Kingdom.]
Class 6 .— MANUFACTURING MACHINES AND TOOLS.
North Areas A. B. 10 to 31; C. D. E. 1 to 10, & 19 to 33 ; G. H. 25, 26.
281
type drum that can be done when it is fixed hori-zontally.
The circumference of the central drum, or path of thetype, is exactly 200 inches;—in the machines at the‘ Times ” office eight impressing cylinders surround thetype, which therefore print eight sheets at every revo-lution; but in those machines the type is not trulyeylindric, but is segmental , which involves the necessity°t using large cylinders, but when the type is purelyeylindric smaller impression rollers may be used, and theproduce very much increased.
The machine which is erected in the Exhibition istuade to print circular woodcuts and type in the bestWanner. Each of the four impressing cylinders has 50tnches space for itself and its attendant inking rollers,ar >d the form has the advantage of receiving its ink orcolour from several rollers, each of which is well distributed°r evenly covered with ink.
The vertical position of the inking rollers also conducesgreatly to the production of good work; for the type orengraving is only touched on its extreme surface, while,°n the flat principle, where the inking rollers act byilJ~avit)j t the sides of the type are liable to receive colour.Another advantage is, that any dust in the paper isshaken out by the act of stopping, and falls upon theloor in place of being deposited upon the inking rollersand distributing table as in the flat machine: this is inpractice a real advantage, for 50,000 impressions havebeen taken without once stopping to brush out the form°n table. Another technical advantage in the printing. wood engravings, where delicate overlaying is required,ls ; that the impressing cylinders are in direct connexionWith the type drum, so that no irregularity of motioncan occur, and the overlays can be placed precisely whererequired without any fear of derangement.
, Attention is also directed to the superior smoothness ofhe action of the vertical machine, as compared with theeavy blows p ro q llce d in a flat or reciprocating machineeach change of motion in the ponderous type table andappendages.
Phe action of the machine is very simple, the “ layern .draws a sheet of paper towards a small roller in rapid'otion, which descends and causes the paper to enterI We en the vertical tapes which carry it downwards,ien , having arrived at the proper position, it is suddenly
stopped by narrow upright strips of wood, which advanceand slightly compress the sheet between them, the verticaltapes at the same moment releasing it;—the stoppers arethen in their turn withdrawn, leaving the sheet of papermomentarily suspended by two small pulleys, mounted ondelicate springs, called finger rollers. The sets of verticalrollers seen in rapid motion on each side of the sheet nowadvance against it, and impel it sideways towards theimpressing cylinder, where it receives the impressionfrom the type ; the sheet continues its side motion,supported only by a single pair of tapes, which at theproper place are stopped, leaving the printed sheet sus-pended until the “taker off” draws it down upon thetaking-off table.
The diagram below will explain the action of themachine employed for the “ Times ;” h, h, h, represent theposition of the laying-on tables.
The chases which hold the type are made with circularbeds, and are securely fixed to the iron rings of the typedrum. The column rules are converted by means ofscrews into tension bars, and they bind the sides of thechase or type-holder together, so that each column canbe set up by means of a screw at its foot to any requireddegree of pressure. The inking rollers, which are seenin a vertical position between the impressing cylinders,are caused to press against the type and distributingtable by long coiled springs, adjusted to a proper tension ;they receive the ink from a circular distributing surfaceplaced opposite to the type, and which, during its revo-lution, rises up and down by travelling upon an undu-lating railway. The ink is deposited upon the distri-buting table by a roller which occasionally vibrates againstthe ductor roller of the ink-box.
The wheels which connect the type drum and theimpressing cylinders are beneath the machine: motion iscommunicated to the ink-box by the upper bevil wheelseen on the spindle of the type drum, and. to the feedersby the lower bevil wheel.
The vertical principle admits of great variety of con-struction, and is equally applicable to perfecting machinesfor book-work.
It is the patent invention of Mr. Augustus Applegath ,of Dartford . Manufactured by Mr. T. Middleton, ofLoman-street, Southwark.