Improvements in Machines for Printing Intaglio Engravings, part of which are applicable to Typographic or Lithographic Printing Machines generally.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 4th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 9th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Printing Intaglio Engravings, part
of which are applicable to Typographic or Lithographic Printing
Machines generally.
I, JULES MICHAUD, of 96 Rue d'Assas, Paris, France, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a machine for printing all kinds of intaglio engravings,
either hand engravings, acid bitten engravings, heliogravures, or others.
By an improved arrangement this machine enables the wiping of the plate after
inking to be effected either automatically or by hand, the rough or first cleaning
being effected mechanically.
For this purpose I employ the arrangements for the cylinder, the wiping pads
and the inking rollers shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 the engraved plate being at 1 already once
inked passes under the inking rollers 2, and is inked a second time, then under the
wipers 3, by which it is wiped and then passes to the position 4; during this travel
of the plate the cylinder 5 remains stationary; the plate when at the position 4 is
under the control of the printer who can complete the wiping; the plate being
ready passes under the cylinder to print the sheet, then under the wipers which are
raised, and finally under the inking rollers.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the plate starts from 1, is inked by contact
with rollers 2, wiped by the wipers 3 and travels to 4; on its return, if the plate
has been wiped by hand at 4, the wipers and the inking rollers are raised while
such plate moves to the cylinder to print the sheet. In this arrangement the
wipers may act both on the forward and the backward movement.
In Fig. 3 the plate starts from 1, is inked at 2, wiped at 3, and at 4 can be
operated upon by the printer, after which it returns under the wipers 3, which are
raised, and then prints the sheet.
I may, in the case where it is not desired to wipe the plate by hand, employ part
of the wipers shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to wipe the plate on its forward movement,
that is when it travels from 1 to 4, and the other part to wipe same on its return
movement, when it travels from 4 to 1; or again I may let some of the wipers―
the last wipe the plate both on its forward and backward movement.
To enable the wiping by hand to be perfectly effected, it is advisable to cause the
bed of the machine to stop at the position 4, and for this purpose I have devised
the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.
When the plate arrives at the position 4 a projection 6 on the bed encounters the
lover 7, thus disengaging the machine and producing the stop or pause; this
disengagement is effected by an arrangement of levers and connecting rods such as
are used in ordinary machines for this purpose. When the printer has finished the
work of wiping by hand he actuates lever 7 (Figs. 1 and 4), re-engages the machine
and the printing is effected.
Lever 7 against which the bed abuts is pivotted to a second lever 8, which in its
turn operates the disengaging mechanism. This lever 7 is, as shown in Fig. 4,
arranged so that under the action of a spring 81, it always returns to the same
position, that is opposite the projection 6, so as to be acted upon by the latter and
to itself operate the lever 8. When desired to restart the machine the printer
disengages the lever 7 from projection 6, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, thus
enabling the machine to be re-engaged without the projection interfering therewith.
[Price 8d.]
A

page_text: A pin 9 maintains the lever 7 removed from the projection on the bed when it is
not required to stop the bed on each travel.
In order to cause less rags to be used to wipe the plate, I place a blade or
strip 10 of leather, india rubber, or other suitable material (Figs. I and 5) behind
the inkers but in front of the wipers, such blade or strip being held between two
plates (Fig. 5); this blade or strip removes part of the ink which is on the surface,
supplies the cuts or recesses better without removing ink therefrom, and thus
facilitates the work of wiping. The blade. 10 is raised on the return movement of
the plate so as to avoid unnecessary friction on the uninked plate.
The blade 10 has a to and fro movement imparted thereto so as to improve its
action.
I also cause the same rag to pass over two, three, or more wipers, according to
the work to be performed, so that the clean rag naturally passes first over the first
wiper, then over the second, and then over the third. This arrangement is shown
in Fig. I where the rag 11 passes over three wipers.
I also place a wiper 14 between the cylinder and the plate when at the end of its
travel, this wiper being (according to the work to be effected) clothed with a
fabric or soft leather. This wiper having a to and fro movement imparted to it has
a similar effect on the plate as the wiping by hand by the printer. A block_of
whiting 15 is mounted on the bed in advance of the plate, so that it passes under
the wiper 14 which bears thereon before coming in contact with the plate.
The to and fro movement and also the pressure of the wiper 14 on the plate may
if desired be effected by the printer by hand.
In order to prevent the inking rollers from soiling the parts of the plates which
correspond to the whites or blanks in one direction, I cause such rollers to be raised
above the plate by means of strips applied to tracks on which bear rollers mounted
on cach side of such rollers, so that the latter are only lowered on to the plate to
ink the required parts; when they are opposite the other parts they are raised by
thicknesses of material placed under such strips.
For printing certain intaglio engravings it is necessary to have a ground colour;
for this purpose on hand presses papers of the shade of this colour are generally
employed.
I have invented an arrangement which enables any colour of the dimension of
the plate to be applied to that part of the sheet which is fed in on which the
engraving is not produced, and also on the part which is to receive the engraving if
desired.
For this purpose, between the cylinder and the plate when at the end of its
travel, that is when in its position of rest indicated at 4 in Fig. 6 of the drawings,
I arrange distributing rollers 16 fed with ink, of the colour selected, by a
cylindrical table 17 to which a to and fro movement is imparted; a movable
roller transmits the ink from the ink duct to the table 17; this arrangement for
inking is only given as an example, and it will be understood that the number of
ink ducts, distributing rollers and their arrangement may vary according to the
class of work to be produced by the machine.
I may also for this inking employ more simple arrangements adopted for example
for machines for printing coloured papers, and I may employ either oil or water
colours, or any other colour. According also. to the class of work, the rollers 16
will be either fixed or be raised when the plate passes from position 1 to position 4;
I may raise these rollers so that, when the plate arrives at 4 it stops, and the printer
finishes the wiping by hand, the ground colour has not yet been deposited on the
plate, and does not interfere with his work.
In cases where the hand wiping is not necessary, the plate may be inked by the
rollers 16 both in the forward and the backward movement.
The rollers 16 being supported by rollers mounted on their extremities and
bearing on tracks so as to ink the surface of the plate without removing the ink
contained in the recesses or cuts, it will be seen that by the improved arrangement

