Improvements in or connected with Machinery or Apparatus for Printing from Rollers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Machinery or Apparatus for
Printing from Rollers.
We, JOSEPH WHITWORTH HULSE, of the Ordsal Works, Salford, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and JAMES NASMYTH WILSON, of
Longsight, near Manchester, aforesaid, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in or connected with machinery
or apparatus for printing from rollers of the kind known as intermittent printing
machines, and it has for object to provide improved means whereby the desired
printing roller or rollers can be moved away at the required times from the
material to be printed on the main roller or bowl and held out of action for any
desired period, corresponding to any predetermined interval of length of such
material depending upon the pattern to be printed, and whereby the printing
produced by the printing rollers shall accurately register.
For the purpose of moving the printing rollers away from the bowl each
printing roller or its mandrel is provided at each end with a cam wheel, and in
conjunction with each of such cam wheels there is provided an abutment the
movement or position of which is controlled by mechanical means the action of
which is determined by an electro-magnetic device, the arrangement being such
that normally the pair of abutments corresponding to a given printing roller
capable of movement to and from the bowl, will be free to be moved by the cam
wheels connected with such printing roller when the said cam wheels come in
contact with them, so that no radial movement will then be imparted to the said
printing roller, but upon the closing of the circuit of the corresponding pair of
electro-magnetic devices the movement of the abutments will be prevented so
that when the cams on the cam wheels next come, by rotation, into contact with
them they will act, through the cam wheels to force the printing roller away from
the bowl and hold it away until the cam projections on the cam wheels have moved
out of contact with the said abutments.
Apparatus for determining the movement of the printing rollers in the manner
set forth can be constructed in various forms.
In one arrangement the abutment is in the form of an anti-friction roller carried
by a slide acted upon by a spring that serves to normally keep the said roller in
the path of the cam projection on the cam wheel. In connection with the slide
there is provided a pair of spring fingers or stops adapted when in their normal
position to prevent movement of the slide but which are capable of being pressed
out of the path of the slide by a device such as a wedge shaped plate that derives
its motion from the slide but the movement of which is capable of being easily
arrested by a stop that is brought into the path of the said plate at the required
times by the movement of the armature of an electro-magnet. The arrangement
is such that when the electro-magnet is not energised, the apparatus is inoperative
on the cam wheels and printing roller, but is rendered operative by the closing of
the circuit of the electro-magnet.
In order to arrest or retard the rotation of the cam wheels when necessary for
a longer or shorter period, and thereby in effect to lengthen the cam projections
on the said wheels, there is provided in conjunction with the said cam wheels,
means such for example as rotary clutches, adapted by the action of suitable

page_text: -
devices such as electrically controlled stops, to disengage the said cam wheels from
the parts by which they are driven, the duration of the disengagement depending
upon the length of time the stops are held in the path of the clutches. Con-
veniently the stops, may be operated by the armatures of the electro-magnets used
for determining the action of the abutment in the arrangement herein before
described, and be each arranged to come into the path of a projection on the
corresponding clutch which may be of any suitable kind.
Instead of making the abutments movable and controlling their movements by
mechanical means under the control of electro-magnetic devices, the said
abutments may be fixed and the electro-magnetic devices be arranged to control
the rotary movement of the cam wheels so as to render these wheels operative or
inoperative, as may be desired, at the required times.
By the means described.we are enabled to print any length of material with the
same cam wheels without removal or addition of parts heretofore usually required
for this purpose, and we are thus able to save the expense and time involved in
adjusting the same for the different lengths of patterns required from time to
time. The electrical devices can be arranged to allow of the printing rollers
being worked either in rotation or independently of each other according to the
style of pattern required, and are brought into action at the required times by-a
suitably operated switch. The contact pieces of the switch may be made
adjustable so that the times at which the circuits of the electro-magnets are
closed and the length of time the said circuits are closed, can be varied to suit
requirement.
To adapt the abutments and stops for use with printing rollers of different
diameters, they are mounted upon or within brackets or holders that are adjustably
mounted upon the side frames of the machine and are each provided with a screw
threaded extension engaging a screw located within a slot in the frame, or in the
case of existing machines, in a bracket fixed to the side frames in line with the
nips or housings carrying the bearings of the printing rollers, the arrangement
being such that by rotating the said screws, the adjustable brackets can be moved
radially outward or inward according to requirement.
