
parts of the comb. It is understood that this arrangement serving to maintain an
identical tension of the threads upon the whole length of the warp beam will
prevent inequalities herein before specified.

page_text: A receiver fixed on the framing of the loom contains the liquid intended to wet
the stuff to be dyed, the latter is obliged to traverse this liquid by passing under a
roller guide plunging into the receiver.
A fixed bar serves as guide for the wetted threads leaving the receiver. This bar
assists a comb to maintain and to direct the threads before their passage in
proximity to the printing cylinder. This cylinder constitutes the only roller
necessary for the printing of any design upon the warp threads of the fabric.
This printing roller, which is driven at a convenient rate of revolution, is
constituted preferably by a cylinder of wood or metal upon which slides a sleeve
carrying the design to be printed made up of a great number of small blocks of
solid colouring matter conveniently arranged in order to realize a composition in
a manner analogous to the type setting. A printing lever carrying a ruler in
hollow planed metal in order to present two clean edges is arranged above the
roller in order to operate at the time of the too and fro movement which is
communicated to it by the loom series of percussions upon the wetted threads
and to bring them thus in contact with the printing roller, in order to effect thus
the incorporation of the colouring stuff by the wetted threads. Immediately next
to the roller and the lever is arranged a table heated by any means and intended to
dry the threads as soon as they are impregnated with the colouring stuff by their
passage upon the printing roller and under the action of the lever."
A second comb completed by a tension roller assures the regular advancing of
the threads and the maintaining of their relative distances up to their arrival at
the healds of the loom. My invention also comprises the constitution of each warp
thread by the connection or combination of a certain number of the threads from
the warp beam.
The healds thus unite these threads in more or less numerous groups in order
to constitute by means of each group a warp formed by the juxtaposition of a
certain number of threads and which operates like a single warp which allows of
obtaining a thick fabric upon which the printing and the different contours of each
coloured motive will be equally clean and visible on the two sides of the fabric each
of the threads constituting the warp having been impregnated separately before
the real operation of the weaving which is then effected as usual by means of the
usual organs of looms of this kind.
The printing roller can carry the complete design to be printed, if the latter is
not of a repeat requiring a very great length of fabric; in the contrary case in
order to avoid the use of rollers of excessive diameter it is convenient to use a
second roller and an endless cloth, for instance, upon which are glued or fixed by
any means the blocks of colouring matter circulating in this case upon the two
rollers.
The small blocks of colouring matter can be formed in any appropriate manner:
for instance they can be obtained by melting the colour and the materials
necessary for its fixing upon the textile fibre and by adding any thickening and a
certain quantity of dextrine gluten or of any other kind.
In the paste so formed is introduced felt cut in tablets and it is left there
until it is completely impregnated with the colouring stuff. Then each tablet of
felt is hardened and sawn in small cubes of equal dimensions. These small cubes
are then distributed according to their colour and shade in drawers whence they
are taken according to the necessity for composing the printing design. The
latter can then serve for the impression of a relatively large quantity of textile
stuff.
As may be seen from the example herein before described my new process is
especially appropriate for printing visible designs upon the two sides of very thick
fabric; this result is obtained by means of the possibility of impregnating threads
of the warp arranged side by side and then connected in real warp chain formed by
the juxtaposition of a large number of threads. It will be applied more easily in
case of printing upon finished fabrics. It would be sufficient in this case to
arrange the additional organs which I add to the usual loom at the other

page_text: extremity of the loom, for instance, in such a manner to make the finished fabric
pass into the receiver and to conduct it then to the contact of the printing roller
submitting it to the action of the printing lever. This arrangement however
would not have the advantage of the before described example as printing in this
5 way would be possible only on one side of the fabric.
Dated this 10th day of soust 1801:
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to the Applicant.
Process and Apparatus for Printing Multicoloured Designs upon
Fabrics and Warp Chains.
I, CHARLES DRATZ, of 58 rue de Hongrie Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium,
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.
Hitherto the printing of designs of different colours upon fabrics required the
use of multiple printing rollers which deposit upon the dry fabrics liquid colours
derived from a special receiver for each colour by the same or by auxiliary
rollers.
Besides the loss of time resulting from the successive passages required for the
printing of a large number of colours, there results from this system a great
complication of rollers and the impossibility of printing designs upon the two
sides of the fabric unless at another very great loss of time resulting from having
to print successively upon each of the sides of the finished fabric.
This invention consists in using solid colours for the printing of designs in many
colours upon tissues and bringing them in contact with a wetted fabric which
allows, as is shown hereafter, of using only one roller for the printing of multiple
colours upon the fabric.
I claim this process for dyeing stuffs in any state of their preparation or
manufacture and my invention consists also in causing the solid colours to operate
not upon a woven cloth but on a cloth in course of weaving upon wetted threads
conveniently removed from one another and then brought together again after
their contact with these colours, the whole in order to obtain a visible printing
on the two surfaces of the fabric and of a very regular colouring.
In the annexed drawing Figs. 1 and 2 show respectively in vertical section and
in plan view, a usual weaver's loom completed in order to allow by means of my
proceedings the printing of designs in multiple colours upon the two sides of any
tissues during the course of weaving.
For this purpose the usual loom is completed by the addition of the following
construction.
In order to impregnate the straight threads with their colour and to prevent the
diffusion of the different colours towards places which they are not intended to
touch, I spread the warp threads upon the warp beam A by making them occupy
a width greater than that which they will occupy at the place and at the moment of
weaving.
A receiver R fixed on the framing of the loom contains the liquid intended to
wet the stuff to be dyed; the latter is obliged to traverse this liquid by passing
under a roller guide B plunging into the receiver R.
A fixed bar C serves as guide for the wetted threads leaving the receiver R. This

