IMPROVED MECHANISMS FOR PRINTING CALICOES AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Franklin Baylies, George P. Slade, and J. Morgan Slade,
all of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED MECHANISMS FOR PRINTING CALICOES AND OTHER
FABRICS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Franklin Baylies, George P.
Slade, and J. Morgan Slade at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 11th February 1880.
FRANKLIN BAYLIES, GEORGE P. SLADE, and J. MORGAN SLADE, all of the City,
County, and State of New York, United States of America. "IMPROVED
MECHANISMS FOR PRINTING CALICOES AND OTHER FABRICS."
Our joint Invention relates to the class of machines used for printing designs by
means of engraved rolls upon the surfaces of fabrics, such as calicoes, paper, and the
like, as they pass continuously between the contiguous surfaces of a drum and
engraved rolls, revolving in a suitable frame, and brought towards each other at
intervals of time in such a manner as to transfer to the material the figures or
designs so engraved, either by means of color or by pressure alone.
Our Invention consists in certain combinations of mechanisms, which combina-
tions are specifically set forth in the claims, by means of which printing-rolls are
revolved and automatically withdrawn from and brought in contact with the
material to be printed with such accuracy and positiveness that continuous designs
or figures are transferred to its surface, and extend over a much greater length of
surface, than can be done by one or more rolls of the same size revolving in
continuous contact with the material to be printed.
Our joint Invention enables us to print a design equal in length to the circum-
ference of two, three, or four (or more) rolls before repeating, since each roll transfers
its part of the design to the fabric at different points, but they are so accurately
connected as to make one continuous design equal to the sum of the circumferences
of the rolls before they are drawn away. After a fresh unprinted surface is pre-
sented the rolls are again moved up and the design is repeated, each roll, as before,
printing the part of the continuous design.

page_text: In order that persons skilled in the art may understand, make, and use our joint
Invention we will proceed to describe the manner in which we have embodied it,
referring to the annexed Drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a plan view; Figure 2 is an end view; Figure 3 is a side view looking
toward the outside of frame A; Figure 4 is a central section looking toward the
inside of frame A.
A, A¹, are the side frames, secured to a bedplate in the usual manner; they
support the several shafts, with the central drum, printing rolls, and gears, and other
parts of the mechanism. b is the main shaft, supported on the frames A, A', near
their tops, in adjustable bearings. This shaft carries outside of the side frame A a
large gear B, and between the side frames it carries a large drum B' covered by felt or
some pliable material; both the gear and druin are keyed to this shaft. c is a shaft
located under shaft b; it carries a smaller gear C keyed to it outside of frame A
which meshes into a large gear B.
Between the side frames by which c is supported in bearings are fixed to it two
gears of the same diameter as gear C on each side of the central line between the
frames. d, d', are shafts carrying fixed to them small gears D and D, Figure 3,
outside of frame A, which mesh into the large or main gear B. Between the side
frames are also fixed to shafts d, d¹, engraved print rolls D¹ and D', which revolve
in alternate contact with and separation from the fabric carried over the surface of
drum B¹. The ends of shafts d, ¹, are supported in bearings O, O¹, on the ends of
the screw spindles S, S¹, in the sliding frames q, q', which are constructed to slide
the shoes P, P. The shoes P, P', rest on the bottoms of pockets Z, Z¹, in the said
side frames; the bottoms of said pockets and the bottoms of said shoes are curved
to circles struck from the centre of main shaft b. The said shoes are wider than
the frames, and project somewhat below the curve of the said pockets on the
inside of frames A, A¹. On these curved projections are cut screw threads 71, 71,
Figure 4, which interlock with threads of screws V, VI, held in bearings u, u¹, so
that by turning the screws V, V₁, in either direction the screw spindles S, S¹, will
.be moved in the pockets circumferentially to the main shaft b and drum B, and
carry with them the print-rolls D', D¹¹. By this means circumferential adjustment
of the print-rolls around the drum B¹ is accomplished.
The shoes P, P¹, are narrower than the pockets Z, Z', so as to permit this
. circumferential movement.
-
At the top of the shoes P, P', on each side of the frames A, A', guides M, M', are
secured, which guide the motion of the tops of the said shoes circumferentially
parallel with their bottoms, so that the bodies of the shoes will move easily and
smoothly.
In bearings in the lower part of said shoes are hung the shafts f,f¹, which carry
face cams F, F¹, F", F", keyed to them outside the frames A, A¹. These cams are
provided with grooves facing the outside of the frames. Into these grooves w, w¹,
project pins 8, 81, from the lower ends of the sliding frames q, q¹.
The screw spindles S, S¹, are held in the sliding frames q, q', and are regulated
by adjusting nuts r, r, let into pockets or slots cut through the upper part of the
said sliding frames, and through which the said screw spindles pass. By turning
these nuts r, r, the said screw spindles are moved in or out of the sliding frames,
and the print rolls are moved nearer to or farther from the surface of the drum B¹
to regulate their pressure upon said drum. When the said shafts f, f¹, and the
cams revolve, they by their connection with the said sliding frames in the said shoes,
by means of the said pins 8, 8¹, move the said print rolls toward and away from the
drum B automatically.
On shafts ff, between the side frames, gears G11 and H" are fixed, of the same
Bize as gear C, and in positions on the said shafts correspondingly opposite to the
gears G and H on the shaft c.
Suspended by links J, J', I, I¹, K, K', and L, L, on pins 7¹ and h¹, are two gears
'G³ and H¹ which mesh into G and Gland B and I resuectively, and continue at