As the intermittent apparatus hereinbefore described will occupy the space
usually allotted to the traversing mechanism of the printing machine, the said
traversing mechanism, or such part of its axis at the outside of the said apparatus
may be carried by one or more segmental brackets having projections on the
inner side sufficiently long to allow it or them to bridge over the said apparatus.
Or the said traversing mechanism may be placed in between the side frame of the
printing machine.
1
TA
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in or connected with Machinery or Apparatus for
Printing from Rollers.
.
We, JOSEPH WHITWORTH HULSE, of the Ordsal Works, Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, and JAMES NASMYTH WILSON, of Longsight,
near Manchester, aforesaid, Consulting 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 :-
This invention has reference to improvements in or connected with machinery
or apparatus for printing from rollers of the kind known as intermittent printing

page_text: printing roller or rollers can be moved away, at the required times, from the
material to be printed, on the main roller or bowl, and held out of action for any
desired period, corresponding to any predetermined interval of length of such
material depending upon the pattern to be printed, and whereby the printing
produced by the printing rollers shall accurately register.
For the purpose of moving the printing rollers away from the bowl, each
printing roller mandrel is provided at each end with a cam wheel, and in cou-
junction with each of such cam wheels there is provided an abutment the movement
or position of which is controlled by mechanical means the action of which is
determined by an electro-magnetic device, the arrangement being such that
normally the pair of abutments corresponding to a given printing roller capable
of movement to and from the bowl, will be free to be moved by the cam wheels.
connected with such printing roller when the said cam wheels come in contact
with them, so that no radial movement will then be imparted to the said printing
roller, but upon the closing of the circuit of the corresponding. pair of electro-
magnetic devices the movement of the abutments will be prevented so that when
the cams on the cam wheels next come, by rotation, into contact with them they
will act through the cam wheels to force the printing roller away from the bowl
and hold it away until the cam projections on the cam wheels have moved out of
contact with the said abutments.
Apparatus for determining the movement of the printing rollers in the manner
set forth can be constructed in various forms.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 shows partly in end elevation and partly in vertical section, and Fig. 2
partly in front elevation and partly in cross section, so much of an intermittent
printing machine as is necessary to illustrate the application thereto of apparatus
according to this invention for controlling the movements of the intermittent
printing rollers.
Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, showing a modified.
construction of such controlling apparatus.
Fig. 5 shows partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, a
combined cam, clutch and box wheel.
Figs. 5 and 5B are detail views hereinafter referred to.
Fig. 6 is an end view of the clutch as seen from the outer side.
Fig. 7 is an end view of the cam as seen from the inner side.
Fig. 8 shows partly in section and partly in elevation, and to a larger scale,
the construction of one of the abutments used in the arrangement shown in
Figs. 3 and 4.
Figs. 9 and 10 show respectively in side elevation and cross section, an electric
switch.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7: A is the main bowl round which is passed
the fabric to be printed and which is secured upon the shaft A mounted in
bearings carried by the main frames B, B of the machine. C and C¹ are mandrels
upon which are respectively fastened copper printing rollers C2 C³ which are
shown as of different diameters, and drive the bowl A by friction in the usual
manner. On each end of each mandrel C C' is mounted a cam wheel D provided
with a cam projection D' whereby each printing roller can be caused to move to
and from the fabric being printed as required. Each of the mandrels C is driven
from one end of the machine by an ordinary crown wheel E on the driving
shaft E through a box wheel F which is fixed. on the corresponding end of the
mandrel in such a way that it can be readily removed when necessary.
Each of the mandrels C₁ is driven from the opposite end of the machine by
another crown wheel G which is driven from the main crown wheel E through
pinions H, H' and a cross shaft H2 carried in, bearings in the frames B, B, the 'said
crown wheel gearing with a box wheel J similar to F. fixed on the corresponding
end of each mandrel Cl.
:

page_text: When in use for doing intermittent printing, the printing rollers c², c³, having on
them the pattern which is to be printed, receive their motion either together or
separately from the crown wheels E and G through the box wheels F and J on the
mandrels C and C₁ carrying the said rollers.
