IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Edward Dawson of London Wall in the City of
"
London for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES OR
PRESSES" Communicated to him from abroad by Wellington Parker Kidder,
of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
4
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Edward Dawson at
"
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th October 1882.
JOHN EDWARD DAWSON, of London Wall, in the City of London, IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES" [A communication to him from
abroad by Wellington Parker Kidder,. of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
of America.].
This invention relates to improvements in printing machines or presses, and
comprises the novel features of construction hereinafter described.
In machines constructed according to the said invention the forms of type or
the platens are placed vertically instead of horizontally, so that less space is occupied
by the said machines than by those heretofore employed. The forms or platens are
carried by a suitable frame, the longest side of the chase (when type forms are
employed) being horizontal.
In carrying the said invention into practice, according to one mode I
construct a machine as follows, that is to say, two impression cylinders are
arranged to roll across two forms of type for giving the impression, the said
cylinders being moved up and down by a crank wheel and connecting rod or by
other suitable means; the said cylinders are supported in a carriage or frame, and
the impression is adjusted by screws and wedge blocks. The impression cylinders
can be moved and retained a short distance from the forms by means of excentrics
operating in connection with the journals of the said cylinders. The form rollers
and distributing mechanism (consisting of the rack and screw as in ordinary cylinder
presses) are attached to the said carriage or frame and move with the cylinders
across the forms. The feed rolls and cutter are placed at the top of the machine
and operate in a similar manner to those described in the Specification of former
Letters Patent N° 2801, dated 7th July A.D. 1880. I also provide an oiled surface
tympan sheet for preventing the impression which has been made by one cylinder
from being blurred by the other cylinder during the feeding of the sheet to be
printed. This tympan sheet is wound upon a roll inside one of the impression
cylinders. One end of the said tympan sheet passes from this roll over the surface
of the said cylinder up over a guide bar or rod and around another roll. As often as
Drine Q71

page_text: a clean surface sheet on the tympan of the said cylinder is required the printer has
simply to give the latter roll one or two turns by hand, which causes the roll inside
the said cylinder to unwind. This can be done in any position of the press while
in motion, except when the impression is being taken. The sheet to be printed is
supplied from a roll at one side of the machine and is unwound in a similar manner
to that described in the said former specification. The said sheet first passes under
the press over tension or clamp rolls thence around one of the said cylinders and
down between the two cylinders, then around the other cylinder, after which it
follows the direction of the oil tympan sheet as far as the said guide bar or rod.
Here the sheet to be printed passes between the feed rolls and cutters to the piling
table. The oil tympan sheet may be passed between tho feed rolls with the sheet
to be printed when it is desired to change the tympan at each impression.
The impression is made while the cylinders are moving up, and when they have
passed above the form, the aforesaid excentrics are automatically operated by a
lever fixed to the shaft and arranged to be acted upon by a pin or projection upon
the frame of the machine, or by other suitable means to move and retain the said
cylinders away from the forms. As the cylinders return downward, the feed rolls
are operated for feeding the sheet, the tension or clamp roll releasing the sheet so
that the latter alips easily around the cylinders. The said clamp roll grips the sheet
firmly just previous to the commencement of the impression, so that, although the
ink may cause the sheet to adhere more or less to the form, no strain will come
upon the said sheet between the feed rolls to affect the register. While the
impression is being made, the sheet as it is unwound from the one cylinder is wound
upon the other cylinder, and vice versa during the return or downward stroke of
the cylinders, so that it is simply necessary for the feed rolls to move as described
in the said former Specification to give the desired result.
'
Another roll is provided over which the sheet passes from the one cylinder before
going under the other cylinder, when certain sizes of sheets are required. This
roll is made adjustable by any suitable means. Sheets of different sizes can be
wound around the cylinders in the manner first above described by simply setting
the forms in the proper part of the chase. The cutter-head is adjustable on the
piling table as in the press described in the said former Specificayion. The cutter-
head and feed rolls are, however, sometimes placed in such position that the feeding
out of the sheet takes place just above the chase, and the machine does not require
to be as high as when the said parts are placed at the top thereof. This arrango-
ment is preferable for newspapers, but in printing fine work on one side it brings
the printed side down against the feed roll and there would be a liability to blur.
