GB397197A - Improvements in or relating to automatic sheet feeders for use on printing machines - Google Patents

Abstract

397,197. Printing-machines; feeding sheets. HOLLINGS, H., 18, Malvern Street and HOLLINGS, E., 21, Elswick Row, both in Newcastle-on-Tyne. Feb. 24, 1932, No. 5526. [Classes 100 (i) and 100 (ii).] Sheets are fed to a platen printing-machine from a pile 2 by grippers 3, 4 on oscillating arms 1 which are adapted to reverse the sheet before delivering it to the open platen 39, so that the undersides of the sheets on the pile 2 are presented for printing. The printed sheet is delivered by a reciprocating suction nozzle 48 which act on the same edge of the sheet as the feed grippers. The sheets are separated from the pile by suction nozzles 40 mounted on arms 41 pivoted to the end of a lever arm 43 pivoted at 13 and operated by a cam on the shaft C. The inclination of the arms 41 is controlled by an oscillating lever 12 which is also operated from the cam shaft C and serves to operate a lever 10, 11 for controlling a pivoted incline 6 which opens the grippers 3, 4 to receive the separted sheet. The incline 6 acts on a roller 8 and moves the outer jaw against the action of a spring 5. Separation of the sheet is facilitated by a slight buckling thereof against the front pile guide 45. The incline 6 is rocked out of the path of the jaws 3, 4 and the grippers seize the sheet and carry it between known feeler devices 46, 47. The grippers stop momentarily, and when the platen 39 opens, the grippers continue their motion and the turning over of the sheets is assisted by air blasts from a nozzle 49. The arm 1 is oscillated by a pinion 31 and a rack 32 on a slotted link 33 which is reciprocated by a lever 34 oscillated by a cam on the shaft C. The grippers are opened to deliver the sheet to the platen by a pivoted incline 7 which is also actuated by cam-and-lever mechanism from the shaft C. The released sheet falls bv gravity on to the platen and up to the usual front lays. For feeding stiff sheets the grippers 3, 4 are lipped towards each other, as shown to permit bending of the sheets as the arm 1 descends. The inner jaw 3 is rigidly secured to a pivoted base 23 normally pressed against the arm 1 by a spring 25, but the base is moved away from the arm by the action of an abutment 29 on a roller 28 on a rod 27 fixed to the jaw base 23. The jaws are thus tilted in accordance with the inclination of the platen.