Pa′per-mak′ing ma-chine′.
The history of paper is considered under the caption paper (which see). The making of paper by machinery commenced near the close of the last century.
Previous to this time paper had been made in hand-molds of wire, which molds were made by hand of wires laid parallel and secured at intervals by a fine wire binding.
This could be readily made of sufficient size for such sheets as were then required, and the paper of that day shows by its margin the mark of the
deckle.
The following will indicate the succession and dates of the inventions in the line of paper-making machines.
Some collateral points of interest are also noted:—
1750. Woven paper-molds introduced by
Baskerville.
1759. The rag-engine introduced into
England from
Holland, where it was invented about 1750.
1790. The practice of bluing paper is said to have originated about this time from the circumstance of an English papermaker's wife having accidentally dropped her blue bag into some pulp in an advanced state of preparation.
1798.
Louis Robert, a workman in the establishment of
Didot, at
Essone, France, announced that he had discovered a way of making sheets of paper of large size by machinery.
1799. Paper in an endless web actually made by Robert.
1800. 8,000 francs awarded by the
French government to Robert for his invention, and leave granted him to take his working model to
England.
1801.
John Gamble, an Englishman, who had accompanied
L. Didot from
Paris with Robert's machine, obtained a patent therefor in
England.
Matthias Koops made paper from straw, wood, and other vegetable matters without the addition of other paper stuff.
He also discovered a process for extracting ink from old paper.
1803.
Bryan Donkin produced a self-acting paper machine on Robert's plan.
He had been employed by
Didot and gamble for this purpose, and appears to have made great improvements on the original.
1804.
Henry and
Sealy Fourdrinier of
London purchased the patents of
Didot and
Gamble.
From the improvements made under their auspices and their manufacture of it on an extensive scale, it received the name of
Fourdrinier machine, by which it is generally known.
1805.
Donkin altered the position of the cylinders, and by dispensing with the upper web simplified the machine and enabled it to perform a greater amount of work.
1806.
Francis Guy of
Baltimore obtained a patent for paper carpeting.
1809. The cylinder machine invented by
Dickenson, an English paper-maker.
1817. High glazing introduced by
Heath; also English cardboard manufacture.
1819. The London Society of Arts and Manufactures awarded thirty guineas to
Mr. Finsley for the invention of ivory paper.
1821.
T. B. Crompton in
England obtained a patent for drying and finishing paper by means of a cloth against heated cylinders, and the application of a pair of shears to cut the paper into suitable lengths as it issued from the machine.
1826. Canson in
France applied the system of rarefying the air beneath the web, used in the Dickenson cylinder machine, to the Fourdrinier machine.
1827. Canson invented a method of sizing pulp in the vat. using wax as a basis;
Delcambre in the same year employed a size having rosin as a basis; and Obry conceived the plan now generally adopted in
France of using rosin and alum dissolved in a solution of soda and combined with potato starch, for the same purpose.
1828.
George Dickenson patented an improvement in papermachines, consisting in giving an up-and-down movement to the paper instead of the shaking lateral movement imparted to the wire web of the Fourdrinier machine, which tended to form longitudinal streaks or ribs in the paper.
A similar contrivance was also introduced by
Donkin.
1828.
Professor Cowper patented in
England a paper-cutting machine which served as a basis for subsequent improvements.
Richard Waterman and
G. W. Annis, of
Providence, R. I., patented a method for making double paper by bringing a sheet previously formed in contact with the stuff on the belt and passing both between press-rollers; any number of thicknesses, it was claimed, might be combined in this way.
Crompton and
Miller patented a method of cutting an endless web of paper lengthwise by means of revolving blades on a rotary shaft.
Mason Hunting, of
Watertown, Mass., patented an improved top press roller, adjustable so as to form paper of any desired thickness by a single operation.
Marsden Haddock of New York obtained a patent for a machine for making paper by dipping, as in the hand-process
1829.
W. Dobit, of
East Hartford, Conn., patented a machine for cleansing and preparing rags for use in paper-stock.
Isaac Saunderson, of
Milton, Mass., patented a horizontal whirl-wheel and sheet-forming rollers in connection with the cylinder machine, to cause a more uniform felting of the fibers,
[
1624]
insure equality of strength in both directions of the paper, and enable thicker papers to be made.
