IMPROVE- MENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Martyn Nicholls of 35 Kirby Street Hatton
Garden in the County of Middlesex Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Martyn Nicholls at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th April 1883.
HENRY MARTYN NICHOLLS of 35 Kirby Street Hatton Garden in the County of
Middlesex. Engineer-IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES
My Invention relates to that class of Printing Machines known as "perfecting
machines" that is to say Machines in which the paper is printed on both sides
more especially those known as Rotary web Machines and my Invention consists
in adapting and applying to the second impression cylinder in such machines a
covering of a material that will not absorb the printing ink or colour used
and a travelling wiper or wiping surface arranged and driven so as to be
capable of effectually cleaning the said covering at each revolution of the
cylinder
The said covering may be made or composed of thin sheet metal or other
suitable material
The said wiper or wiping surface may be composed of any suitable cloth or
fabric passing over two rollers in an endless length, one of such rollers being
arranged on each side of the cylinder in such a manner that the wiper or wiping
surface is made to surround and rendered capable of operating on a considerable
portion of the circumference of the cylinder covering
The said wiper or wiping surface is driven so as to have a comparatively slow
motion by means of worm or other suitable gear from the shaft of the cylinder
acting on one of the said rollers and it begins to operate on the surface to be
D .

page_text: cleaned at a short distance from the point at which the impression from the type
cylinder takes place thereby effectually cleaning the impression cylinder at each
revolution thereof and preventing the ordinary liability to produce a "set off" on
the paper forming the next succeeding sheet
In order to meet the various requirements arising from the different materials t
suitable for covering the impression cylinder and also the various inks or colours
used in printing I employ a roller suitably covered and mounted so as to run in
contact with the surface of the impression cylinder between the point of printing
contact and the said wiping surface the covering of which roller may be saturated
with any liquid adapted to effect the required cleaning of the surface surrounding 1
the impression cylinder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Martyn Nicholls in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th October 1883.
HENRY MARTYN NICHOLLS of 35 Kirby Street Hatton Garden in the County of
Middlesex Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES"
My Invention relates to that class of printing machines known as "perfecting
machines" that is to say machines in which the paper is printed on both sides,
more especially those known as rotary web machines.
And my Invention consists in adapting and applying to the second impression
cylinder in such machines a covering of a material that will not absorb the
printing ink or colour used, and a travelling wiper or wiping surface arranged and
driven so as to be capable of effectually cleaning the said covering at each revolution
of the cylinder.
The said covering may be made or composed of thin sheet metal or other suitable
material.
The said wiper or wiping surface may be composed of any suitable cloth or
fabric passing over two rollers in an endless length, one of such rollers being
arranged on each side of the cylinder in such a manner that the wiper or wiping
surface is made to surround and rendered capable of operating on a considerable
portion of the circumference of the cylinder covering.
The said wiper or wiping surface is driven so as to have a comparatively slow
motion by means of worm or other suitable gear from the shaft of the cylinder
acting on one of the said rollers and it begins to operate on the surface to be
cleaned at a short distance from the point at which the impression from the type
cylinder takes place, thereby effectually cleaning the impression cylinder at each
řevolution thereof, and preventing the ordinary liability to produce a "set off" on
the paper forming the next succeeding sheet.
In order to meet the various requirements arising from the different materials
suitable for covering the impression cylinder and also the various inks or colours
used in printing I employ a roller suitably covered and mounted so as to run in
contact with the surface of the impression cylinder between the point of printing
contact and the said wiping surface the covering of which roller may be saturated
with any liquid adapted to effect the required cleaning of the surface surrounding
the impression cylinder.
.
Having thus stated the nature of the said invention I will proceed to describe
more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by the aid of the
accompanying drawings in which are represented the parts of mechanism above
referred to