As the cylinder advances up over the form it presses the sheet towards the said
form. In order to allow for this and prevent any strain coming upon the paper,
a shaft or rod over which the sheet passes is adapted to swing downward slightly.
According to another modification 1 construct a machine as follows, that is to
say, two platens are suitably fixed to an upright frame one above the other and two
cylinders are fitted in bearings in a carriage or frame capable of being moved up
and down by a crank and connecting rod or other suitable means. These cylinders
are adapted to receive stereotype plates which, as the cylinders are moved up,
make the impressions upon both sides of the sheet to be printed; the said sheet is
fed from a roll and passes first over the face of the lower platen and then over the
face of the upper one and over a guide bar or rod to the feed rolls. The cylinders
are moved out of contact with the platens, when the impressions have been made,
by means of excentrics as above described, and are retained out of contact therewith
during their return stroke. The said excentrics are provided with a lever or other
suitable device by which they can be moved by hand to adjust the impression. In
some cases an endless oiled tympan sheet is passed around suitable rollers and over
the face of one of the platens, this sheet is moved each time that the sheet to be
printed is fed, and suitable means are provided for cleaning the said tympan sheet.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Edward Dawson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th April 1883.
"
JOHN EDWARD DAWSON, of London Wall, in the City of London, "IMPROVE
MENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES A communication to me from
abroad by Wellington Parker Kidder, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States
of America.
This invention relates to printing machines or presses, and comprises various
improvements and novel features hereinafter described.
The main object of the said invention is to provide a machine or press which will
print upon a continuous strip wound on a roller and commonly called a web. For
this purpose I construct the said machine as hereinafter described, and as illustrated
in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrative of the manner in which the
improved machine operates
Figure 5 is a side elevation showing the impression cylinders in position to begin
the impression stroke
Figure 6 is an elevation of the opposite side showing the impression cylinder
after the impression stroke is completed.
Figure 7 is a rear elevation partly in section.
Figure 8 is a plan or top view, partly in horizontal section, showing the
ment of the cylinders and driving gear.
arrange-
Figure 9 is a side elevation illustrating the form-inking mechanism and the
mechanism for operating the fountain.
The frame of the machine shown in the drawings consists of two upright pieces
or standards A, A¹, a base plate A2 and the two beds A³, A', connecting the uprights
or standards A, A', the whole constituting a strong and simple frame. The beds
A3, A, support the type-forms B, B'. The impression cylinders D, D' are mounted
in the carriage F which is fitted to slide in guideways in the uprights or standards
A, A. The carriage F is reciprocated by means of connecting rods f and wrist
pins which are fixed to the main wheels f2. These wheels fare fixed on the
main shaft and one of them gears with a pinion f' on the driving shaft f. At
each revolution of the main shaft f³ the carriage F moves up to the position shown
in Figure 6, and back to its original position as shown in Figure 5.
The journals & of the impression cylinders D, D' are mounted in excentric boxes d',
and these boxes d' are themselves mounted in journal boxes in the carriage F.
Each excentric box d' is fixed to an arm d³, and these arms are connected by a
rod d³, this mechanism causes the excentric boxes d to throw the cylinders D, D¹
apart at one end of their stroke and to bring them together at the other end thereof,
by means of the cams d, d, as will be readily understood by referring to the
drawings.
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Each of the cylinders D, D¹ is caused to revolve, during its impression stroke, at
a speed which will cause it to roll over the form without slip, by means of a gear-
wheel do and rack d' (see Figure 6), and the teeth of the said gear-wheel and rack
are of such length that they will remain in gear when the cylinder is away from
the form during its return stroke.