On the outer side of each machine frame B and opposite the end of each of the
mandrels extending therethrough, are brackets or holders K carrying abutments
for the purpose hereinbefore described and each provided with a screw threaded
extension K engaging a screw K° located within a slot in the frame B (Figure 1)
so as to admit of the bracket being adjusted in a radial direction to adapt it for use
with printing rollers of different diameters.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each of the abutments for use in
connection with the cam wheels on the two ends of each mandrel, is in the form of
an antifriction roller K* carried by a slide K2 mounted to work in a bracket K and
acted upon by a spring K³ that serves to normally keep the said roller in the path
of the corresponding cam projection D'. In connection with the slide K2 there is
provided a pair of spring fingers or stops K* adapted, when in their normal position,
to take behind the inner end of the slide and prevent movement thereof in an
inward radial direction, but which are capable of being pressed out of the
path of the slide by a device such as a wedge shaped plate K³ that derives
its motion from the said slide through a spring K6 placed between them, but the
movement of which is capable of being easily arrested by a bar or stop K
that is brought into the path of the said plate at the required times by the
movement of the armature K of an electro-magnet K and to which armature
the said stop K'is, in the example shown, directly connected. By this arrangement
upon closing the circuit of the pair of electro-magnets K³ corresponding to any
given mandrel, each armature K will be attracted by and held against the corre-
sponding electro-magnet K, and will hold the stop K' in the path of the wedge
device K³ so that when the cam projection D₁ on the corresponding cam wheel D
comes in contact with the antifriction roller K*, it will force the slide K² partly
inward in the direction of the electro-magnet K against the pressure of the
springs K and K. The wedge device K will however be then held stationary
between the stop K' and spring K so that its inclined planes or ends, which are
adapted when moved inward to press against and prevent the spring fingers or
stops K' from catching the end of and stopping the slide K, will be rendered
inoperative with the result that such fingers or stop will then be free to hold the
said slide and prevent further inward movement of the antifriction roller K* carried
thereby. This roller will then act as an abutment to the said cam projection D'
and cause the mandrel C or C₁ carrying the same to move radially outward from
the bowl in order to permit the cam projection to clear itself from the antifriction
roller, thereby throwing the printing roller carried by the said mandrel off the
fabric being printed and giving the intermittent action desired. Thus it will be
understood, the arrangement is such that when the pair of electro-magnets K
corresponding to a printing roller are not energised, the apparatus is inoperative
on the cam wheels and printing roller, but is rendered operative by the closing of
the circuit of the said magnets.
In order to arrest or retard the rotation of the cam wheels D, when necessary,
for a longer or shorter period, and so vary the period of intermittent. action, there
is provided in conjunction with the said cam wheels, according to this invention,
means, such for example as rotary clutches, adapted by the action of suitable
devices such as electrically controlled stops, to disengage the said cam wheels from
the parts by which they are driven, the duration of the disengagement depending
upon the length of time the stops are held in the path of the clutches. Con-
veniently the stops may be operated by the armatures of the electro-maguets used
for determining the action of the abutments K* in the arrangement herein before
described; and be each arranged to come into the path of a projection on the
corresponding clutch, which may be of any suitable kind. This arrangement is
shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5 & 6 wherein K is a slide bar or stop connected to the

page_text: armature K and adapted to be moved thereby into the path of one or other of two
projections D2 on a disengaging ring D of the clutch mechanism (Figs. 5 and 6).
The adjacent engaging surfaces of the two parts D', D' of the clutch, are divided
into any desired number of parts, by teeth. or divisions D³ on the one part D*
adapted to enter corresponding recesses in the other part D³ the recesses being
separated by inclined surfaces D° (Fig. 5A) the number of teeth or divisions D³ and
the length of the surfaces D° depending upon the length of the pattern to be
printed. In the example shown there are two teeth or divisions D³ on one part
clutch and two corresponding recesses in and inclined surfaces D° on the other part
clutch. The part clutch D, which is actuated by the adjacent box wheel For J,
is disengaged from the other part D' carrying the cam wheel D, by the action of
the disengaging ring D* when the same is held by the stop K10 under the action of
the electro-magnet K. The disengagement is effected by inclined planes D, D'
that are formed respectively on the ring D and a ring De fixed around the part
clutch D³, and which act, when the ring D is held in a rotary direction, one against
the other, in such a manner that the part clutch D* will be forced endways out of
gear with the part clutch D³ against the pressure of a spring D'. In the example
shown, the inclines De constitute the inclined ends of recesses, of which there are
two in the ring D* (Fig. 6), the inclines D' constituting the sides of two corre-
spondingly formed projections on the ring D. . The disengaging ring D* is provided
with one or more pins D arranged or each arranged to work in a recessed part D¹º
in the periphery of the part clutch D see Fig. 5B and connected to such part clutch
by a spring D which serves to return the disengaging ring, when released by the
stop K, to its original position relatively to the part clutch D' and permit the
spring D' to force the part clutch D* against the part clutch D and enable these
two parts to become re-engaged when the teeth or divisions D³ on the one come
opposite the recesses in the other.
