US2442407A - Stereotype mat drier - Google Patents

Description

June-1,1948. WEGIBBONS Em 2,442,407

'STEREOTYPE HAT DRIER Hy.' a

June l, 1948. w. E. GIBBoNs ETAL 'STEREOTYPE MAT DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 27, 1946 "Hmm,

mam* Aw Patented June l, 1948 2,442,407 STEREOTYPE MAT DRIER William E. Gibbons and George Scharton, Chio Illinois Publishing and hicago, Ill., a corporation cago, Ill., assignors t Printingi Company, C

of Illino Application September 27, 1946, Serial No. 699,826 3 Claims. (Cl. 21S-34) This invention relates to driers and more particularly to devices for dehydratlng printing matrix mats for cylinder printing presses.

In cylinder printing presses, the type forms are set up flat and then mats of moistened paperlike plastic material are pressed onto the forms to take an impression of the printing surfaces. These mats are then dried, usually by means of cylindrically formed steam heating plates, the moisture being driven through a porous backing pad and carried away by a suction pump.

The matrix mats are then placed in a mold having an inwardly concave cylindrical wall against which the mat lies and the printing plate is formed by flowing molten type metal between the inner face of the mat and the opposite wall of the mold so as to form a semi-cylindrical shell having an external convex cylindrical face that is formed by the matrix and becomes the printing surface of the printing cylinder. The objections to this and the heretofore used driers were: that the amount of drying or dehydrating could not be accurately controlled whereby the resulting shrinkage could not be controlled; the heat used for drying purposes Was not constant and would usually build up `in the drying machine to a point where it became unmanageable; the heat used was dispersed in all directions; were inefficient, slow in action, cumbersome to operate or install, and were expensive to maintain and operate. Y

It was to overcome these and other obvious defects that the present invention was conceived.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide improved means for drying or dehydrating the water-soaked matrix mats preparatory to placing them in the mold; to provide improved means of this kind that utilizes focused infra-red rays as the drying medium; to provide improved drying equipment that is comparatively inexpensive, comparatively Icheap to operate and rapid in its action; to provide improved means of this kind wherein the utilized infra-red rays are denitely focused on the mats; to provide a deviceof this character wherein the wet mats are left under an infra-red lamp for a predetermined period of time only; to provide a device of this character wherein the heating chamber is so ventilated that the heat will not build up and the absorbed moisture is carried away; to provide a device of this character whereby a predetermined amount of moisture may be removed from the mats; and to provide a device of this character whereby the mats may be shrunk to a predetermined measurement.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a matrix mat drier constructed according to this invention, the front wall 0f the housing being partly broken away to disclose the internal arrangement.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same taken 0n line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of one of the belt pulleys, showing the helically coiled wire spring belt carried by a peripheral groove on the pulley,

In the form shown in the drawings, the drier comprises a rectangular skeleton frame l to which is attached end, sides and top wall plates v2, having louvers 3 to form a rectangular housing. Extending horizontally across the interior of the housing 2 are opposed sets of belts 4 and 5 carried by pulleys 6 on parallel shafts 'l at opposite ends of the frame in such a manner that the upper flights of the lower set of belts 5 form a horizontal support for the mats 8 passing through the machine from a receiving platform 9 at one end of the machine to a delivery magazine I0 at the opposite end of the machine.

The upper belts 4 press lightly on the upper face of the mats and hold them atwise on the grid-like surface that is formed by the upper flights of the lower belts 5. The belts are preferably formed of helically wound spring wire, such as piano wire, and are of such length as to remain stretched taut across the interior of the housing regardless of the temperature to which they aresubjected. Such belts offer a minimum of impediment to the access of heat to the mats and to the escape of moisture therefrom.

The pulleys 6 at the delivery end of the machine, which is at the left of Fig. 1, are driven by sprockets Il and l2 meshing with a chain belt I3 which is in turn driven by a sprocket I4 and chain belt l5 from a sprocket wheel I6 driven by a motor I7 through reduction gears I8, including a worm gear and worm wheel in the housing I9.

The motor is controlled in turn by an electric circuit, not shown, having a main switch 2U and rheostat 2|, whereby the speed of travel of the mats through the machine on the conveyor formed by the belts 4 and 5 can be accurately timed, as will be understood.

The dehydratlng function is accomplished by means of opposed banks of reflector-type, infrared lamps 22. Each lamp 22 comprises the usual incandescent lament and an internal reflector surface arranged to project a concentrated and focused beam of 'infra-red ray toward the path of the mats carried on the belts 5.

Each bank of infra-red lamps is made up of a plurality of rows of lamps, each bank preferably comprising two rows of 7 bulbs each and one row of 8 bulbs, evenly spaced apartso that the rays from the lamps are evenly focused on each side of the matrix mats. The lamps in one row are staggered with respect to those in the next adjacent row so that the combined effect of the lamps is to subject both the upper and lower surfaces of the mats substantially the elects Tof the thermal jectedby the lamps.