Reuben Fairchild, of
Trumbull, Conn., patented an agitator, a semicircular cylinder in the vat vibrating transversely to the making cylinder, for the same purpose.
Thomas Cobb of
England patented a method of tinting paper and embossing it during the process of making by passing it between engraved rollers, also surfacing paper with silk, velvet, or other fabric.
1830. A sheet of paper 13,800 feet long and 4 feet wide was manufactured at Whitehall Mill,
Derbyshire, England.
Richard Ibotson patented a device for separating from the
stuff the knots which had passed the strainer.
These had previously been picked out by hand.
In
England, John Hall patented a mode of introducing water to the vat, by which a considerable pressure was effected on the exterior of the cylinder, causing the pulp to adhere more firmly thereto.
John Wilks added a perforated cylinder to the Fourdrinier machine to ficilitate the escape of water from the web previous to its passage through the pressing-rolls; and
Dickenson patented a machine for forming a double-web paper by uniting the web in process of formation with a sheet previously formed.
Thomas Barratt obtained a patent for a means of impressing the water-mark and maker's name in continuous paper, so as to resemble that made by hand
Thomas and
Woodcock, of
Brattleboroa, Vt., patented a pulp-dresser; and
Thomas Gilpin, of
Philadelphia, a paper-calendering apparatus.
1831.
J. J. Jaquir obtained a patent for making continuous paper with wire-marks similar to hand-made paper.
Edward Pine, of
Troy, and
E. N. Fourdrinier patented apparatus for cutting continuous paper into lengths; and
Turner, a strainer designed to supersede the agitating vat of the Fourdrinier machine.
Carvil, of
Manchester, Conn., patented a screen with fans; and
John Ames, of
Springfield, Mass., introduced a wire cylinder for the purpose of cleansing rags.
1832.
James Sawyer, of
Newbury, Vt., invented a piston pulpstrainer;
John Ames, a sizing-machine.
1852.
G. W. Turner,
London,
England.
Improved mode of applying an endless wire-web in a paper-machine; also, mode of passing the paper through a trough of size between two endless felts.
1853.
Brown and
McIntosh,
Aberdeen, Scotland.
Hollow perforated mold, covered with felt, to which the pulp is caused to adhere by rarefaction of the contained air.
1853. Machine patented in
England for preparing wood for making paper.
1856.
Horace W. Peaslee,
Malden Bridge, N. Y. Drying cylinder for paper-machines, comprising spiral tubular heater, non-conducting cylinder, and exterior metallic casing.
V. O. Balcom,
Bedford, Mass. Revolving pulp-tub with grooved grinding roller rotated therein at a different rate of speed.
Thomas Lindsay and
Wm. Geddes of
Connecticut.
Varying the width of paper while the machine is in operation by forming the trough which delivers pulp to the web in two parts, sliding one over the other and varying the distance apart of the
decklestraps.
1859.
M. L. Keen, Roger's Ford, Pa. Paper-stock boiler for ligneous matters.
Martin Nixon,
Philadelphia.
Boiler for treating paper-stock under pressure by the action of upward current of steam and downward current of hot alkaline solution.
Crocker and
Marshal,
Lawrence, Mass. Combination of drying-cylinders, moistening apparatus, and calender-rolls for finishing paper.
1860.
Jordan and Kiney (reissued patent). Conical grinder and case having induction and eduction pipes for rags and size.
C. S. Buchanan,
Ballston Spa, N. Y. Rotary boiler with cylindrical concentric strainer and hollow trunnions, for treating paper-stock.
Gelston Sanford, New York.
Pulper with conical ribs and serrated rubbers.
A. Randel, New York.
Rag-machine with differential rolls, shredding cylinder, and spiked concave.
A. S. Lyman, New York.
Separating fibrous matters by subjecting them in a close vessel to the action of an apparatus for beating, rubbing, grinding, or picking, and water at high temperature and pressure.
1863.
E. G. Rutledge,
Dayton, O. Creating a current in the vat in the direction of the pulp-cylinder.
J. F. Jones. Means for conveying away water from the interior of the
making cylinders through hollow journals.