The form-inking rollers G, and the ink distributing rollers g, g¹, g² are also mounted
on the carriage F, the form-inking rollers G rolling upon the form on both the
forward and return strokes of the carriage; g, g², are-metal inking rollers which are
driven-by means of a train of gear-wheels in combination with racks g' (see Figure 9).*

page_text: Each gear-wheel gª meshes with a rack g' and also with n gear-wheel fixed on
the end of the roller g; this gear-wheel on the roller g is connected with a gear-
wheel on the roller g by an intermediate gear-wheel g*. The distributing roller g¹
revolves with the rollers g and g², and also has an endwise reciprocating movement,
as in the well known "rack and screw" distribution. The duct or ductor rollers g³
are carried by levers g, which are pivotted to the carringe F. Each duct roller is held
against its metal ink distributing roller g³ by a suitable spring, except when the
carriage F is near the end of its return stroko; and during this time the friction
roller on the lever g enters the groove or slot g' and the duct rollers are thereby
forced into contact with the roller of the fountain g. These fountains gs are of the
usual construction, except that their rollers are revolved by the pawl and ratchet
mechanism gactuated by the levers go, y" and the cam g The ratchet is fixed
to one end of the fountain roller g8, and the pawl is pivotted to the lever g, see
Figure 9.
The feed rolls h, 8 and the shears J may be operated in any well known
manner..
The swinging or rock-shaft his operated by the connecting rod ", which at its
lower end is attached to the lever h₁ actuated by a cam.
The operation of the machine is as follows, that is to say:-Assuming the paper
to have been fed the proper distance, which, in the machine shown, is the length of
the forin B (or of tlie forin B, for both are of the same length) plus the margin
required; the clamps h,h' are closed (or the paper is held in any other suitable manner),
and consequently a portion of the web will be held at two points, namely the
clamps h, h, or their equivalent, and the feed rolls, all the printing apparatus being
between these two points, and the slack having been taken out of the paper between
these two points, by the feed rolls h, h, which have just pulled the paper through
the machine and over a number of guiding shafts, as well as over portions of the
impression cylinders.
The impression cylinders now commence their impression stroke, and the paper
is nipped at. 1 between the form B and the cylinder D, and at 2 between the
form B and the cylinder D'; as the cylinders continue their impression stroke, the
paper is pulled off the formn B in rear of the cylinder D by the shaft or roll h³, and
off the form B' in rear of the cylinder D' by the cylinder D, and is prevented from
touching the form B too soon by the cylinder D, and from touching the form B'
too soon by the shaft-h" (or " when that is used, but for certain classes of work,
such as when using heavy ink which is liable to be blurred by passing over the
shaft, I prefer to use the swinging shaft hº). At the end of the impression
stroke, the cylinders are brought closer together, so that they will not bear on the
.forms during their return stroke; and at, or just before, the end of the impression
stroke, the clamps are opened and the paper is pulled forward by the feed rolls. The
feed taking place during the return stroke of the impression cylinders.
Near the end of the return stroke, the duct rolls g are brought into contact, by
means of the levers g and cams g' with the rolls of the fountains g³ and take up
a supply of ink; and, as the carriage Fagain commences the impression stroke, the
levers of these duct rolls are drawn out of their cams and the duct rolls come into
contact with the metal ink-distributing rolls g and supply them with ink which is
distributed in any well known and suitable manner.
As the form-inking rolls G are mounted upon the carriage F they are carried over
the forms during the impression stroke of the carriage, and carried back again
over tlie forms during the return stroke of the carriage.
When the paper passes directly from the cylinder D to the cylinder D', as shewn
in the drawings, and two forms are used, the register depends upon the length of
feed and the position of the types in each chase. Consequently the paper after
leaving the cylinder D should be carried under a shaft which is made adjustable,
by any suitable means, as regards its distance from the cylinders D, D', in order to
obtain a correct register of any desired length of alieet, to avoid the necessity for
any exact relative adjustment of the types in each form. The shaft h is a guide-

page_text: shaft and is used to prevent the paper coming into contact with the cover g³ of the
inking rolls, see Figure 9.