page_text: bar C assists a comb D to maintain and to direct the threads before their passage in
proximity to the printing cylinder E. This cylinder E constitutes the only roller
necessary for the printing of any design upon the warp threads of the fabric.
This printing roller E which is driven at a convenient rate of revolution is
constituted preferably by a cylinder of wood or metal upon which slides a sleeve
carrying the design to be printed made up of a great number of small blocks of
solid colouring matter conveniently arranged in order to realize a composition
in a manner analagous to type setting. A printing lever G carrying a ruler 9 in
hollow planed metal in order to present two clean edges, is arranged above the
roller E in order to operate at the time of the too and fro movement, which is com-
municated to it by the loom, a series of percussions upon the wetted threads and to
bring them thus in contact with the printing roller E in order to effect thus the
incorporation of the colouring matter by the wetted threads.
Immediately next to the roller E and the lever G is arranged a table H heated
by any means and intended to dry the threads as soon as they are impregnated
with colouring stuff by their passage upon the printing roller E and under the
action of the lever G.
From the gradual narrowing of the chain of the straight threads of the warp
(Fig. 2) there would result forcibly from the sides towards the middle of the warp
beam Á a proportional diminution of the distance from this beam A to the lathe
for threads of the same length, which would cause inequality in the tension of the
threads of the chain, from which inequality at the time of the weaving deformation
of the design would result. In order to avoid this inconvenience I have arranged
after the printing roller E between a comb D' and a tension roller B' a curved
comb P Fig. 3 between the teeth of which pass the straight threads of the warp, in
such a manner that the threads from the middle of the warp beam for instance by
means of their passing over the highest part of the curved comb make a course
equal to that of the exterior threads passing upon the lowest parts of the comb
(Fig. 3). It is understood that this arrangement serving to maintain an identical
tension of the threads upon the whole length of the warp beam A will prevent the
inequalities hereinbefore specified.
The comb D' completed by the tension roller B' assures the regular advancing of
the threads and the maintaining of their relative distances up to their arrival at
the healds of the loom. My invention also comprises the constitution of ench
warp thread by the connection or combination of a certain number of the threads
from the warp beam.
The healds p p unite these threads in more or less numerous groups in order to
constitute by means of ench group a warp formed by the juxtaposition of a certain
number of threads and which operates like a single warp which allows of obtaining
a thick fabric upon which the printing and the different contours of each coloured
motive will be equally clean and visible on the two sides of the fabric each of the
threads constituting the warp having been impregnated separately before the real
operation of the weaving which is then effected as usually by means of the usual
organs of looms of this kind.
The printing roller E can carry the complete design to be printed, if the latter is
not of a repeat requiring a very great length of fabric in the contrary case in order
to avoid the use of rollers of excessive diameter it is convenient to use a
second roller E¹ and an endless cloth for instance, upon which are glued or fixed by
any means the blocks of colouring matter, circulating in this case upon the two
rollers E E' as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
The amall blocks of colouring matter can be formed in any appropriate manner
for instance they can be obtained by melting the colour and the materials necessary
for its fixing upon the textile fibre and by adding any thickening and a certain
quantity of dextrine, gluten or of any other kind.
In the paste so formed is introduced felt cut in tablets and it is left there until
it is completely impregnated with the colouring stuff. Then each tablet of felt is
hardened and sawn in small cubes of equal dimensions.

page_text: These small cubes are then distributed according to their colour and shade in
drawers whence they are taken according to necessity for composing the printing
design.
The latter can then serve for the impression of a relatively large quantity of
textile stuff.
As may be seen from the example herein before described, my new process is
especially appropriate for printing visible designs upon the two sides of very thick
fabric: this result being obtained by means of the possibility of impregnating
threads of the warp arranged side by side and then connected in real warp chain
formed by the juxtaposition of a large number of threads; it can be applied more
easily in case of printing upon finished fabrics.
It would be sufficient in this case to arrange the additional organs which I add
to the usual loom, at the other extremity of the loom for instance in such a manner
to make the finished fabric pass into the receiver R and to conduct it then to the
contact of the printing roller E submitting it to the action of the printing lever G.
This arrangement however would not have the advantage of the before described
example, as printing in this way would be possible only on one side of the fabric.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The process of printing designs in multiple colours apon textiles consisting
in printing with solid colouring matter on the juxtaposed and dampened warp
threads of a tissue in course of weaving in order to obtain the printing on the
whole of the warn design and in their whole depth.
2. In the process under claim 1, and when the printing of designs in multiple
colours is to be made on thick fabrics the connecting by means of the combs and
healds of the loom of these separately printed threads into groups or strands
constituting each a thread or warp strand the crossing of which is then effected
with the weft.
3. For the operation of the before said process and especially its use during the
course of weaving the combination with a loom of a printing device consisting of
one or more cylinders E El carrying the composition to be printed from consisting
of small blocks of solid colouring matter conveniently arranged and a printing
lever G in combination with a damping receptacle R a drying table H and the
necessary rollers, tension combs and regulators.
4. In the printing device as under claim 3 the addition after the printing
cylinder of an arched comb upon which the threads are passed in order to
avoid any malformation of the design and to correct the inequality of the tension
resulting from the narrowing of the chain formed by the threads.
Dated this 10th day of Nov 1897
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agents to Applicant.