page_text: it is easy to obtain on the machine, on white paper for example, any colour which
is desired, such as blue or yellow so as to imitate China paper, etc.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the plate occupying the position shown at 1,
passes under the cylinder which is stationary, under the inking rollers 2, then under
the wiping pads 3 and is arrested at 4; the stopping of the bed at this position is
effected as has been shown with reference to Fig. 1. The printer then effects the
wiping of the plate by hand if requisite; the bed re-starts when the engaging
mechanism is actuated, and the plate passes under the wiping pads, which with the
inking rollers are raised on its passage. When the bed arrives at the middle of its
travel, the cylinder, which until this movement has remained stationary, begins to
move, the sheet fed from above is printed, the plate passes to the position 1, and a
fresh step begins.
This special arrangement of the machine presents the advantage that the printed
sheet may be either removed from the cylinder or from the plate if the work
requires it.
Further, at the moment of stopping, when the plate is at 4, access to it is very
easy either from the end of the machine, or from the right or left thereof.
In the case where hand wiping is not requisite, may, by this arrangement,
cause as many wipers as desired to act on the return movement of the plate, for
which purpose it is only requisite to not raise same. I can, therefore, with five
wipers, for example, cause all five to act on the first passage, and by only raising
two on the return movement, obtain the same effect as with eight wipers acting only
in one direction, while being able on the return movement to change or shift the
rag or wiping surface on the wipers, more or less, according to requirements.
A further improvement of great importance which I have made in this machine
consists in the means for actuating the bed which carries the plate.
The special arrangement for this purpose enables the cylinder to begin its
movement only at the middle of the travel of the bed, and permits the employment
of a cylinder of a development equal to half the total travel of the bed, without
however causing the starting or stopping of the cylinder to be attended with any
shock, such movements being effected on the contrary under favorable conditions,
as they occur at periods corresponding to two stopping points in the travel of
the bed.
The bed starting from one end of its travel is carried forward at an increasing
speed, then slows down until it stops at the middle of its travel, and it is at this
point that the cylinder begins to move, the latter being actuated in a similar way to
that employed for actuating cylinders of typographic and lithographic machines;
the toothed crown of the cylinder engages the rack of the bed without shock as at
this moment the speed of the latter is very slow; the second half of the travel is
effected in the same way as the first, that is to say, that the motion after first
increasing, decreases up to the stopping point corresponding to the other end of the
travel, when the cylinder stops, and remains stationary during the whole returu
movement of the bed.
To effect this result I connect the crank 18 mounted on shaft 19 to a second
shaft 20 by means of a connecting rod 21, there being two connecting rods 21, as
the driving wheel mounted on shaft 19 forms a crank on one side. The shaft 20
carries two pinions 211, the development of the pitch line of which is equal to
double the length of the crank 18, so that these two pinions make one rotation on
the racks 22 for a half revolution of the shaft 19; the shaft 20 is bent at its middle
so as to form a crank the throw of which is equal to the radius of the pitch line of
the pinions 21. The shaft 20 is connected to another shaft 23 carrying four
toothed wheels 24 and 25 and rollers; the two wheels 24 gear with racks fixed to
the frame of the machine; the two larger wheels 25 gear with the racks of the bed.
The cranks 18 through the connecting rods 21 transmit to the shaft 20 a to and
fro movement, during which time the point 26 (the point of attachment of the
connecting rod) describes in space two cycloidal arcs, each equal to a demi-cycloid,
represented in dotted lines in Fig. 2; the result of this arrangement is that the to

page_text: and fro movement transmitted to shaft 23 will have a dead centre or point of rest
at the middle of such movement, and as the two toothed wheels mounted on such
shaft only serve to transmit its to and fro movement to the bed while increasing the
speed of the latter, but without changing the nature of the movement, the bed will
have a point of rest in the middle of its travel.
I may apply this arrangement not only to machines for printing intaglio
engravings, but also to all typographic or lithographic printing machines in which
it is required to produce a variable movement of the bed, such that the travel of
the latter in one direction is effected in two periods with a rest in the middle.
It will be evident that if the travel to be imparted to the bed is only short, it
will suffice to connect it by a connecting rod to the cranked part of shaft 20
without having to employ shaft 23.
Various other arrangements may be employed for producing the same result, and
which I may also apply to printing machines in general. Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10-show
four different arrangements for such purpose, and in these E, E', E', E³, represent
respectively the point of attachment of the connecting rod to the bed, or the point
of attachment of the connecting rod to the train of rollers supporting the bed,.
according to the course which the latter has to travel is more or less long; B, B',
B2, B3, is the cranked shaft as employed at present in most typographic and.
lithographic machines.
In Fig. 7 the crank mounted on shaft B imparts a to and fro movement to
shaft C carrying a pinion the development of the pitch circle of which is equal to
the length of the crank; on shaft Ċ is a crank of the same radius as the pinion,
such crank being connected by a rod to the bed or to the train of rollers. The
point D of the crank describes in space two complete cycloids (shown in thick
black lines) for each travel; the result of this movement of one end D of the
connecting rod D, E, is that the other end E travels through the space F, G,
with a varying movement and with a dead centre or rest in the middle of its
course.
In Fig. 8 the driving shaft B¹ of the bed carries a crank the end of which carries
a pinion C, such pinion gearing with a fixed wheel I'.
At a point D' of the generating circle of pinion C¹ is connected a connecting rod,
the end E¹ of which travels through the space F', G. The pinion C¹ is of half the
diameter of the wheel I'; during its rotation the point D¹ describes in space for
one revolution of shaft B', two epicycloids (shown by a thick black line on the
drawing); the result of this movement is that the end E¹ travels through the
space F, G, with a varying movement, and with a dead point or rest in the middle
of its course.
The same occurs in the arrangement shown in Fig. 9, in which the
crank mounted on the shaft B carries a pinion C2 gearing with a fixed wheel I'
outside the latter. The pitch circle of C is one quarter that of wheel 12; the
point of connection D2 of the connecting rod to the pinion C in this case describes
for each complete revolution of the shaft four hypocycloids shown on the figure.
In Fig. 10 the parts are the same as in Fig. 8, but the two wheels C and 13 are
of the same diameter, the result being that for one revolution of the shaft the
point D³ describes in space an epicycloid.
This arrangement presents this peculiarity that the movement of the point E³,
according to whether it is from F³ to G³ or from G³ to F3, is not the same as in the
preceding cases; if we call from F³ to G³ the forward movement, this will be
effected at a varying speed with a dead centre or rest in the middle of the travel,
but the backward movement will be effected without such dead centre or rest at
the middle of the travel, and in a much shorter space of time than the forward
movement.
This arrangement is of special advantage in securing a rapid motion for the
return movement when no work is effected.
It will be understood that according to the proportion between the diameter of
the fixed and of the movable wheels, the most diverse varying movements with as
many dead centres or rests as may be required may be imparted to the end of the

