US2129767A - Photomechanical printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Sept 1938. w. c. HUEBNER- I 2,129,767

PHOTQMECHANICAL PRINTING APPARATUS Filed July 20, 1 936 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 1220622221 Wzllkkvn/ C Hzzener Sept. 13, 1938. v v. c:. HUEBNER 2,129,767

PHOTKSMECHANICAL PRINTING APPARATUS I Filed July 20, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 13, 1938. w. c. HUEBNER 2,129,767

PHOTOMECHANICAL PRINTING APPARATUS Filed July 20, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in photomechanical printing apparatus.

In the making of printing plates whereon pictorial or type matter is photographically repro- 5 duced, it is customary to employ either so-called photo-composing machines or vacuum printing frames. Photo-composing machines, being intended not only for the reproduction of ordinary black and white work but for delicate color work, are' relatively expensive, require highly skilled operators, and are not generally economically justified in making certain types of press plates, such as those for newspapers, tarifi sheets and similar relatively simple work where extreme accuracy of registration is not required.

Heretofore, vacuum printing frames have been generally used for the simpler classes of work but the same have a relatively limited scope of use; are comparatively difficult to handle and cannot economically meet certain requirements often encountered in practice. In reproducing forms of type pages, tarifi sheets and the like by means of vacuum'printing frames, two general methods have commonly been employed. One method requires mounting of the films by stripping them upon a thick glass plate and the other method employs a large opaque sheet in which openings are cut, corresponding to the pages required by the form, and the films are then mounted over the openings and pasted to the opaque sheet. In both cases, the glass plate of the prepared opaque sheet as the case may be, is then placed in the vacuum printing frame in contact with the sensitized plate and the one or more subjects to be printed are exposed to the light action. Frequently, negatives comprising different type are different from the negatives having pictorial matter thereon so that different periods of light exposure are essential to obtain the desired prints on the sensitized plate. When using the vacuum frame, in order to permit of the different exposures, the operator must mask all such portions that require one period of exposure while exposing the others. This is an obvious time-consuming operation and attendant with uncertain results. Furthermore, it is frequently necessary to repeat the same subject on the press plate and where vacuum frames are employed, this necessitates the making up of a corresponding plurality of negatives, thus not only increasing the expense but being likely to result in negatives of different quality. While the disadvantages of vacuum printing frames above pointed out, are not inherent in the usual photo -composing machine, nevertheless the latter are generally too expensive in initial investment and operating costs, to warrant their use in the simpler forms of photographic plate making.

One object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive apparatus for photographically making printing plates in a more expeditious, eflicient and less expensive manner than heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to provide a photomechanical apparatus such that a plurality of exposures on the platemay be made simultaneously under conditions requiring either like or different periods of light exposure for the different subjects being reproduced.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character indicated wherein is combined a monorail or bar adjustable over the surface of the press plate and with which are cooperable one or a plurality of interchangeable detachable and reversible printing element holders to speed up the operation and facilitate the use of negatives of difierent sizes and characteristics and also, on account of the reversible mounting feature of the holders, reduce the over all size of the apparatus to a minimum for any given size press plate and permitting photographic reproduction on all portions thereof.

A specific object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character indicated wherein may be temporarily employed a layout sheet over the press plate to facilitate location of the negatives to be printed and which layout sheet may then be removed or retracted during the exposure. I

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevational view of an apparatus embodying the improvements. Figure 2 is an enlarged, detail elevational view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure. 1. Figure 3 is aside elevational view of that portion of the structure illustrated in Figure 2. Figures 4 and 5 are sectionalviews corresponding to the section lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively of Figure 2. Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to the line 6-6 of Figurel. Figure '7 isa front elevational view, upon an enlarged scale, of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 but illustrating a modified form of saddle or adapter for holding the negatives. Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to the line 8-8 of Figure 7. And Figure 9 is a more or less diagrammatic view of the structure illustrated in Figure 7 showing the manner of obtaining an angular position of the negative and holder with reference to the main bar or rail.

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, the apparatus is shown as including a main flat bed-like member or support A of any suitable material, possessing the necessary rigidity, and the area of which is slight-- 1y greater than that of the maximum size press plate B intended to be used thereon. Said support A may be used in the horizontal by resting upon any suitable table or similar support; in the vertical by being suitably so supported or in an inclined position, as may best suit the desires of the particular operator. On its top or main sup porting flat surface, the press plate B is detachably secured by anysuitable means such as the flush screws i0lll at the corners as shown, it being understood that the plate will be held taut and perfectly flat for receiving the exposures.

