Improvements in Printing Presses.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE DUPLEX PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, of
Battle Creek, Michigan, United States of America.]
Improvements in Printing Presses.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Cliartered Patent Agent, 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 :—
The present invention is an improved web printing press of simple and economical
construction capable of being run at a high rate of speed and also of being employed
with equally good effect either as an ordinary single bed press or as a perfecting
press, and wherein the register of the impressions can be quickly and accurately
effected without using tapes for directing the web through the press.
As shewn in the drawings the press has two stationary type beds (arranged one
above the other whereon ordinary forms of type can be placed, face uppermost)
and two revolving impression cylinders which are moved back and forth over the
beds producing a fresh impression during each forward or backward movement.
The press has novel mechanism for feeding the web continuously into, and
delivering it continually from the press, yet stopping a portion of the web
intermediate the feed and delivery mechanism during the time the cylinders are
travelling over the formes and making impressions without stopping either the feed
or delivery of the web, and for immediately feeding the web forward upon the
completion of an impression sufficiently to bring a fresh portion thereof into position
to be imprinted.
.and
The present invention resides especially in :-
:―
1st. Improved mechanisms for inking the forms previous to taking an impression,
2nd. In improved mechanisms for looping the web between the feed rolls and
type bed, and between the type bed and delivery rolls while properly maintaining
its tension.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the complete machine, the type bed being
broken to shorten the length of the press.
Figure 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section through the press.
Figure 3 is a detail sectional view through the cam for actuating the web looping
rollers.
Figure 4 is a detail view of the mechanism for operating the ink fountain rollers.
Referring to the drawings by letters, A. designates the main frame, B a shaft
journaled in proper bearings in the frame near one end thereof, and carrying ou
its outer ends crank wheels B. Shaft B may be driven by a sinall pinion b
meshing with a gear on shaft B and mounted on a shaft & journaled in the side of
the main frame and a bracket attached thereto. On shaft is a pulley 63 by
which it can be driven by belting from any suitable source of power.
At the opposite end of the machine and in about the same plane as shaft B guide
grooves A A' are formed in the sides of the main frame to receive guide lugs on
sliding castings C, C, which support the impression cylinders and ink rolls of the
press. Each casting C has an outwardly protecting gudgeon c¹ to which is
connected one end of a pitman E the other end of which is secured to a wrist
pin e on a wheel B' at the same side of the machine, so that the castings C, C,
are reciprocated horizontally back and forth in the guides A' by the rotation of
the wheels B¹. The castings have depending portions C in which are formed
[Price sit]

page_text: Show and on when an ordinary type forme can be secured. From each side
of the portions C² project in opposite directions lateral webs in which are bearings
for web guide rollers, and inking rollers hereinafter described, lying parallel with
the cylinder.
As shown, a second type bed is mounted in frame A directly over bed h
and above guides A¹ so as not to interfere with the reciprocation of the castings,
and from the latter rise upstanding portions C in which is journalled the shaft
of an impression cylinder H similar to cylinder H and travelling over bed h¹.
Portion C also has lateral webs in which are journalled web guide rollers and
inking rollers hereinafter described.
On one end of each impression cylinder is mounted a gear H2 which inter-
meshes with a rack H³ attached to the main frame beside the adjoining type
bed, by which a positive rotary motion is given to the cylinder as it is reciprocated
back and forth over the type bed.
THE INKING MECHANISM.
At each side of each impression cylinder are two parallel forme rollers G, G,
which may be mounted in adjustable boxes G¹ attached to the castings C or to
bars G2 secured thereto as shown, so that said forme rollers will supply ink to
the formes on the respective beds h, h'. Each pair of rollers G, G, receives ink
from a vibrator distributing roller g, the roller g from a transfer roller g', and
the latter from a ductor roller g². Rollers g, gare journalled in the webs of
the castings C, and ductors g2 are journalled in adjustable hangers g³ attached
to the webs.
The rollers g, g² 92 are so arranged, as shown, that the ductors g² are further
from the adjoining cylinder than the outermost forme roller G and above the latter.
The adjoining rollers g, g₁ have intermeshing gears on the ends of their shafts
as shown, which are driven by intermediate gearing from the gear H2 on the
end of the adjoining cylinder. The rollers G, G, and 92 will be revolved by
frictional contact with rollers y, g'. The gearing is designed to speed the forme
rollers so that they will roll over the type formes without dragging or catching.
Each roller g may have its shaft screw threaded to engage screw threaded
bearings attached to the castings as in the well known rack and screw movement;
so that as the roller revolves it will be longitudinally shifted also.