page_text: connecting rod connected to the bed or to the train of rollers.
I may therefore
employ the arrangements described while changing the relations between the wheels
according to the particular requirements of the cases to be dealt with.
A further improvement to the machine originally described relates to the means
for imparting the to and fro movement to the wiping pads; the extent of this
movement may be varied for each of the pads by the arrangement illustrated
in Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14. In Fig. 11 the shaft 28 carries circular eccentrics
acting upon rollers fixed to the lever 29. A spring 30 forces the roller of the lever
against the eccentric. As many eccentrics and levers are employed as there are
wipers. The eccentrics instead of being directly keyed to the shaft are fixed to a
part 31 which is keyed to the shaft 28, the bolt 33 which connects the eccentric 32
to the part 31 being capable of displacement in a slot in the latter, so as to permit
the centre of the eccentric being made to coincide with the centre of the shaft, or
to displace the centre according to the travel it is desired to obtain; the to and
fro movement may thus be entirely abolished or the extent of same increased
according to requirements.
The same result may be produced by actuating the lever 29 by an eccentric
provided with a strap (Fig. 12), such eccentric consisting of two plates mounted one
on the other and connected together by a bolt; the inner plate is keyed to
shaft 28, and it will be seen that by turning the outer plate 31' and then fixing it
by means of bolt 33' which connects it to the keyed plate, the eccentricity and
consequently the travel will be increased or diminished.
In Figs. 13 and 14 the wiping pad is connected by a connecting rod to the pin of
a crank 321 adjustable on a plate 34; there are as many plates as wipers, such
plates having a rotary motion imparted to them. As the crank pin is moved to
and from the centre of the plate, the extent of travel will be diminished or
increased.
In Figs. 15 and 16 another arrangement for actuating the wipers is shown.
35 is a shaft making one revolution for each revolution of the shaft driving
the bed.
On this shaft is keyed a plate 36 on which is fixed a cam 37 serving to actuate
one of the wiping pads.
As many plates 36 and cams 37 as there are wipers are provided.
Motion is transmitted from the cam to the wiper by means of a lever 38 one end
of which carries a roller bearing on cam 37 and the other end of which is connected
by a connecting rod 39 to the part to which the wiper is secured.
Each of the cams 37 is arranged so as to only act upon the wiper during the time
that the latter is opposite the plate either on the forward or on the backward
movement of the bed.
I ascertain the position on the plate 36 for the cam 37 so as to cause it to act on
the wiper in either case. It therefore follows that if the cam is at 37 I produce
the to and fro movement of the wiping pad during the forward movement of the
bed; by placing the cam at 371 this movement will on the contrary take place
during the backward movement of the bed, and by placing one can at 37 and
another at 37 the pad will be actuated over the plate both during the forward
and the backward movement of the bed; the cams 37 and 371 may be of different
forms, so as to produce different movements, if requisite, on the forward and back-
ward movements. A second cam mounted on the shaft 35 in a different plane to
the former causes the wiping pad to be lowered on the passage of the plate.
It will be seen that I have only to make the lowering movement correspond to
one of the to and fro movements above indicated, so as to wipe the plate either on
the forward or on the backward movement, or on both the forward and backward
movement, by employing the cams 37 and 37' and leaving the wiper lowered during
the two passages of the plate.
The form of cam 37 may be considerably varied and transmit to the wiper it
actuates movements of varying extent and nature. At 37 in Fig. 17 and at 37

page_text: Fig. 18, I have shown as examples, two different forms of this cam, and I may modify
such forms as occasion requires.
The method of transmitting motion from the cam to the wiper, is also only
shown as an example and may be modified. The spring 40 for instance, which
serves to cause the roller of lever 38 to bear on the cam, may be abolished, if the
latter, as indicated at 3711 Fig. 17 for example, is confined between two walls.
I may impart to the shaft 35, which makes one rotation for each revolution of
the crank shaft, a uniform or other movement, for example I may drive this shaft
by the intermediary of a rack fixed to the bed and of spur and bevel wheels.
By this method of driving, the shaft 35 will have a movement imparted to it
varying with that of the bed, it will turn first one way and then the other; by
placing plates 36 on this shaft and cams on these plates, and by placing a shaft 35
on each side of the machine the wipers can be actuated both on the forward and
backward movement.
As there are, as above stated, as many cams 37 as wipers, and as these cams may
be different from each other, and they may cause the wipers to bear on the plate
either on the forward or the backward movement of the bed, or on both the
forward and backward movement, it will be seen that by this arrangement I can
effect the wiping more efficiently than in any other machine, on account of the
independence which exists in the movement of the different wipers, as well as the
possibility of varying the time of employing each of them.
A further advantage of this arrangement is the holding of the wiper raised and
stationary during the whole time that it is not opposite the plate and when its
employment is not necessary; it therefore follows that the shifting of the rag under
the stationary wiper takes place under more favorable conditions than in machines
in which the shifting takes place while the wiper is moving to and fro; I thus
avoid the creases which are formed in the rag on the latter machines and which
interfere with perfect and regular wiping.
In order to completely wipe the two edges of the plate corresponding to the
parallel borders of the length of the bed, behind the last wiper I place two
special wipers or washers 42, 421, Figs. 15 and 16, which may be of the form
indicated in the drawings, or of other form; these wipers may be of leather or of
fabric, and be coated with whiting or chalk, and they correspond to the two extreme
edges of the plate; on the passage of the latter they rub against the edges and
wipe same completely. The position of these wipers or washers varies according
to the size of the plates.
To wipe the two other edges of the plate I arrange two other pads 41 and 41¹
which are of the size suitable to wipe the plate on the edges throughout its length;
these pads are, like the wipers, mounted on movable pieces, which actuated like the
wipers, are lowered on the arrival of the plate at the end of the course, and have a
to and fro movement on the two edges of the plate; these pieces are immediately
raised to permit the return of the plate without the part which is to receive the
impression touching the pads 41, 411.
The pad 41 under which the plate does not pass need not be caused to rise and
fall, and may have only a to and fro movement at the moment when the plate
arrives at the end of its travel, but the pad 41' must of necessity be raised on the
forward and on the backward movement for the passage of the plate and only touch
the edge of the plate.
The distance between the pads 41, 41', like that between the wipers 42, 42',
varies with the dimensions of the plate.
Among the difficulties which occur in printing intaglio engravings, by means of
power presses, the first is that of fixing the plate to be printed on the press and
then of preventing the edges of this plate and the clips which fix it getting soiled
by contact with the inking rollers or the wiping pads, which would result in the
soiling of the printed sheets.
To avoid these difficulties, for this kind of printing instead of plates. 3 or
4
5