John Cowper,
England.
Rag-mill comprising endless feeder which feeds the material to fluted rollers that deliver it to a toothed rotating cylinder.
J. F. Jones,
Rochester, N. Y. Machine by which a number of continuous webs may be made, or they may be united to form pasteboard.
M. L. Keen, Roger's Ford, Pa. Pulp-boiler with perforated diaphragm, discharge pipe and valve for blowing out the contents under pressure.
Ladd and
Walsh, New York.
Boiler for treating fibers with or without alkali, having a perforated diaphragm for keeping the mass submerged during the process.
The
Fourdrinier machine, as improved by
Bryan Donkin and subsequent inventors, is illustrated in
Fig. 1, Plate XXXVII.
That shown, built by
George Bertram of
Edinburgh, is what is known as an 80-inch machine, that is, the endless web of wire cloth on which the pulp flows is 80 inches wide and 33 feet length, capable of forming paper over 6 feet wide after trimming the edges, and of indefinite length.
The whole machine is about 68 feet long.
The operation is as follows:—
Pulp from the beating-cylinder is admitted to the chest
a through a strainer
b, consisting of a sheet of metal through which strips are cut; it is here constantly agitated by a stirrer
c, and is caused to flow into a second and smaller chamber provided with a similar stirrer, which delivers it (after passing over a channeled plate by which extraneous matters of greater specific gravity than the pulp are arrested) on to the endless wire web or apron
d; to this a shaking movement is imparted, distributing the pulp-fiber evenly over its surface.
It is supported on a series of small rollers, and the width of the paper is governed by deckle-straps
e at each side, which are carried by rollers
f f, their tension being regulated by the arrangement shown at
g. h is a vacuum-box from which the air is partially exhausted by a set of air-pumps, and which withdraws in part the moisture from the paper as it passes over the box. It is then carried between the cloth-covered rollers
i i, by the lower one of which and the rollers
j j j the wire-apron returns to receive a fresh supply of pulp, the paper being transferred to the blanket felt
k, which conveys it to the press-rolls
l l; these are solid, and over the upper one is a thin edge-bar, which removes adhering particles of fiber from the roll, and also serves to arrest the progress of the paper should it stick to the roll, thus preventing injury to the blanket.
These rolls are adjusted in their bearings by the screw
m, so as to exert greater or less pressure.
The blanket then conveys the sheet to a position where it may be received by the second press-rollers
n n, which farther compress and expel the moisture from it, and the blanket returns by way of the rollers
o o o to the point whence it set out. After passing the press-rolls, the paper is received on a second endless blanket, which carries it to the first of a series of steam-heated cylinders, 1 2 3 4 5, between which it is partially dried and conveyed between other pressure-rollers
s, and thence to a second set of drying-cylinders 6 7 8, whence, after being subjected successively to the pressing and stretching action of the rolls
p p, it is delivered on to the cylinder or reel
f. Registering mechanism indicates when a certain quantity has been delivered on to the reel, which is then removed and a fresh one substituted.
The number of drying-cylinders in a machine of this class may be indefinitely increased.
In some cases more than 100 are employed, the object being to allow the sizing material to become thoroughly incorporated and to form a product resembling hand-laid paper in quality.
Dickenson's patent of 1847, improvement on patent of 1830, is for an arrangement so that the upper side of the double sheet, that which has not been in contact with the wire grating of the making-cylinder, shall be brought in contact with the metallic pressroll, and in the use of an exhaust-trough between the first and second press-rolls.
In
Fig. 2, Plate XXXVII.,
a aa are the two making-cylinders;
b ba, the couching-rolls.
From these the paper is taken by the endless felt
c to the first press-rolls
d d, where it is slightly pressed between the felt
c and another felt
e, which revolves around the upper press-roll; the paper is then detached from the first felt and led upon another endless felt
f which conducts it to the second press-rolls
g g, where it is farther slightly compressed, and after passing over the guide-rolls
h h is carried to the third set of rolls
i i, where a greater pressure is imparted, and thence to the steam-heated cylinders
j j, where it is dried and finally wound upon the reel
k. l is the exhaust-trough; it is connected by a pipe with an air-pump, and has rollers for supporting the paper passing over it on longitudinal partitions adjustable to the width of the paper.