Along each side edge thereof, the main supportA is provided with a guide rail I l projecting a short distance both above and below the upper and lower surfaces of the main support A, as best shown in Figures 4 and 5. Preferably on its top side, the support A is provided adjacent each side edge thereof with a longitudinally extending rack bar I! and a scale indicator l3. Preferably, the rack bars 12 are provided with a micrometer longitudinal adjustment as by means of the micrometer screws 14-44 at the bottom ends thereof, which are swiveled in suitable brackets l5-l5 secured to the main support A. By these micrometer adjustments, accurate alinement of the rack bars may be obtained and also a micrometer ad justment of the cross bar, hereinafter referred to, vertically may be obtained within limited amounts, when desired.

Slidably mounted on each of the guide rails ii is a cross head or block I6 suitably retained in place by a gib plate H so that the blocks may be adjusted back and forth in one line of direction (up and down as shown in Figure 1) with reference to the main support A. Carried by the horizontally alined guide blocks i6 is a main monorail or cross bar C of preferably rectangular cross section, as best shown in Figure 6, and wherein the longer dimension is vertical or parallel to the sup porting surface so as to minimize any tendency of deflection from the weight of the adapters or saddles hereinafter referred to. As clearly shown, said rail C is spaced a short distance from the support A and plate B mounted thereon and is, of course, movable thereover. The rail C is also preferably made adjustable horizontally with reference to the guide blocks ii for a limited amount by means of a micrometer wheel fl and screw IS, the latter being threaded onto the bar and the wheel being carried by a shaft lournaled in an extension block I I 6, the shaft being extended outwardly of the extension block I I6 and preferably squared as indicated at 20. to facilitate operation by a wrench or the like, said shaft carrying also a wheel 2| by which the micrometer adjustment may be made directly by hand, if desired.

The right-hand guide block l6, as viewed in Figure 1, carries a beveled scale plate 22 which, in conjunction with the indicator mark 23 on the rail C, suffices to indicate the amount of adjust-, ment in conjunction with the micrometer wheel II. The rail C is also provided with an indicator main scale 24, the intervals of which correspond to the maximum micrometer adjustment permitted by the micrometer wheel and screw |l-l I.

To mechanically effect the bodily movements of the rail C and parts carried thereby, an operating shaft 25 is provided, journaled at its ends in the guide blocks l6, and having pinions 26 thereon cooperable with the rack bars I2. The shaft is extended preferably at each end beyond its bearings and provided with hand wheels 21-21 and at the right-hand end may also have a squared extension 28 for the use of a wrench or like tool. The bearings for the shaft 25 are preferably of the split type, as indicated at 29 in Figure 3, and the shaft may be frictionally clamped in any desired position by means of the clamping screws 3|, mounted in and coacting with the split sections of the bearings. Also, the guide blocks and associated parts carried thereby, may be additionally locked or clamped by means of set screws 3l8l, threaded through the blocks and adapted to engage the edges of the guide rails.

Cooperable with the rail C are one or more adapters or saddles, three being illustrated in Figure 1, and indicated as D, D and D respectively. Each of said adapters is primarily characterized by the fact that it may be clamped or locked to the rail C in any desired position lengthwise of the rail and either extending upwardly therefrom in a plane parallel to the press plate as in the case of the two adapters D and D or downwardly therefrom also in a plane parallel to the press plate, as indicated by the adapter D. A second characteristic of each of the adapters is that the same may be applied or attached to or removed from the rail C at any point along the rail without disassembling any of the parts of the apparatus or disturbing the operative relation between the rail C and the press plate and main support. Any suitable construction may be employed for such detachable and reversible arrangement, the one shown comprising upper and lower flanges 32 and 33 extending inwardly therefrom, as best shown in Figure 6, so as to ride the upper and lower edges of the rail and permitting removal of the saddle transversely from the bar C.