Each ductor roller g² receives ink from an adjoining fountain roller I, a
fountain being placed at each end of each bed, as shown.
Each roller has a ratchet wheel I on its end which is engaged by a dog i¹
on an angular rocking arm 2 pivoted on the end of the roll shaft.
:6
The arms of
the upper and lower ink fountains at each end of the press are pivotally con-
nected to a vertical barj which is held normally by means of a spring-controlled
rod which plays through a lug 2 on the press frame, and is lifted by a helical
spring as shown. Barsj are depressed at the proper time by means of cam
arms attached to casting C in position to engage lugs or friction rollers j
attached to bars j thereby depressing bars j, rocking arms i, and rotating rollers I
by means of the ratchet and pawl. are stops attached to the frame beside bars j
to prevent bending thereof when cam arms make contact therewith.
arins project beyond or in front of the adjoining ductor rolls g² and therefore
the ink rollers I are rotated just before, and as the ductor rollers g² make contact
therewith, and consequently injury to these rollers is prevented and a more equally
divided supply of ink is taken by the rollers g². A handle p' may be attached to
the bars so that they can be vibrated by hand if desired to work up color or in
cleaning the press.
The cam
Paper web guide rollers F are also mounted in castings at opposite sides of each
cylinder. From the foregoing it will be understood that the type formes on both

page_text: beds are freshly inked from the fountains during both the forward and backward
movement of the cylinders. I am thereby enabled to produce impressions perfectly
uniform in color.
As will be seen the web of paper is guided above the inking devices adjoining
the respective cylinders. If desired, the hangers g3 in which the rollers 92 are
journalled may be suspended loosely, so that the rollers 92 may not make contact
with the rollers g' except when they also make contact with the rollers I.
Three calendar rolls K, K' K2, are mounted in properly adjustable journal boxes
secured on the main frame about in line with and opposite the inner ends of the
guides A1.
These calendars are equally speeded by means of intermeshing pinions to which
motion is imparted by a train of intermediate gears from the shaft B.
k designates the paper roll supporting shaft journalled in bearings in the end of
the frame below and exterior to shaft B. The press has a pair of web looping
rollers, mounted in vertically reciprocating bars L that move in suitable guides
on the frame. The web w of paper is led from. the paper roll to the calendar
rolls and then under a stationary guide roller and looped over the lower roller /
then taken between the lower cylinder and beds over proper rollers and back
between the upper cylinder and beds over suitable guide rollers as shown in
Figures 1 and 2, and then looped under the upper looping roller ", thence led
to the delivery as indicated in the drawings. The lower ends of the bars L are
pivotally connected by short links L' to the forward ends of horizontal vibrating
levers L the rear ends of which are pivoted on a transverse shaft or studs a
attached to the frame below the main shaft thereof. I preferably employ a
lever L2 and its connections at each side of the press.
Lever L has a wrist pin L³ (see Figure 3) attached to it near its centre and
projecting from its side, said pin being preferably provided with a friction roller v
engaging in the cam way or groove of a cam wheel V which is mounted on a
shaft Vintermediate the main shaft and type beds.
Shaft V is driven by a gear V2 which meshes with a gear on the main shaft.
By this gearing motion is transmitted from the main shaft to the feeding and
inking mechanisms. The gears should be of such relative size that shaft V₁ will
be revolved once for each impression produced, and levers L² will be vibrated once,
and rollers, raised and lowered once during each revolution of shaft V'.
L' designates a rod playing in suitable guides attached to the main frame above
lever L the lower end of the rod bearing on said lever. L' is a helical spring on
said rod for depressing it and consequently lever L²; the tension of the spring can
be regulated by nuts on the rod.
It will be noted that the cam groove in wheel V has neither abrupt angles nor
depressions, so that the looping frame is raised and lowered without jarring or
jerking.
Above the looping frame and at the side thereof adjoining castings C is a web
guide roller M mounted in brackets attached to upstanding portions of the main
frame; vertically below roller M and below the looping roller is another web guide
roller M. At the outer end of the press in the same horizontal plane and parallel
with roller M' is a guide roller m², and vertically above roller m¹ is a guide roller m.
Rollers M, m, are in about the same plane with the upper web guide rollers F, F,
on castings C, and rollers M' m' are in about the same plane as the lower web
guide rollers F, F, of the castings. Roller m' is preferably mounted in adjustable
bearings.