It will be obvious that the feed rolls h, h³ might be in the position occupied
by h (or by hs, if the web were passed around and the swing of h³ thereby
rendered unnecessary), were it not for the presence of the press K. This additional
press K is for the purpose of printing matter with a different colored ink from that
used on the forms B, B'. It is so timed that its impressions are taken during the
impression stroke of the carriage F, the same feed rolls h7, h8 serving for all three of
the presses. This third press is designed mainly for printing advertisements. in
newspapers or the like in ink of a color so different from that used for the
surrounding matter as to make them prominent.
Inasmuch as the impression from the form B on that part of the paper between 1
and 2 is outermost at the next succeeding impression stroke of the cylinder D¹, it is,
desirable, in order to prevent smearing, to change the tympan paper used with the
cylinder D; and for this purpose a reel L is mounted in the cylinder D', the paper
from this reel passes through a slit in the cover of the cylinder D¹ and past suitable
guides, 10 and to a reel l on the frame A. From time to time, the reel l³ is
turned in order to unwind the tympan paper from the reel L, and thus present a
dry surface to bear upon the freshly printed side of the paper H, and when the
greater part of the tympan paper is unwound from the reel L, it is rewound upon
that reel, from time to time. This can be readily done by the operator, by means
of suitable handles not shown in the drawings, or mechanism for moving either of
the reels L or at regular intervals may be readily devised and applied to the
press.
The main wheels ƒª have counter-weights fapplied to them to balance the weight
of the carriage F, and other parts, so that the machine may run smoothly at the
rate of say sixty revolutions per minute. At each revolution of the press shown in
the drawings, a newspaper printed on both sides, with one or more advertisements
in red, or some other striking color, is deposited on the table of the machine at M.
The forins B, B' are put in and taken out at that side of the machine which is
shown in Figure 5, the racks being at the other side. One of the bearers on each
bed is preferably rigidly attached to, or integral with, the chase of that bed, as it
must be taken out to receive the chase.
It is often desirable to run the machine without taking the impression, and for
this reason the cams d' are mounted as shown, so that by moving the lever d³
the cylinders will not be separated at the end of their return stroke.
The paper H is fed from a roll (not shown in the drawings) and passes between
the clamps h, h' attached to the frame of the machine, the movable clamp h¹ being
actuated by the cam h2; thence the paper passes over the shaft h³ partially
around the impression cylinder D, thence partially around the impression cylinder
D¹, and over the shafts h³ and he and between the feed rolls h, h. The shaft h³ is
mounted upon the carriage F. On the impression or forward stroke of the
cylinder D, the paper is first nipped between the cylinder D and the form at the
line marked 1 in Figures 1 and 2, and that part of the paper between 1 and 2
receives the impression from the form B, so that, at the end of the impression,
the paper near the line marked 2 is nipped between the form B and the cylinder D.
Now all that part of the paper from 1 to 2 would remain flat upon, and sticking to
the form B at the end of the impression, were it not for the shaft h³ and the clamps
h, h'; but, as the paper is held by the clamps, it is passed over the shaft h³, as that
shaft rises, and is therefore stripped off the form with the least possible resistance
from the sticking of the ink, and at the end of the impression stroke, the paper
between the clamps h, h' and the line 2 is in the position shown in Figure 2.
The paper from 2 to 3 receives the impression from the form B', and is stripped off
from the form B¹ by the motion of the cylinder D over the form B. Figure 1 is a
diagram showing clearly the position of the paper at the beginning of the stroke to
make the impression, when two forms are used, that is to say, when the improved
machine is employed as a perfecting press; and Figure 2 is a similar diagram,

page_text: showing the position of the paper after the impression has been taken. It will be
clear from these diagrams that the function of the shaft h³ is to prevent the paper
from becoming slack between it and the line where the paper is nipped between
the cylinder D and the form B; and that this function is performed for the cylinder
D', by the cylinder D. The cylinder D' also performs an important duty in aiding
the cylinder D, that is to say, it keeps the paper between 1 and 2 away from
the form until the moment before it is nipped between the form and the impression
cylinder. This duty is performed for the cylinder D' by the shaft h. To prevent
undue strain upon the paper lying between the line marked 2, where it is nipped
by the cylinder D' and the form B', and the line where it is nipped by the feed
rolls h, the swinging shaft is ewung inwards gradually thereby slackening
the paper as required to relieve it from strain. Or the shaft may be mounted in
the frame of the machine and a shaft ! be mounted on the carriage F, as shown in
Figure 5, the shaft 10 then performing the same office for the paper between
2 and 3 that the cylinder D' performs for the paper between 1 and 2.