As will be apparent, the adapters are adjusted manually on the railC and, when the proper position has been obtained, are locked in place by set screws indicated at 34. To facilitating locating of the adapters, the same are preferably provided with centrally disposed sigh holes 35 through which may be viewed the indicator scale 24, as shown in Figure 1. In certain instances, where finer accuracy of adjustment is desired, the adapters may have associated therewith a post also slidably mounted on the rail C. One such post is indicated at in Figure 1 showing the manner of using the same in connection with the adapter D. The post 60 is a split member straddling the rail C and adapted to be clamped in any adjusted position as by the set screws ii and also readily detachable from the rail C at any point therealong. Swiveiled in the adapter is a screw 62, which has threaded engagement with the adapter so that. when the adapter has been roughly positioned and the post 68 clamped, the finer adjustment may be effected by turning the screw 62, as will be obvious.

The adapters or saddles may be of like or varying sizes for the mounting and retaining thereon of negative holders E E and E of like or different sizes. As shown, the negative holder E is of somewhat lesser size than the other two holders holder, each adapter is provided with a vertical flange or extension 36 of suitable width corresponding to the negative holder to be attached thereto, each said flange or extension projecting or extending parallel to and over the main support and press plate thereof and having a pair of attaching screws 31 and a pair of alining or registering dowels 38. In the construction best illustrated in Figure 6, the negative holder E there shown is of that type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,000,390, granted May '7, 1935, the rigid portion of the holder being indicated in Figure 6 at 39 and into which the attaching screws 3'! are preferably threaded. In this type of construction, a spacer 40 is interposed between the negative holder and the flange 36 of the adapter and a slight amount of clearance is allowed, as indicated at 4|, to permit the negative holder to be displaced slightly away from the pressplate during a shift while at the same time allowing the negative to be drawn tightly against the press plate when suction is applied as through the suction tube, indicated conventionally at 42 in Figure 1.

By employing detachable adapters or saddles as shown, the work may be performed exceeding- 1y rapidly inasmuch as apparent, the negative holders may be attached to the adapters outside of the photographic apparatus and as many as may be desired. Each adapter with its attached negative holder is then applied manually to the rail and adjusted tothe desired position, whereupon the same is ready for an exposure. As

. obvious, a plurality of adapters with attached negative holders may be applied simultaneously to the rail and simultaneous but independently controlled exposures made, preferably by portable arc lamps with proper hoods, a portion of one of which is indicated at 43 in Figure 6. Each portable arc lamp will be brought up against its respective negative and the proper exposure made, dependent upon the particular negative. being photographed. Further, it will be noted that on account of the reversible features of the adapters,

- it becomes unnecessary to extend the main support any appreciable distance beyond the upper and lower edges of the press plate, as heretofore necessary in all photo-composing machines, so far as known. As apparent'from Figure 1, the adapter D and corresponding negative holder E can be employed in its down position to photograph the subject matter on the lower portions of the plate, while the rail is positioned above the lower edge of the plate. Where the negative holders of the usual type of composers are adapt-,

ed to be mounted on one side only of the main support or carriage, it is necessary that the latter be able to drop down below the bottom edge of the press plate a sufiicient distance to accommodate the maximum size negative holder that may be employed, thus increasing the over-all dimensions of the apparatus correspondingly.

Referring next to the construction illustrated in Figures '7, 8 and 9, the rail C there shown is the same as that illustrated in the other figures. The adapter D however, is of somewhat difierent form and preferably comprises two end U shaped elements 44-44 adapted to straddle the rail or bar C and to be clamped thereto by set screws 45-45. Extending between the elements 44 and pivotally connected thereto by the pivot bolts 46-46 is a cross bar or member 41, which carries the negative attaching screws 4848 and registering dowel pins 4949. In Figure 8, the negative holder E there shown is of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 1,978,493, granted Oct. 30, 1934, and

need not be specifically described. As in the previously described form, a clearance space I is left so as to allow of clearance movement of the negative and holder relative to the press plate to permit of shift.

As will be apparent, the adapter D possesses the same essential characteristics as those previously described, that is, detachability and reversibility. In addition, it has incorporated therein means for accomplishing other results as follows. In certain instances, it is desired to tilt the subject matter to be printed at an angle to the vertical and to accomplish this, the cross bar 41 is provided with a pair of adjusting screws 5050 extending therethrough and adapted to bear on the upper edge of the rail C, so that, as shown in Figure 9, by properly adjusting the screws, the angular position of adapter and negative holder, within reasonable limits, may be effected. Also, on account of the swiveled connection between the cross bar 4! and end elements M of the adapter, the negative holder may be swung outwardly entirely clearof the support A and a change of negative holders made directly on the machine without the necessity of removing the adapter whenever this is desired. In this connection, the lower line of contact between the negative and press plate, as viewed in Figure 8, will be brought horizontally in line with the pivotal axis of the cross bar 41, so as to avoid scraping 'of or injury to the press plate when the negative is swung in or out.