Each of the mandrels carrying an intermittent filling roller, that is a roller for
printing in a filling pattern between cross bar patterns on calico, cloth, or other
material for which class of printing the machine is specially designed, is provided
at each end with clutch mechanism of the kind described controlled by an electro-
magnet, the circuits of the pair of electro-magnets common to such a printing roller
being made or broken simultaneously, the driving part of the clutch on the end of
the mandrel opposite to that carrying the box wheel, being arranged to be driven
by the mandrel on which however it can slide endways to effect disengagement of
the cam wheel at this end.
In this arrangement when the pair of electro-magnets K' corresponding to a
given printing roller are energised, the pair of slides K² constituting or carrying
the abutments for the cam projections D' on the pair of cams D on the roller
mandrel, will be held by the spring stops K so that the said cam projections will
roll against the said abutments and force. the printing roller away from the fabric
under treatment, and the stops K10 will arrest the disengaging rings D*, whereupon
one of the inclines D' of each of the projections on the rings Ds fixed to the clutch
parts D will slide in a circular direction partly along the corresponding inclines D*
on the rings D* against the action of the spring or springs D", with the result
that the two cams D will be put out of driving connection with the mandrel and
the printing roller will be held away from the fabric until the circuits of the
magnets K are broken, whereupon the rings D* being released, they will be
immediately returned by their springs D" to their normal positions and permit the
part clutches D to be brought against. the part clutches D, each cam wheel D
however still remaining stationary until the projections on the said part clutches D*
come opposite the recesses in the part clutches Do. The cam wheels will then be
again thrown into driving connection with the mandrel so that the cam projectious
thereon will rotate past the fixed abutments and permit the printing roller to be
again brought into contact with the material to be printed by springs or levers
acting in the usual way on the bearings in which the roller mandrel is mounted.
The cam wheels will be disengaged in the same manner from the mandrel and thus

page_text: are
arrested, if the electro-magnets be energised when the anti-friction rollers
running on that part of the periphery of each cam wheel not provided with the
cam projections D', the stops K then engaging the projections D³ on the ring D*
that are opposite in position to the cam projections D. Thus it will be understood
that by the disengaging arrangement described not only can the cam wheels be
arrested when the corresponding printing roller is forced away from the bowl, but
also when the printing roller is in contact with the fabric so as to permit it to make
more than one revolution before it is again moved away from the fabric.,
In the case of the intermittent cross bar rollers or those used to print cross-bar
patterns, only one clutch mechanism with electrically controlled stops K is used,
the part D of such clutch and the box wheel F or J by which it is driven. being
then mounted to run freely upon one end of the roller mandrel, and the other part
clutch Do with corresponding cam wheel D being fixed to the mandrel, as also is
the cam wheel at the opposite end of the mandrel. The action in this case however
will be the same as before except that the printing roller will be brought to rest
when the two parts of the clutch are disengaged from each other.
Instead of making the abutments K movable in a radial direction and
controlling their movements by mechanical means under the control of electro-
magnetic devices as herein before described, the said abutments may be fixed in a
radial direction and the said devices be arranged to control the rotary movement
of the cam wheels D so as to render these wheels operative or inoperative, as may
be desired, at the required times.
Such an arrangement is shown in Figs. 3, 4 & 8 wherein each antifriction
roller Kis journalled in the enlarged end N* of a rod N¹ that is acted upon by a
spring N2 and abuts against the adjacent end of a tube N adjustably fixed by
nuts N in a bracket N fixed to one of the side frames B. The roller is pressed
by the spring N2 into the path of the cam projection D' on the corresponding cam
wheel D so that when the said projection comes in contact with it, the enlarged
end N* of the rod N¹ will he caused to abut against the end of the fixed tube-N³
and so form a rigid abutment to oppose further inward radial movement of the
antifriction roller which will then act as before to force the printing roller away
from the fabric being printed and effect the intermittent action required.