Above the looping frame is a delivery roll O and other rollers and tapes which
coact therewith to draw the web forward and deliver it after impression out of the
machine, or, as I prefer to arrange it, to a folding apparatus combined with the
press and mounted in the main frame above shaft B, but which I do not herein

page_text: show nor consider description thereof necessary. The roll O is driven at proper
speed by a train of gearing from the calendar roll K² or in other suitable manner.
It will be noticed that the type beds are arranged parallel and one over or
directly opposite the other, but that the type formes or plates thereon face in the
same direction; i.e. :-The type on one bed is opposite the back or bottom of the
opposite bed; also that one impression cylinder reciprocates between the type beds
and the other reciprocates outside of the upper bed; or one cylinder lies between
the type beds and one type bed lies between the cylinders, so that I can use
ordinary type with perfect safety in my perfecting press, though it is equally well
adapted to printing from plates. The course of the web is as shown in the
drawings.
The web makes a complete return loop in the press passing as shown successively
under cylinders H, H' and looping around the same, the upper and lower portions
of the main loop of the web lying respectively over and opposite the type
beds h, h¹.
The calendar rolls should have a peripheral speed sufficient to draw from the
paper roll and pay out enough web for an impression, or one sheet for each one half
revolution of shaft B; cam wheels V should be so speeded by the gearing that
they will make two revolutions for each revolution of shaft B, or one for each
length of paper fed in by the calendar rolls. The delivery rolls should be so
speeded that they will feed out of the press exactly the amount of paper web fed
therein during a given time by the calendars so that the amount of web fed into
and paid out of the press in a given time will be identical.
The type bed, and type, as before stated are stationary and during each revolu-
tion of shaft B, the impression cylinders H, H' and ink rolls are moved once
forward and once backward over the type on beds h, h¹ making an impression at
each movement, or two impressions on each side of the web for each revolution of
shaft B. The portion of the web between rollers M, m, and M¹, m' is at a standstill
during the taking of an impression.
The cylinders travel over the web and force its under surface into contact with
the type, and when the cylinders have passed over the type the web has been
imprinted and lifted clear from the type. It is then necessary to move the printed
portion of the web forward the proper distance before the return stroke of the
cylinders in order to make another impression on a fresh portion of the web during
such return stroke.
The web is constantly fed into the press by the calendars even during the taking
of an impression; but the cams V and levers L² are relatively so constructed and
arranged that, the instant the impression cylinders reach the type, the looping
frame begins to rise at such speed that all the web fed in by the calendars while
the impression cylinders are on the type, is taken up in forming the lower loop
over roller l, consequently no web is fed forward past roller M', and at the same
time the upper loop formed by roller is paid out with equal speed so that no
web is drawn over roller M during the passage of the impression cylinders over the
type on the beds.
When the cylinders pass off the type, and while they are momentarily stopped
or almost stopped as the wrist pins and pitmen are passing the dead centres, the
looping frame is lowered and the lower looping roller gives off the portion of web
looped thereon, while the calendars simultaneously pay in an equal length of web
which will pass over roller M. Simultaneously the upper roller l' forms a loop
requiring as much web as was given off by the lower looping roller and web, and
simultaneously the delivery mechanism pays out as much web as is fed in by the
calendars while the cylinder is off the type. It will thus be seen that the simul-
taneous taking up and giving out of the web by the looping rollers, before and
after it passes the type beds, enables the web to be fed in and delivered con-
tinuously and kept at an even tension and yet a portion of it be stopped during the
taking of an impression thereon.
The amount or length of paper fed into the press could be varied by making the

page_text: driving gears for the calendar rolls and the actuating cams for the looping frame
in interchangeable sets calculated for different lengths of sheets in accordance with
the principles before mentioned relating to the relative movement of the parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a printing press, the improved cam and lever mechanism for looping the
web, constructed and operated substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The improved double iuking mechanisms, for a flat bed, locomotive cylinder
press, constructed and arranged to operate, substantially as herein shown and
described.
3. A printing press having a stationary bed, locomotive cylinder, duplex inking
mechanism constructed and arranged to operate substantially as shown and
described, and the cam and lever mechanism substantially as shown and described
for operating the web looping roller or rollers.
4. A printing press having two parallel stationary beds and two locomotive
cylinders, four ink fountains, four sets of inking devices constructed and arranged
to operate, substantially as herein shown and described, and the improved cam
and lever mechanism for operating the web looping roller or rollers substantially
as herein shown and described.
Dated this 11th day of Tul 1902
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.