In the same patent
Dickenson describes a modification of his machine for making triple-webbed paper, the face consisting of a ready-made sheet wound upon a reel to which the others were applied during their joint passage between the press-rolls.
In
Scanlan's paper-making machine, the cylinder and
Fourdrinier machines are combined for the purpose of making a double-webbed paper.
The two webs may be of different texture and color.
In
Fig. 3, Plate XXXVII.
a aa, framework of
Fourdrinier b b, rollers beneath the wire machine.
apron
c.
[
1625]
| d d, apron-rollers. | q, coucher-frame. |
| e, guide-roller. | r, making-felt. |
| f, tightening-roller. | 1 2 3 4, making-felt rollers. |
| g, coucher. | 5 6, tightening-rollers. |
| h, sheet of paper. | 7, squeezing-rollers. |
| i, first felt. | s, felt-washer. |
| k, tightening-roller. | t, shower water-pipe. |
| l, guide-roller. | u, drip-water guard, heated by |
| m m, first press-rollers. | steam from z z. |
| n, pulp-vat of cylinder-machine. | v, junction felt. |
| x, guide-roller for sheet. |
| o, making-cylinder. | y y, second pressure-rollers. |
| p, coucher. |
The two webs pass from each machine in the direction indicated by the arrows between the rollers
j w, and are united by the pressing-rollers
m m, the final pressure being given by the rollers
y y.
The advantages claimed are that a less quantity of pulp may be used, requiring a less vacuum under the wire apron of the Fourdrinier machine, and causing less strain upon it; that, the backs of the two sheets being united, an equally hard, smooth face may be formed on each side of the paper, and that any defective parts in either sheet are covered by the other.
Either the cylinder or
Fourdrinier part of the apparatus may be separately used, if required.
In
Jones's pasteboard machine (
Fig. 4, Plate XXXVII.) the web formed by the first cylinders at
ka passes the rolls
l l, and first press-rolls
ma ma, and is united between the rolls
l2
l2 with the web formed by the second pair of cylinders at
a 2; the combined web passes through the rolls
m 2
m 2, and is united between
l 3
l 3 with the third web formed by the cylinders at
a3, and soon, successively taking up the webs formed by each pair of cylinders until the combined sheet passes through the press-rolls
l7
l7, and is conducted through an opening in the floor above to the press-rolls
m7
m7, which convey it to the drying-cylinders
pa pa,
p2
q2 and calendering-rolls
s' s2, etc., on emerging from which it is carried between the final set of calendering-rolls
t7 to
t7, and thence to a cutting apparatus consisting of a fixed knife and a vertically reciprocating knife working in guides 10, which cut it into sheets.
These are delivered singly by an endless band
y on to a fly which deposits them one by one as fist as cut on a receiving-table.
Each of the webs which combine to form the board may, if desired, be kept entirely separate from the others, by winding on the rolls
q q after passing through its own press-rollers; or the thickness of the board may be varied by connecting together two, three, or more of the webs independently of the rest; or some of the making-cylinders and couchers may be thrown out of action.
Field's machine (
Fig. 5, Plate XXXVII.) is of the cylinder class, and an endless wire belt is employed in combination with an endless felt.
a is the vat,
b b the making-cylinders,
c c the couchers.
The web passing between the cylinder and coucher is conveyed on the under side of the felt
d to the squeezing-rolls
e f, the lower one of which is arranged to the left of the upper, so that the water expressed from the web may not flow back and remove the pulp from the felt.
The web, thus partially dried, passes under the wire-cloth and between the pressurerolls
h i j; the final pressure being applied by the rolls
o o.
This invention is particularly designed for manufacturing straw-board and other thick papers.
In
Harris's double-cylinder machine (
Fig. 6, Plate XXXVII.), the left couching-roller
a is placed at the left of the makingcylinder
b, a gauze-covered roll
e and solid roll
h receive the single web from the right-hand cylinder
b and coucher
aa, from whence it passes by the apron
f between the left-hand cylinder
b and coucher
a, and is united to the web formed thereon.
Vertical agitators
w are provided at each end of the tank
n, instead of horizontal agitators between the making-cylinders, as in the common construction.