page_text: 4 millimetres in thickness, I employ thin metal sheets of about a half or a millimetre
in thickness; most intaglio engravings, and especially those produced by photographic
processes are of very slight thickness.
To fix these plates on the machine, I employ for flat presses, blocks of the same
kind as those which serve to receive the zinc sheets for lithographic printing;
Fig. 19 shows a section of one of these blocks; the method of straining the
metallic sheet and also the means for fixing it to the block are only shown as
examples.
On cylindrical presses I employ a similar arrangement for fixing and stretching
the sheet of metal on the cylinder; the one shown in Fig. 20 I have employed for
stretching zinc sheets on cylindrical machines for what is known as lithographic
printing.
It will be seen that by this means I do away with the clips hitherto employed,
and which besides getting soiled, also often cause the tearing of the wiping pads.
A further improvement consists in employing inking rollers (known as distributors)
and wiping pads of variable lengths and corresponding to the dimensions of the work
to be executed.
In order to avoid having several sets of inking rollers, cach roller may be made
up of a certain number of washers threaded on an iron spindle and held at the ends
by any suitable means; by this arrangement it is only requisite to add or to with-
draw a certain number of washers in order to make the part of the roller which
receives the ink and applies it to the plate the required length; the washers which
I employ for forming these rollers may be of any material suitable for taking up
and applying the ink employed.
Fig. 21 shows one form of roller for this purpose.
The washers are held forced together by means of a nut at each extremity.
Fig. 22 shows the same roller arranged for a narrow impression, the washers
removed being replaced by a sleeve of smaller diameter so that the washers left on
may still be forced together.
With regard to the wiping pads, I apply to them a thickness of felt, flannel or
other supple fabric as indicated at a in Figs. 23 and 24; this fabric is fixed and
stretched on the pad in the manner shown in these figures, or in any other suitable
manner; it is of the same length as the inking roller so as to permit of the rag
which passes over it wiping the whole of the inked part, without however rubbing
against the edges of the plate.
In order to facilitate the fixing on either flat or cylindrical machines of engraved
plates, either thin or thick, that is of a half, one, two, three or more millimetres in
thickness, I may further back them with a metal such as that employed for backing
typographic galvanos, so as to give them a thickness of ten, fifteen or twenty
millimetres, which will permit of them being fixed either on the cylinders, or on
the beds of flat machines, in the same way as typographic plates are fixed, and
without there being any danger of the clips employed, which only project from 5
to 6 millimetres, being soiled by the inking rollers or of their tearing the
wiping pads.
By this arrangement and the one previously described, I can on a rotary
machine print in a continuous manner and employ a roll of paper as for typographic
printing.
I may further fix the plate to the block by glue either directly or by interposing
any suitable substance such as paper, fabric, etc., between such plate and the block,
which substance will on the one hand be glued to the plate, and on the other hand
to the block. I may for this purpose employ any kind of glue.
By means of the glue the plate will be held securely on the block, the pressure
of the cylinder being unable to detach it therefrom, while it may readily be
separated by raising one of the corners of the plate.
I may employ blocks of wood or any substance other than metal blocks.
In machines for printing by means of intaglio engravings and which are operated
by hand, the cylinder which exerts the pressure on the sheet of paper is provided

page_text: with one or more thicknesses of woollen blanketing; it is this kind of covering
which has up to the present been adopted for the cylinders of power driven
machines. It has the disadvantage of absorbing the humidity of the sheets to be
printed and at the end of a certain time to sometimes produce a duplicate of the
impression.
propose to replace this clothing or cover of the cylinder by one composed of a
certain number of sheets of paper covered so as to protect them from the moisture
by an india rubber or a very thin oil skin sheet.
I can then make on one of the sheets of paper what in typographic printing is
called the "make ready," that is to say stick thicknesses of paper cut to suit the
different tones of engraving to be produced, and which, by producing a greater
pressure in certain places, forces the sheet to take the ink from the bottom of the
recess or cut, without however producing as great a pressure on the remainder of
the plate during the printing of the sheet, thus diminishing the resistance in the
machine.
The material which passes over the wiping pads 3 proceeds from a roller 50
(Figs. 25 and 26) and is rewound on a roller 51 which is actuated by toothed
wheels or racks acted upon by pawls; in order to maintain the necessary tension
on the material while it unrolls, I mount on the spindle of roller 50 a spiral
spring 52 one end of which is secured to a ring 53 screwed on the spindle, and the
other end to a ring 54 which is forced against the frame with more or less friction
according to the tension of the spring, and which allows roller 50 to offer sufficient
resistance to the unwinding to keep the material properly stretched.
On the other hand, when the wiping pad 3 rises to allow the wiped plate to pass,
the rollers 50 and 51 remain stationary, and the result is that the unstretched
material will rub against the plate; to avoid this on the bar 55 which carries the
pad 3 I fix a spring 56 connected to a rod 57 which bears against the clean part
of the material. The result of the tension of spring 56 is that when the pad is
raised the material is forced inwards and is thus held applied against the pad.
In Fig. 27 I have shown another arrangement for effecting the same result. A
metal frame 58 carries wooden bearings 59, which are mounted on the spindle of
roller 50. According to whether the screw of the frame bears on the bearings
with greater or less force, such bearings hold the roller more or less strongly. On
a hook fixed to the frame 58 a spring 60 is fixed, its other end being attached to a
hook or pin 61 on the main frame; under the pulling action of the material which
is drawn in the direction of the arrow the roller turns carrying with it the
frame 58, and the spring is extended; the frame turns a fraction of a revolution
only, being arrested by a stop 62, while the roller continues to turn under the action
of the material, and the spring 60 remains extended, so that when by reason of the
raising of the wiping pad the material tends to become slack, this spring pulls the
roller 50 back and the tension on the material is re-established.
Dated this 18th day of November 1892.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Printing Intaglio Engravings, part
of which are applicable to Typographic or Lithographic Printing
Machines generally.
I, JULES MICHAUD, of 96 Rue d'Assas, Paris, France, 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 :-
D
Throughout this description reference is had to the drawings filed with the