Each bank of lamps is carried by a rigid frame 23 having closed wiring troughs 24 for supplying current to the lamps. This current may-also be controlled by the switch 2!) or by independent means. Y

The frames 23 are supported on the vertical barsof the supporting frame I by means of angle irons 425 whichrare anchored at a predetermined point to the frame in any suitable manner, such as by welding. ln Fig. 1 the frames 23 lie in a horizontal plane which is the preferred arrangement'of the lamps.

The louvers 3 in the housing walls allows the Vair to circulate freely by convection through the machine 'and carry off the moisture that is driven out from the mats by the penetrating infra-red rays. The louvers alsoprevent the housing from becoming an oven by building up heat. It will be noted that the bottomof the cabinet is open.

uniformly to rays.V that are =pro` 4 invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the constructions shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim: l. A mat drier comprising a closed housing with an .open bottom,

lower conveyor belts comprising a plurality of spaced spring wires, one set of belts above and one below for engaging `opposite faces of Vthe matsV Vand holding the mats atwise between them,

` opposite faces of said mats on said conveyor, said banks Yof lamps being symmetrically disposed with respect to the path of said mats, a motor, reduction gears and rheostat for controlling the-speed of said .belts whereby said mats areshrunkfapproximately three-eighths of an Vinch Aand only eight per cent of the moisture thereinremoved as the mats pass through'the housing. Y

2. A mat drier comprising a closed housing with an open bottom, a plurality `of louvers in said housing and spaced therearound, upper andlower 'Inoperation the mats arefed into the machine Y from the receiving platform 9, one after another, being conveyed through thevmachine by the belts and delivered to the delivery magazine lo.

The timing of the speed of the conveyor and the spacing of the lamp banks with respect to the path of the mats are adjusted by` experiment according to the type of material used inthe mats vand its moisture-carrying capacity. It has been determined that when the standard newsprint type'of'mat is used, the mat can be shrunk threeeighths of an inch and approximately 8% of the moisture removed, which are the desirable gures at which to reinforce .the mats with backing felt preparatory to placing them 0n the mold, by spacing both banks of lights six inches away from the mats.

The six inch spacing will project therays from the lamps onthe mats in the most eillcient manrnerand the desired shrinking and drying gures `may be constantly maintained by operating the 'belts at a predetermined speed. So long as the same kind of material is used and the same preliminary procedure of preparing the mats are iollowed, little or no adjustment will be necessary. It Vwas found that moving drop in eflicienoy.

"While numerous heaters and dryers, some of them utilizing infra red radiation, have been patented, none of the devices have had controlled racli-ation or heat developed to such an extent that -theamount of shrinkage and moisture to be removed from an article could be predetermined.

It is toibe understood that applicants do not bone dry Vthe mats When utilizing Vthe machine the lamps above or be- 4low the designated 6 inch distance resulted in a flatwise between them, banks of spacedinfra-red Y conveyormembers comprising foraminous belts, one set of belts being located above and zone below the mat which it engages and holding the mat flatwise between them, ybanks ofuspaced .infrared reflector lamps positioned yapproximatelyfslri inches above and below said matsfor projecting their raysl against ,opposite yfaces .of .the ,mats :between the conveyors, said banks of lampslbeing symmetrically disposed with respect to the path of said mats, a motor for driving said belts, r-.e- ,duction gears andV rheostat for controlling .the speed of said belts whereby said mats are shrunk approximately three-eighths of an inch and Vonly eight per cent of the moisture therein removed asV the mats pass through the housing.

3. A mat drier comprising a closed housing with an open bottom, a plurality of louvers in-isaid housing and spaced therearoundupper `andllower conveyor members comprising foraminous belt-s,

one set of belts being located above and one below the mat which it engages and holding themat reflector lamps positioned Vapproximately six inches above and belowsaid mats'for projecting their rays against oppositeA faces of -thematsjbetween the conveyors, said banks of lamps being symmetrically disposed with respect to the path g Yof said mats, amotor for drivingsaidbeltsand means ,for controlling the speed of *the -belts whereby said mats are shrunkfapproximately three eighths of an inch and only eight pen-cent ,of Vthe moisture therein removed-as the matspass -through the housing. WILLIAMYE. `vGrIBlBOblS.

GEO. SCHARTON. Y nnrsnnncns Terran Y The following references are oi record rinftlie file ofthis patent: A

`UNI 15D STATES PATEN'VES Number Y n Name Date 457,281 VKukkuck Aug. 4, i891 91,656,824.- lVIarans n; .V A Jan. 17,1928 Y Powers ...L ,'.A.pr.V 18, l2,308,239. Bell i p dan. .112,1-943 2,325,050.

a plurality of louvers in said Vhousing and spaced therearound, upper and

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