The clutch mechanism for varying the periods of intermittent action in this case
are the same as in the arrangement hereinbefore described, but the electro-
magnets K for controlling such nechanism are carried by brackets O secured to
the side of the nips of the machine. The armature K of each electro-magnet in
this arrangement is pivoted at one end and normally acts as a locking bolt to
prevent movement of a slide bar O¹ or O2 one end of which is formed either as a
hook O³ or as an abutment stop 04 (Fig. 3) adapted to engage one or other of the
projections D2 of the disengaging ring D* of the corresponding clutch mechanism
previously described. In their normal positions the armatures K8 of the pair of
electro-magnets corresponding to any given printing roller, engage teeth O³ on the
corresponding slide bars O¹ so as to prevent endways movement of the bars which
then act, through the clutch rings D* of the clutch mechanism, to hold the cam
wheels out of driving connection with the mandrel of the printing roller, but upon
energising the electro-magnets, the armatures will be drawn out of contact with
the said bars O' and the clutch mechanism left free to re-engage the cam wheels
with the roller mandrel under the action of springs as before.
By the means herein before described we are enabled to print various lengths of
material with the same cam wheels and rollers without removal or addition of parts
heretofore usually required for this purpose, and we are thus able to save the
expense and time involved in adjusting the machine for the different lengths of
patterns required from time to time.
4
The electrical devices can be arranged to allow of the printing rollers being
worked either in rotation or independently of each other according to the style of
pattern required, and are each brought into action at the required times by a
suitably operated switch.
•

page_text: In the example shown, the rotary switches, of which there is one for each
intermittent printing-roller, are driven from a rim spur wheel L on the crown
wheel G through a spur wheel M, shaft M' and train of wheels M2, M3 and M', of
which M³ and M serve as intermediate and change wheels respectively, the latter
being varied in size to suit the length of period or variation of intermittent action.
required. The change wheel M' drives wheels M' from which motion is transmitted
to the several switch arms M, each rotation of which may correspond to one or a.
series of intermittent actions as required. One terminal of an electric generator
is connected to each arm M which is provided with a contact piece M* and is
arranged to rotate over two concentric metal rings M7 M8 provided with adjustable
contact pieces M M respectively and one of which namely M' is connected through
suitably insulated circuits to one or a pair of electro-magnets K and thence to the
other terminal of the electric-generator. The ring M³ is made higher than and
insulated from the ring M' and upon it the contact piece M* slides out of contact with
the ring M until it reaches the contact piece M³ over which it slides so as to be
thereby compressed, and then falls suddenly upon the contact piece M thereby
completing the circuit of the corresponding electro-magnet or magnets. By
adjusting the positions of the contact pieces M, M and the length of the latter,
the times at which the circuits of the electro-magnet or magnets will be closed and
the length of time the said circuits are closed, can be varied to suit requirement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. An intermittent printing machine in which the mandrel of an intermittent
printing roller is provided at each end with a cam wheel and there is used in con-
junction with each of the said cam wheels, an abutment the movement of which to
and from the axis of the roller is controlled by mechanical means the action of
which is determined by an electro-magnetic device, the arrangement being such
that when the pair of said electro-maguetic devices common to the said roller are
not energised, the abutments are inoperative on the cam wheels and printing roller,
but are rendered operative, so as to force the said roller away from the fabric to be
printed, by closing the circuits of the said devices as set forth.
2. In an intermittent printing machine in which an intermittent printing roller is
pressed away from the fabric to be printed by the action of cam wheels carried by
the roller mandrel against abutments on the machine frame, disengaging the cam
wheels from the part or parts by which they are driven so as to arrest or retard the
rotation of the said cam wheels at the required times, substantially as herein
described for the purposes specified.
3. For disengaging the cam wheels as referred to in the preceding claim, the
combination with one or with each of a pair of said cam wheels, of a rotary clutch
through which the cam wheel is driven, and an electrically controlled stop adapted
when in action, to operate said clutch and cause the cam wheel to become disengaged
from the part by which it is driven substantially as herein described for the purposes
specified.
4. An intermittent printing machine in which the mandrel of each intermittent
printing roller is provided at its ends with cam wheels that are arranged to rotate
in contact with abutments mounted on the frame in such a way as to be practically
fixed in an endways radial direction and the rotary motion of the said cam wheels
is controlled by an electro-magnetic device or by a pair of such devices in such a
way that the said cam wheels can be rendered operative or inoperative as may be
desired, at the required times, as set forth.
5. In an intermittent printing machine, the combination with each of the inter-
mittent printing rollers, of apparatus constructed arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 10
of the drawings annexed for determining the movements of the said printing roller
to and from the fabric to be printed.

page_text: 6. In an intermittent printing machine, the combination with each of the
intermittent printing rollers of apparatus constructed arranged and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 to 10 inclusive of
the drawings annexed for determining the movements of the said printing roller to
and from the fabric to be printed.
Dated this 8th day of December 1894.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.