page_text: This invention relates to a machine for printing all kinds of intaglio engravings,
either hand engravings, acid bitten engravings, heliogravures, or others.
By an improved arrangement this machine enables the wiping of the plate after
inking to be effected either automatically or by hand, the rough or first cleaning
being effected mechanically.
For this purpose I employ the arrangements for the cylinder, the wiping pads
and the inking rollers shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 the engraved plate being at 1 already once
inked passes under the inking rollers 2, and is inked a second time, then under the
wipers 3, by which it is wiped and then passes to the position 4; during this travel
of the plate the cylinder 5 remains stationary; the plate when at the position 4
is under the control of the printer who can complete the wiping; the plate being
ready passes under the cylinder to print the sheet, then under the wipers which are
raised, and finally under the inking rollers.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the plate starts from 1, is inked by contact
with rollers 2, wiped by wipers 3, and travels to 4; on its return, if the plate has
been wiped by hand at 4, the wipers and the inking rollers are raised while such
plate moves to the cylinder to print the sheet. In this arrangement the wipers may
act both on the forward and the backward movement.
In Fig. 3 the plate starts from 1, is inked at 2, wiped at 3, and at 4 can be
operated upon by the printer, after which it returns under the wipers 3, which are
raised, and then prints the sheet.
I may in the case where it is not desired to wipe the plate by hand, employ part
of the wipers shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to wipe the plate on its forward movement,
that is when it travels from 1 to 4, and the other part to wipe same on its return
movement, when it travels from 4 to 1; or again I may let some of the wipers-
the last-wipe the plate both on its forward and backward movement.
"
To enable the wiping by hand to be perfectly effected, it is advisable to cause
the bed of the machine to stop at the position 4, and for this purpose I have
devised the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.
When the plate arrives at the position 4 a projection 6 on the bed encounters the
lever 7, thus disengaging the machine and producing the stop or pause; this
disengagement is effected by an arrangement of levers and connecting rods such as
are used in ordinary machines for this purpose. When the printer has finished the
work of wiping by hand he actuates lever 7 (Figs. 1 and 4), re-engages the machine
and the printing is effected.
Lever 7 against which the bed abuts is pivotted to a second lever 8, which in its
turn operates the disengaging mechanism. This lever 7 is, as shown in Fig. 4,
arranged so that under the action of a spring 8', it always returns to the same
position, that is opposite the projection 6, so as to be acted upon by the latter and
to itself operate the lever 8. When desired to restart the machine the printer
disengages the lever 7 from projection 6, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, thus
enabling the machine to be re-engaged without the projection interfering therewith.
A pin 9 maintains the lever 7 removed from the projection on the bed when it is
not required to stop the bed on each travel.
In order to cause less rags to be used to wipe the plate, I place a blade or
strip 10 of leather, india rubber, or other suitable material (Figs. 1 and 5) behind
the inkers but in front of the wipers, such blado or strip being held between two
plates (Fig. 5); this blade or strip removes part of the ink which is on the surface,
supplies the cuts or recesses better without removing ink therefrom, and thus
facilitates the work of wiping. The blade 10 is raised on the return movement of
the plate so as to avoid unnecessary friction on the uninked plate.
The blade 10 has a to and fro movement imparted thereto so as to improve its
action.
I also cause the same rag to pass over two, three, or more wipers, according to
the work to be performed, so that the clean rag naturally passes first over the first
P

page_text: wiper, then over the second, and then over the third.
in Fig. 1 where the rag 11 passes over three wipers.
This arrangement is shown
I also place a wiper 14 between the cylinder and the plate when at the end of its
travel, this wiper being (according to the work to be effected) clothed with a fabric
or soft leather. This wiper having a to and fro movement imparted to it has a
similar effect on the plate as the wiping by hand by the printer. A block of
whiting 15 is mounted on the bed in advance of the plate, so that it passes under
the wiper 14 which bears thereon before coming in contact with the plate.
The to and fro movement and also the pressure of the wiper 14 on the plate may
if desired be effected by the printer by hand.
In order to prevent the inking rollers from soiling the parts of the plates which
correspond to the whites or blanks in one direction, I cause such rollers to be
raised above the plate by means of strips applied to tracks on which bear rollers
mounted on each side of such rollers, so that the latter are only lowered on to the
plate to ink the required parts; when they are opposite the other parts they are
raised by thicknesses of material placed under such strips.
For printing certain intaglio engravings it is necessary to have a ground colour;
for this purpose on hand presses papers of the shade of this colour are generally
employed.
have invented an arrangement which enables any colour of the dimension of
the plate to be applied to that part of the sheet which is fed in on which the
engraving is not produced, and also on the part which is to receive the engraving
if desired.
For this purpose, between the cylinder and the plate when at the end of its
travel, that is when in its position of rest indicated at 4 in Fig. 6 of the drawings,
arrange distributing rollers 16 fed with ink, of the colour selected, by a
cylindrical table 17 to which a to and fro movement is imparted; a movable
roller transmits the ink from the ink duct to the table 17; this arrangement for
inking is only given as an example, and it will be understood that the number of
ink ducts, distributing rollers and their arrangement may vary according to the
class of work to be produced by the machine.
I may also for this inking employ more simple arrangements adopted for example
for machines for printing coloured papers, and I may employ either oil or water
colours, or any other colour. According also to the class of work, the rollers 16
will be either fixed or be raised when the plate passes from position 1 to position 4 ;
I may raise these rollers so that, when the plate arrives at 4 it stops, and the
printer finishes the wiping by hand, the ground colour has not yet been deposited
on the plate, and does not interfere with his work.
In cases where the hand wiping is not necessary, the plate may be inked by the
roller 16 both in the forward and the backward movement.
The rollers 16 being supported by rollers mounted on their extremities and
bearing on tracks so as to ink the surface of the plate without removing the ink
contained in the recesses or cuts, it will be seen that by the improved arrangement
it is easy to obtain on the machine, on white paper for example, any colour which
is desired, such as blue or yellow so as to imitate China paper etc.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the plate occupying the position shown at 1,
passes under the cylinder which is stationary, under the inking rollers 2, then under
the wiping pads 3 and is arrested at 4; the stopping of the bed at this position is
effected as has been shown with reference to Fig. 1. The printer then offects the
wiping of the plate by hand if requisite; the bed restarts when the engaging
mechanism is actuated, and the plate passes under the wiping pads, which with the
inking rollers are raised on its passage. When the bed arrives at the middle of its
travel, the cylinder, which until this movement has remained stationary, begins to
move, the sheet fed from above is printed, the plate passes to the position 1, and a
fresh step begins.
This special arrangement of the machine presents the advantage that the printed