In the diagrams, Figures 3 and 4, I have illustrated the operation of a machine in
which only one forin is used, instead of two forms as in the perfecting press. In
these diagrams, instead of the shaft I employ a roll, which is pressed against the
cylinder D during the impression, and consequently performs the functions which,
in the other diagrams, are performed by the clamps h, h, and the shaft h³; for as the
surface speed of his just equal to that of the cylinder D, the paper is clamped, and
also guided, substantially as above described. The shaft performis the same
function, in these diagrams Figures 3 and 4, for the cylinder D as the cylinder D'
does in the other diagrams
According to a modification of the said Invention I construct the machine as
shown in Figure 10, that is to say, I fix two beds B B to the fraine A one above
the other and arrange two cylinders D2, D3 in bearings in a carriage F' which
is capable of being moved up and down in the manner above described. These
cylinders are adapted to receive stereotype plates which, as the cylinders are moved
up, make the impressions upon both sides of the paper. The paper H is fed from a
roll and passes first over the face of tlie lower bed B' and then over the face of the
upper bed B and over a guide bar or rod h to the feed rolls. The cylinders are
moved out of contact with the type, when the impressions have been made, by
means of excentrics as above described, and are retained out of contact therewith
during their return stroke. The said excentrics are provided with a lever or other
suitable device by which they can be moved by hand to adjust the impression. In
some cases, an endless oiled tympan sheet is passed around suitable rollers and over
the face of one of the beds, this sheet is moved each time that the sheet to be printed
is fed, and suitable means are provided for cleaning the said tympan sheet.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent and the manner of performing the same I wish it understood
that I claim, in a printing machine or press:-
First The combination, with a stationary bed and an impression cylinder
arranged to travel over the same, of guides for the web, one at each side of the
impression cylinder, and a device which feeds the proper length of web while the
impression is thrown off, all substantially as described.
Second-The combination of the two stationary beds, the two travelling
impression cylinders, and the feeding mechanism, with suitable guides, all sub-
stantially as described, and operating to print both sides of a web as set forth.
Third The combination of two stationary beds, two travelling impression
cylinders, and an additional printing press, substantially as described, with common
intermittent web-feeding mechanism, the first stationary bed and its cylinder
printing one side of a given length of web, the second bed and cylinder printing
the other side of the same, and the additional press printing on the same length of
web, all substantially as set forth.
Fourth-The combination of two beds, two impression cylinders, a reciprocating.

page_text: carriage, and two sets of inking apparatus, both cylinders and both sets of
inking apparatus being mounted upon the said carriage, all substantially as
described.
Fifth-The combination of the two vertical stationary beds, their travelling
impression cylinders and the carriage, all arranged so that the type-forms face each
other, and the carriage reciprocates vertically between them as set forth.
Sixth The combination of two beds, two impression cylinders, their carriage,
and mechanism arranged and operating substantially as described to move the
cylinders towards each other at the end of the impression stroke of the carriage
and to move them away from each other at the end of the return stroke thereof.
Seventh-The web perfecting press above described consisting essentially of the
two stationary beds, the two travelling impression cylinders, the two sets of inking
apparatus, the web-guiding mechanism, and the intermittently operating web-
feeding mechanisin, all constructed and operating substantially as above set forth.
In witness whereof I the said John Edward Dawson have hereunto set my.
hand and seal this Tenth day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
JOHN E DAWSON (L.S.)