page_text: all times in such operative connection, irrespective of the distance apart of the gears
Gand and of Hand_H". The said suspension links control the distance to
which the said gears can be separated.
We propose to have the color boxes, scrapers, or doctors, and other parts necessary
to apply color to the print-rolls when color is used, but it is not important to
shew and describe their application here, since they are well understood in the art.
We have described the mechanism on one side of the machine only for raising
and lowering the rolls D' and D, but it will be readily understood that the same
apparatus is necessary on each end of the roll, as well as cain-shafts, to move the
rolls properly and to make the proper adjustments.
The operation of our machine is as follows:-
The cloth or other material to be printed in colors or otherwise is drawn from a
roll in one continuous sheet, and carried between the drum B' and the printing-rolls
D' and D; the latter, pressing the cloth against the drum B', begin to print their
designs, or part of a design, on the surface of the cloth at their lines of contact.
While the drum B¹ revolves and the cloth moves the entire engraved surfaces of
the rolls D' and D, at one revolution, will transfer their designs to the cloth until
part of the design printed by the roll D' connects with that printed by roll D" on
the surface of the cloth. The rolls D¹ and D111 are then moved away from the
surface of the cloth by means of the cams F, F', at the proper time, the rolls D¹ and
D are again brought up in contact with the cloth, and roll D' begins to print
on the fresh surface exactly where D¹ stopped printing when it was withdrawn,
the rolls again print a design or designs, the entire length of which will be equal to
the sum of their circumferences, and the same process is repeated so long as the
cloth is carried forward and the drum B' and rolls D' and Din revolve. Since the
cloth is moved forward at the exact speed of the circumference of drum B¹, whether
the printing-rolls are in contact or not, and the movements of the cams, shafts, and
rolls are all positive and accurate, being all driven by the drum B' or in connection
with it, the printing of the cloth must be accurate and uniform, and correspond with
the movement of B¹.
We do not intend to engrave the entire surface of the rolls D' and D, but to
leave a short space blank to permit them to be carried into contact a little before
they are required to begin to print; this we have found to be desirable.
The screws V, VI, enable us to adjust the rolls to an exact distance apart to ensure
a perfect continuity of the design, and the pressure of the rolls D' and D¹" against
the cloth and drum B' can be adjusted at will by the nuts r, r³.
It will be understood that other rolls continuously in contact with the cloth may
be used at the same time with our mechanism, and they may carry any figure or
design to be reproduced or repeated continuously at every revolution of said rolls;
but our mechanism enables us to print over twice as much surface as with one print
roll before a repetition of the figure is necessary, and if we use three rolls, operated
in the same manner, in place of the two, we can extend the design over three times
the length of one roll of the same size. We have considered the whole length of
the printed surface made by our mechanism as one design. It is not necessary to
do so.
Each roll may contain a separate design. The designs will not in that case
be repeated as often as when one roll continuously connected is used, but a greater
variety can be obtained.
The material to be printed is caused to move forward with the supporting drum,
either by an idler roll pressing it to the drum, or by printing rolls continuously
in contact with the material and drum, or by the usual belt moved forward at the
circumferential speed of the drum and the material to be printed.
We are aware that one roll has been arranged to be moved forward and from the
supporting drum to print stripes, but no mechanism that we are aware of has been
invented capable of accurately printing from the whole engraved surface of two or
more rolls in such a manner that the parts may match, so as to make one continuous
design.

page_text: Having now fully described our joint Invention, and the manner in which wo
have embodied it, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First. The combination, substantially as herein before set forth, of two or more
rolls having engraved surfaces with a drum for supporting the material to be printed,
connected positively together, the engraved rolls being placed in relation to the
supporting drum, and arranged to move automatically toward and away from the
same by mechanism, substantially as described, and to print a continuous design on
the material, in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
Second. The combination, substantially as herein before set forth, of two or more
printing rolls mounted on shoes adjustable circumferentially, substantially as
described, with cams on a shaft positively connected with the drum which supports
the material to be printed, said cams being so connected that they move the print-
roll toward and from said drum, for the purpose and in the manner substantially as
set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Franklin Baylies, George P. Slade, and
J. Morgan Slade, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty ninth
day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
eighty
FRANKLIN BAYLIES. (LS.)
GEORGE P. SLADE.
J. MORGAN SLADE.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
20