page_text: sheet may be either removed from the cylinder or from the plate if the work
requires it.
Further, at the moment of stopping, when the plate is at 4, access to it is very
easy either from the end of the machine, or from the right or left thereof.
In the case where hand wiping is not requisite, I may, by this arrangement, cause
as many wipers as desired to act on the return movement of the plate, for which
purpose it is only requisite to not raise same. I can, therefore, with five wipers, for
example, cause all five to act on the first passage, and by only raising two on the
return movement, obtain the same effect as with eight wipers acting only in one
direction, while being able on the return movement to change or shift the rag or
wiping surface on the wipers, more or less, according to requirements.
A further improvement of great importance which I have made in this machine
consists in the means for actuating the bed which carries the plate.
The special arrangement for this purpose enables the cylinder to begin its move-
ment only at the middle of the travel of the bed, and permits the employment of a
cylinder of a developement equal to half the total travel of the bed, without however
causing the starting or stopping of the cylinder to be attended with any shock, such
movements being effected on the contrary under favorable conditions, as they occur
at periods corresponding to two stopping points in the travel of the bed.
The bed starting from one end of its travel is carried forward at an increasing
speed, then slows down until it stops at the middle of its travel, and it is at this
point that the cylinder begins to move, the latter being actuated in a similar way to
that employed for actuating cylinders of typographic and lithographic machines ;
the toothed crown of the cylinder engages the rack of the bed without shock as at
this moment the speed of the latter is very slow; the second half of the travel is
effected in the same way as the first, that is to say, that the motion after first
increasing, decreases up to the stopping point corresponding to the other end of
the travel, when the cylinder stops, and remains stationary during the whole return
movement of the bed.
To effect this result I connect the crank 18 mounted on shaft 19 to a second
shaft 20 by means of a connecting rod 21, there being two connecting rods 21, as
the driving wheel mounted on shaft 19 forms a crank on one side. The shaft 20
carries two pinions 211, the developement of the pitch line of which is equal to
double the length of the crank 18, so that these two pinions make one rotation on
the racks 22 for a half revolution of the shaft 19; the shaft 20 is bent at its middle
so as to form a crank the throw of which is equal to the radius of the pitch line of
the pinions 21. The shaft 20 is connected to another shaft 23 carrying four
toothed wheels 24 and 25 and rollers; the two wheels 24 gear with racks fixed to
the frame of the machine; the two larger wheels 25 gear with the racks of the bed.
The cranks 18 through the connecting rods 21 transmit to the shaft 20 a to and
fro movement, during which time the point 26 (the point of attachment of the
connecting rod) describes in space two cycloidal arcs, each equal to a demi-cycloid,
represented in dotted lines in Fig. 2; the result of this arrangement is that the to
and fro movement transmitted to shaft 23 will have a dead centre or point of rest
at the middle of such movement, and as the two toothed wheels mounted on such
shaft only serve to transmit its to and fro movement to the bed while increasing the
speed of the latter, but without changing the nature of the movement, the bed will
have a point of rest in the middle of its travel.
I may apply this arrangement not only to machines for printing intaglio
engravings, but also to all typographic or lithographic printing machines in which
it is required to produce a variable movement of the bed, such that the travel of
the latter in one direction is effected in two periods with a rest in the middle.
It will be evident that if the travel to be imparted to the bed is only short, it
will suffice to connect it by a connecting rod to the cranked part of shaft 20 without
having to employ shaft 23.
Various other arrangements may be employed for producing the same result,
and which I may also apply to printing machines in general. Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10,

page_text: show four different arrangements for such purpose, and in these E, E¹, E', E³,
represent respectively the point of attachment of the connecting rod to the bed, or
the point of attachment of the connecting rod to the train of rollers supporting the
bed, according to the course which the latter has to travel is more or less long;
B, B1, B2, B, is the cranked shaft as employed at present in most typographic and
lithographic machines.
In Fig. 7 the crank mounted on shaft B imparts a to and fro movement to shaft C
carrying a pinion the development of the pitch circle of which is equal to the length
of the crank; on shaft C is a crank of the same radius as the pinion, such crank
being connected by a rod to the bed or to the train of rollers. The point D of the
crank describes in space two complete cycloids (shown in thick black lines) for each
travel; the result of this movement of one end D of the connecting rod D, E, is
that the other end E travels through the space F, G, with a varying movement and
with a dead centre or rest in the middle of its course.
In Fig. 8 the driving shaft B¹ of the bed carries a crank the end of which carries
& pinion C, such pinion gearing with a fixed wheel I'.
At a point D' of the generating circle of pinion C is connected a connecting
rod, the end E' of which travels through the space F', G'. The pinion C¹ is of
half the diameter of the wheel 11; during its rotation the point D' describes in
space for one revolution of shaft B', two epicycloids (shown by a thick black line
on the drawing); the result of this movement is that the end E' travels through
the space F, G', with a varying movement, and with a dead point or rest in the
middle of its course. The same occurs in the arrangement shown in Fig. 9, in which
the crank mounted on the shaft B carries a pinion C gearing with a fixed
wheel 12 outside the latter. The pitch circle of C is one quarter that of wheel I';
the point of connection D' of the connecting rod to the pinion C2 in this case
describes for each complete revolution of the shaft four hypocycloids shown on the
figure.
In Fig. 10 the parts are the same as in Fig. 8, but the two wheels C and I are
of the same diameter, the result being that for one revolution of the shaft the
point D³ describes in space an epicycloid.
This arrangement presents this peculiarity that the movement of the point E³,
according to whether it is from Fs to G³ or from G³ to F³, is not the same as in
the preceding cases; if we call from F to G³ the forward movement, this will be
effected at a varying speed with a dead centre or rest in the middle of the travel,
but the backward movement will be effected without such dead centre or rest at
the middle of the travel, and in a much shorter space of of time than the forward
movement.
This arrangement is of special advantage in securing a rapid motion for the
return movement when no work is effected.
It will be understood that according to the proportion between the diameter of
the fixed and of the movable wheels, the most diverse varying movements with as
many dead centres or rests as inay be required may be imparted to the end of the
connecting rod connected to the bed or to the train of rollers. I may therefore
employ the arrangements described while changing the relations between the wheels
according to the particular requirements of the cases to be dealt with.
A further improvement to the machine originally described relates to the means
for imparting the to and fro movement to the wiping pads; the extent of this
movement may be varied for each of the pads by the arrangement illustrated in
Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14. In Fig. 11 the shaft 28 carries circular eccentrics acting
upon rollers fixed to the lever 29. A spring 30 forces the roller of the lever
against the eccentric. As many eccentrics and levers are employed as there are
wipers. The eccentrics instead of being directly keyed to the shaft are fixed to a
part 31 which is keyed to the shaft 28, the bolt 33 which connects the eccentric 32
to the part 31 being capable of displacement in a slot in the latter, so as to permit
the centre of the eccentric being made to coincide with the centre of the shaft, or
to displace the centre according to the travel it is desired to obtain; the to and fro