page_text: cylinder. It is on the surface surrounding the latter that the sheet "sets off" the
under side of the paper having just been printed by the first set of cylinders, and
the ink or colour not yet dry.
It is necessary to remove the "set off" as fast as it is deposited on the surface
surrounding the impression cylinder thereby bringing a clean surface constantly to
the point of contact of the two cylinders.-This is effected in the following manner.
The covering which surrounds the impression cylinder must be such that it will
not absorb the ink or colour and such also that it will allow of being wiped
clean without being injured and so effectually that the ink or colour can be
removed as fast as deposited. These requirements seem best fulfilled by the use of
thin sheet brass, iron, steel, or other metallic surface as a covering for the impression
cylinder.
In order to clean the surface I make use of an endless length of calico or other
soft textile fabric, marked C. C. C. figures 1. 2. 3 which is made to surround a portion
of the cylinder and which is pressed against it by two rollers D and E to which
a slow rotary motion is imparted (by preference in a direction contrary to that of
the surface of the cylinder) as shown by the arrows Figures 1. 2 and 3.
The wiping cloth is extended round a portion of the circumference as this
admits of other similar rollers indicated by dotted circles F G being brought to
bear so as to press the wiping cloth against the cylinder at intermediate points in
order to meet the case of different inks and colours which have. different degrees
of adhesiveness according to their nature and that of the material surrounding the
cylinder. I prefer as stated to have the wiping cloth in a continuous length
where the design of the machine admits of it, as, if it can be used in a sufficient
length it may be dried and in part cleaned before it comes again in contact with
the cylinder. But where the construction of the machine will not allow of a
sufficient length being employed in an endless length the cloth may be reeled on a
roller as shewn at H Fig: 3 and after being employed to clean the surface of the
cylinder it is or may be again reeled on another roller I when it will last in
proportion to the length reeled and to the speed at which the roller moves which
is necessarily very slow in proportion to the surface speed of the cylinder.
It is evident that different "perfecting" printing machines will require modifi-
cations of arrangement to suit differences of construction. The requisite slow
rotary motion is given to the rollers D and E from the shaft K which crosses the
machine and is supported in suitable bearings L, in the side frames thereof. A
pulley M fast on this shaft communicates motion to the roller D by a belt N'and
by a second belt O to the roller E. The shaft K receives motion from the shaft P
of the cylinder B. on the outer extremity of which is a worm Q which gears into
a worm wheel R on the shaft S. At the other extremity of the shaft S, which is
supported in suitable bearings in the side frame, is a bevil wheel T which gears
into another U on the end of the shaft K. The result of this combination is that
as the cylinder B revolves it imparts a slow rotary motion to the shaft K in the
required direction and the wiping cloth C is slowly drawn past the surface of the
cylinder in the opposite direction to that of its rotation.
For the purpose of assisting the process I mount a roller V above the roller D;
this roller V runs in bearings W on each side of the machine it is covered with a
soft material such as flannel and is caused to press against the surface of the
cylinder which as it revolves imparts motion to it by contact. Any required
chemical solution can be supplied to the material surrounding the roller which will
moisten the surface of the cylinder before it reaches the roller D.-The cloth O
itself may also be saturated with a solvent such as paraffin.
The rollers D and E may be "brush rollers" or they may be formed of a central
spindle surrounded by flannel or other soft material. I prefer to use rollers of
small diameter as in such case the soiled portion of the cloth C is more quickly
removed from the line of pressure between the roller and the cylinder.
It is to be observed that in fig: 1 the side frame of the machine is removed.
the more clearly to show the parts essentially connected with the improvements.

page_text: The roller X round which the cloth C. passes is supposed to be mounted too far
off to show on the sheet in its right place, hence the cloth is shewn divided at Y
fig: 1
Also the roller X in fig: 2 is shewn broken at Z in order to shew the
roller E behind it. Also the shaft S is broken off in fig: 1 and the bevil wheels T
and U are only shewn in fig: 2.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed I hereby declare that what I claim as of my
Invention is.
The adaptation and application to the second impression cylinder in "perfecting
machines "of a surface of thin metal or other suitable non-absorbent material and
a travelling wiper of any suitable fabric driven with a comparatively slow motion
by means of worm or other suitable gear with a view to effectually clean the
surface of the impression cylinder at each revolution thereof and thereby prevent
the ordinary liability to produce a "set off" on the paper forming the next
succeeding sheet all substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Martyn Nicholls have hereunto set my
hand and seal the twenty fourth day of October in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
Witness
WH. SPENCE
8 Quality Court
Chancery Lane
H, M. NICHOLLS
(L.S.)