Referring now to Figure 1, attention is directed to the means provided for employing a layout sheet to facilitate locating of the negatives. The main support A at one side thereof is shown provided with a dowel 55 and alined therewith at the opposite side, a somewhat elongated slot 56. The pin and slot 55-456 constitute a registering means adapted to cooperate with a layout sheet which may be placed bodily over the support A and press plate B, it being understood that the same will be extended beneath the rail C and before the adapters and negative holders are mounted on the rail. With the layout sheet,

'showing the locations of the different subject matters to be printed, in registered positions on the press plate, the respective negative holders and adapters may then be mounted in place and adjusted over the locations indicated, on the layout sheet. Thereupon, the layout sheet may be removed; the negatives placed in contact with the press plate and the exposures made. While the layout sheet may be bodily removed from the apparatus, a convenient method of using the same is obtained by employing a roller, such as indicated at 51, mounted at the top of the support A and to which the layout sheet may be attached, rolled or unrolled in the manner of a window shade. When in use, the layout sheet will be drawn down over the press plate and registered as previously indicated and, when the exposures are to be made, the same will be retracted by rolling up on the roller 51.

In the drawings has been indicated a single press plate B of substantially the maximum size for which the apparatus is adapted. In certain classes of work, particularly newspaper work, it is frequently necessary to use relatively narrow press plates and prepare the same practically simultaneously on account of the speed required in turning out an edition. In such cases, a plurality of narrower plates may be mounted on the support A and the necessary exposures made on each of the plates, either separately or simultaneously, as will be obvious.

With the improved construction described, it is apparent that the same has far greater flexibility and wider range of use than the ordinary vacuum printing frame and also possesses certain fea tures of flexibility over and above those of the usual far more expensive photo-composing machines. As will be apparent, the apparatus herein shown and described is merely illustrative and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are contemplated that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In a photomechanical printing apparatus, a main flat support for a print-receiving element; a member adjustably mounted on said support to move back and forth in a plane parallel toythe surface of the support; a carrier adjustable back and forth on said member in a direction at right angles to the line of adjustment of said member relative to the support and also in a plane parallel to the surface of the support, said carrier comprising means slidably directly engageable with said member and a section angularly adjustable relative to said means about an axis parallel to said member.

2. In a photomechanical printing apparatus, a main flat support for a press plate or the like; a bar movable backand forth in one line of direction in a plane parallel to the surface of said support; and an adapter, detachable with respect to said bar, for carrying a printing element, said adapter comprising elements adapted to directly engage the bar, an attaching section pivotally connected to said elements, and means for angularly bodily adjusting the adapter relative to the bar in a plane parallel to the surface of said support.

3. In a-photomechanical printing apparatus, the combination with a flat support for a printreceiving element, a monorail and means for adjusting the monorail over the support in a plane parallel thereto in one line of direction; of a negative holding adapter attachable to and detachable from the monorail, said adapter having a forked section and a. flange extending from the forked section, said forked section being such as to engage over the monorail in either of two positions with the flange of the adapter extending either upwardly or downwardly from the monorail and with the flange projecting over the support; means on said flange for detachably retaining a negative holder thereon; and means for locking the adapter to the monorail at any point therealong.

4. In a photomechanical printing apparatus, the combination with a support for a print-receiving element; of a member adjustably mounted on said support and movable over the surface thereof; means for adjusting said member back and forth in one line relative to the support and in a plane parallel to the surface of the support; and a printing-element-holding adapter, said adapter and member being of such cross sections, in a plane perpendicular to both said member and the surface of the support, that one provides an open mouthed recess to detachably receive the other therein, in either of two positions of said adapter at to each other relative to said member.

5. In a photomechanical printing apparatus, the combination with a flat support for a printreceiving element, a monorail and means for adjusting the monorail over the support in a plane parallel thereto in one line of direction; of a negative holding adapter attachable to and detachable from the monorail, said adapter having an open mouth recessed section adapted to fit over the monorail and thereby readily assembled with and detached from the monorail by relative movement between the adapter and monorail in a plane perpendicular to and extending transversely of the monorail.

WILLIAM C. HUEBNER.

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