page_text: The same result may be produced by actuating the lever 29 by an eccentric
provided with a strap (Fig. 12), such eccentric consisting of two plates mounted one
on the other and connected together by a bolt; the inner plate is keyed to shaft 28,
and it will be seen that by turning the outer plate 31' and then fixing it by means
of bolt 33' which connects it to the keyed plate, the eccentricity and consequently
the travel will be increased or diminished.
In Figs. 13 and 14 the wiping pad is connected by a connecting rod to the pin of
a crank 321 adjustable on a plate 34; there are as many plates as wipers, such plates
having a rotary motion imparted to them. As the crank pin is moved to and from
the centre of the plate, the extent of travel will be diminished or increased.
In Figs. 15 and 16 another arrangement for actuating the wipers is shown.
35 is a shaft making one revolution for each revolution of the shaft driving
the bed.
On this shaft is keyed a plate 36 on which is fixed a cam 37 serving to actuate
one of the wiping pads.
As many plates 36 and cams 37 as there are wipers are provided.
:
Motion is transmitted from the cam to the wiper by means of a lever 38 one end.
of which carries a roller bearing on cam 37 and the other end of which is connected
by a connecting rod 39 to the part to which the wiper is secured.
Each of the cams 37 is arranged so as to only act upon the wiper during the
time that the latter is opposite the plate either on the forward or on the backward
movement of the bed.
1 ascertain the position on the plate 36 for the cam 37 so as to cause it to act on
the wiper in either case. It therefore follows that if the cam is at 37 I produce
the to and fro movement of the wiping pad during the forward movement of the
bed; by placing the cam at 37' this movement will on the contrary take place
during the backward movement of the bed, and by placing one cam at 37 and
another at 371 the pad will be actuated over the plate both during the forward and
the backward movement of the bed; the cams 37 and 371 may be of different
forms, so as to produce different movements, if requisite, on the forward and back-
ward movements. A second cam mounted on the shaft 35 in a different plane to
the former causes the wiping pad to be lowered on the passage of the plate.
It will be seen that I have only to make the lowering movement correspond to
one of the to and fro movements above indicated, so as to wipe the plate either on
the forward or on the backward movement, or on both the forward and backward
movement, by employing the cams 37 and 37' and leaving the wiper lowered during
the two passages of the plate.
The form of cam 37 may be considerably varied and transmit to the wiper it
actuates movements of varying extent and nature. At 37" in Fig. 17 and at 3711
Fig. 18, I have shown as examples, two different forms of this cam, and, I may
modify such forms as occasion requires.
The method of transmitting motion from the cam to the wiper, is also only
shown as an example and may be modified. The spring 40 for instance, which
serves to cause the roller of lever 38 to bear on the cam, may be abolished, if the
latter, as indicated at 37" Fig. 17 for example, is confined between two walls.
I may impart to the shaft 35, which makes one rotation for each revolution of
the crank shaft, a uniform or other movement, for example I may drive this shaft
by the intermediary of a rack fixed to the bed and of spur and bevel wheels.
By this method of driving, the shaft 35 will have a movement imparted to it
varying with that of the bed, it will turn first one way and then the other; by
placing plates 36 on this shaft and cams on these plates, and by placing a shaft 35
on each side of the machine the wipers can be actuated both on the forward and
backward movement.
As there are, as above stated, as many cams 37 as wipers, and as these cams may
be different from each other, and they may cause the wipers to bear on the plate

page_text: either on the forward or the backward movement of the bed, or on both the
forward and backward movement, it will be seen that by this arrangement I can
effect the wiping more efficiently than in any other machine, on account of the
independence which exists in the movement of the different wipers, as well as the
possibility of varying the time of employing each of them.
A further advantage of this arrangement is the holding of the wiper raised and
stationary during the whole time that it is not opposite the plate and when its
employment is not necessary; it therefore follows that the shifting of the rag under
the stationary wiper takes place under more favorable conditions than in machines
in which the shifting takes place while the wiper is moving to and fro; I thus
avoid the creases which are formed in the rag on the latter machines and which
interfere with perfect and regular wiping.
In order to completely wipe the two edges of the plate corresponding to the
parallel borders of the length of the bed, behind the last wiper I place two special
wipers or washers 42, 421, Figs. 15 and 16, which may be of the form indicated in
the drawings, or of other form; these wipers may be of leather or of fabric, and be
coated with whiting or chalk, and they correspond to the two extreme edges of the
plate; on the passage of the latter they rub against and wipe same completely.
The position of these wipers or washers varies according to the size of the plates.
To wipe the two other edges of the plate I arrange two other pads 41 and 41'
which are of the size suitable to wipe the plate on the edges throughout its
length; these pads are, like the wipers, mounted on movable pieces, which
actuated like the wipers, are lowered on the arrival of the plate at the end of the
course, and have a to and fro movement on the two edges of the plate; these
pieces are immediately raised to permit the return of the plate without the part
which is to receive the impression touching the pads 41, 41'.
The pad 41 under which the plate does not pass need not be caused to rise and
fall, and may have only a to and fro movement at the moment when the plate
arrives at the end of its travel, but the pad 41' must of necessity be raised on the
forward and on the backward movement for the passage of the plate and only touch
the edge of the plate.
The distance between the pads 41, 41', like that between the wipers 42, 42',
varies with the dimensions of the plate.
Among the difficulties which occur in printing intaglio engravings by means of
power presses, the first is that of fixing the plate to be printed on the press and
then of preventing the edges of this plate and the clips which fix it getting soiled by
contact with the inking rollers or the wiping pads, which would result in the soiling
of the printed sheets.
To avoid these difficulties, for this kind of printing instead of plates
3 or 4 millimetres in thickness, I employ thin metal sheets of about a half or a
millimetre in thickness; most intaglio engravings, and especially those produced
by photographic processes are of very slight thickness.
To fix these plates on the machine, I employ for flat presses, blocks of the same
kind as those which serve to receive the zinc sheets for lithographic printing;
Fig. 19 shows a section of one of these blocks; the method of straining the
metallic sheet and also the means for fixing it to the block are only shown as
examples.
On cylindrical presses I employ a similar arrangement for fixing and stretching
the sheet of metal on the cylinder; the one shown in Fig. 20 I have employed for
stretching zinc sheets on cylindrical machines for what is known as lithographic
printing.
It will be seen that by this means I do away with the clips hitherto employed,
and which besides getting soiled, often cause the tearing of the wiping pads.
A further improvement consists in employing inking rollers (known as distributors)
and wiping pads of variable lengths and corresponding to the dimensions of the
work to be executed.
In order to avoid having several sets of inking rollers, each roller may be made

page_text: up of a certain number of washers threaded on an iron spindle and held at the ends
by any suitable means; by this arrangement it is only requisite to add or withdraw
a certain number of washers in order to make the part of the roller which receives
the ink and applies it to the plate the required length; the washers which I employ
for forming these rollers may be of any material suitable for taking up and
applying the ink employed.
Fig. 21 shows one form of roller for this purpuse.
The washers are held forced together by means of a nut at each extremity.
Fig. 22 shows the same roller arranged for a narrow impression, the washers
removed being replaced by a sleeve of smaller diameter so that the washers left on
may still be forced together.
With regard to the wiping pads, I apply to them a thickness of felt, flannel or
other supple fabric as indicated at a in Figs. 23 and 24; this fabric is fixed and
stretched on the pad in the manner shown in thes figures, or in any other suitable
manner; it is of the same length as the inking roller so as to permit of the rag
which passes over it wiping the whole of the inked part, without however rubbing
against the edges of the plate.
In order to facilitate the fixing on either flat or cylindrical machines of engraved
plates, either thin or thick, that is of a half, one, two, three or more millimetres in
thickness, I may further back them with a metal such as that employed for backing
typographic galvanos, so as to give them a thickness of ten, fifteen or twenty
millimetres, which will permit of them being fixed either on the cylinders, or on
the beds of flat machines, in the same way as typographic plates are fixed, and
without there being any danger of the clips employed, which only project from
5 to 6 millimetres, being soiled by the inking rollers or of their tearing the wiping
pads.
By this arrangement and the one previously described, I can on a rotary machine
print in a continuous manner and employ a roll of paper as for typographic
printing.
I may further fix the plate to the block by glue either directly or by interposing
any suitable substance, such as paper, fabric, etc., between such plate and the block,
which substance will on the one hand be glued to the plate, and on the other hand
to the block. I may for this purpose employ any kind of glue.
By means of the glue the plate will be held securely on the block, the pressure of
the cylinder being unable to detach it therefrom, while it may readily be separated
by raising one of the corners of the plate.
I may employ blocks of wood or any substance other than metal blocks.
In machines for printing by means of intaglio engravings and which are operated
by hand, the cylinder which exerts the pressure on the sheet of paper is provided
with one or more thicknesses of woollen blanketing; it is this kind of covering
which has up to the present been adopted for the cylinders of power driven
machines. It has the disadvantage of absorbing the humidity of the sheets to be
printed and at the end of a certain time to sometimes produce a duplicate of the
impression.
propose to replace the clothing or cover of the cylinder by one composed of a
certain number of sheets of paper covered so as to protect them from the moisture
by an india rubber or a very thin oil skin sheet.
I can then make on one of the sheets of paper what in typographic printing is
called the "make ready" that is to say stick thicknesses of paper cut to suit the
different tones of engraving to be produced, and which, by producing greater
pressure in certain places, forces its sheet to take the ink from the bottom of the
recess or cut, without however producing as great a pressure on the remainder of
the plate during the printing of the sheet, thus diminishing the resistance of the
machine.
The material which passes over the wiping pads 3 proceeds from a roller 50
(Figs. 25 and 26) and is rewound on a roller 51 which is actuated by toothed
wheels or racks acted upon by pawls; in order to maintain the necessary tension on

page_text: the material while it unrolls, I mount on the spindle of roller 50 a spiral spring 52
one end of which is secured to a ring 53 screwed on the spindle, and the other end
to a ring 54 which is forced against the frame with more or less friction according
to the tension of the spring, and which allows. roller 50 to offer sufficient resistance to
the unwinding to keep the material properly stretched.
On the other hand, when the wiping pad 3 rises to allow the wiped plate to pass,
the rollers 50 and 51 remain stationary, and the result is that the unstretched
material will rub against the plate; to avoid this on the bar 55 which carries the
pad 3 I fix a spring 56 connected to a rod 57 which bears against the clean part of
the material. The result of the teusion of spring 56 is that when the pad is raised
the material is forced inwards and is thus held applied against the pad.
In Fig. 27 I have shown another arrangement for effecting the same result.
A metal frame 58 carries wooden bearings 59, which are mounted on the
spindle of roller 50. According to whether the screw of the frame bears on the
bearings with greater or less force, such bearings hold the roller more or less
strongly. On a hook fixed to the frame 58 a spring 60 is fixed, its other end being
attached to a hook or pin 61 on the main frame; under the pulling action of the
material which is drawn in the direction of the arrow the roller turns carrying with
it the frame 58, and the spring is extended; the frame turns a fraction of a
revolution only, being arrested by a stop 62, while the roller continues to turn under
the action of the material, and the spring 60 remains extended, so that when by
reason of the raising of the wiping pad the material tends to become slack, this
spring pulls the roller 50 back and the tension of the material is re-established.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a machine for printing intaglio engravings, the combination of mechanical
wiping and hand wiping resulting from the combination of the cylinder, the inking
rollers and wiping pads, so as to enable the plate to be left well exposed after the
inking and the wiping, substantially as specified.
2. The combination with the machine described of an automatic disengaging
mechanism which stops the machine when the plate has arrived at the end of its
travel after inking and wiping.
3. The combination with the wiping by pads of a movable blade for removing a
part of the ink which is on the surface of the plate and forcing it into the cuts and
recesses thereof, so as to economise the wiping material.
4. The combination with the wiping by pads provided with wiping material of a
pad of leather or soft skin serving to finish the wiping of the plates to replace
hand wiping
5. The raising of the distributing rollers so as to avoid inking the unengraved
parts of the plates.
6. The combination of a single piece of wiping material with several wiping pads
over which it passes in succession.
7. The combination with automatic inking and wiping of a second inking the
object of which is to deposit on the plate a colour serving as a ground colour to the
print.
8. The special arrangement of the parts of the machine so as to enable the
sheets to be taken off either from the plate or from the cylinder, substantially as
specified.
9. The employment of printing cylinders making only one revolution for one
travel of the bed although their development is a fraction of such travel.
10. The employment of the same wiping pads on both the forward and backward
movement of the bed.
11. The combination of wheels or of wheels and racks so as to cause the end of a
connecting rod to describe varying curves which produces the effect of imparting to
the opposite end of such rod, which end has to travel in a straight line, a varying

page_text: movement with dead centres or points of rest, not only at the ends of its travel, but
also at points in such travel, substantially as specified.
12. The combination with the machine described of cams actuating the wiping
pads and arranged so as to impart varying movements thereto.
13. The combination with the machine described of cams imparting the most
varied to and fro movements to the wiping pads and causing them to act either on
the forward or on the backward, or on both the forward and backward travel of the
plate.
14. The combination with the wiping pads of other pads and washers serving to
clean the edges of the plate and the borders..
15. The combination with a flat or a cylindrical machine of blocks serving to
receive the engraved metallic sheet and of parts for fixing and stretching or
straining such sheet thereon.
16. The employment of inking rollers composed of washers placed side by side
and enabling the part of the roller which applies the ink to the plate to be varied
in length.
17. The employment of wiping pads of which the surface which effects the wiping
is capable of variation to suit the dimension of the print.
18. The backing of flat or cylindrical metallic sheets so as to make them of a
thickness to enable them to be readily fixed on the printing machine, substantially
as specified.
19. The glueing or sticking of engraved plates on the blocks which are to receive
same.
20. The employment of a dry cloth or cover on the cylinder of the printing
machine in combination with a make ready similar to that employed in typo-
graphy.
21. The combination with the unwinding roller of the length of wiping material
or rag, of a brake to govern the unwinding.
22. The combination with the unwinding roller of the length of wiping material
or rag, of a stretcher which takes up the slack of such material when the wiping
pads are raised.
23. The combination with the unwinding roller of the length of wiping material,
of a brake connected with a spring and which ensures the regular unwinding of and
maintains a constant tension on the material.
24. The employment of blocks and means for stretching so as to enable thin
plates to be employed and to avoid the use of clips.
Dated this 31st day of July 1893.
ALLISON DROD.,
Agents for the Applicant.