Fiddlebase
SMYTH MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Hartford, Connecticut
1880 c. - up today
The origins
In 1868 one of the first book-sewing machine was invented by the Irish-American David McConnell Smyth and was granted patent US 74.948.
Mr. Mc Connell was a prolific inventor pioneering the design of bookbinding machines. The serial production began with the famous book-sewing machines equipped with curved needles. This technical feature distinguished Smyth for 48 years.
In 1879 David M. Smyth was awarded the American Institute Gold Medal and the Smyth's production of book-sewing machines began making significant progress in bookbinding technology.
In December 3, 1879, the Smyth Manufacturing Company was founded and sometime the next year the first machine went into operation at the Riverside Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1886 Smyth Manufacturing brought out its Improved No.3 machine. Frank Comparato states that "According to company history, more No.3 Smyth book-sewing machines have been sold than any other in the world".
The curved needle Smyth Sewers were on the market until 1928 when the Smyth Company offered its first straight needle semi-automatic sewing machine No. 12 getting an immediate market success.
In 1941, as the demand for high-speed “two up” size straight needle book sewers grew, the new No. 18 was introduced in the market. A few years later, in 1945, Smyth developed fully automatic models of the No. 12 and No. 18.
1 June 1958
European Smyth Ltd (Smyth Europea S.p.A) was established on June 1st, 1958. The company started as the result of a “joint venture” of Italian traders as: Lorenzo Depetris, Osvaldo Tealdi, Casa Editrice Marietti, Smyth Manufacturing Co. and Smyth Horne Ltd. (England).
The most important purpose of the new company was the production of the famous book-sewing machines Smyth model 12 and 18 were equipped with manual feeding of signatures on the fixed saddle. The two models manufactured with metric systems for the European market were called FRECCIA 14 and FRECCIA 20 and earned an immediate market success.
The name Freccia, identified by the arch man who hits the bull’s-eye on the Smyth logo, had the goal to make the run speed of the machine up to 100cycles/min. This was a very important technical feature that gave superiority to the Smyth sewer compared with other European manufacturers. In 1959 the first series of ten Freccia 14 book sewer was produced and installed in Italy. Four of them were installed to Legatoria Torriani in Milan the most distinguished binding house in Milan at that time.
From 1960s up today
These are the years in which Smyth introduced the book sewing machine SM14 and SM20 to the market equipped with an automatic feeder, horizontal loading, with 2 openings up + 2 openings down. This allowed for increasing the book sewer production capacity. In the same period Smyth presented the European version of the Automatic Casemaker to the market. The machine was equipped with an automatic board feeder to produce hard cover books at a speed up to 20 cycles/min.
In the early 1970s, the Smyth Manufacturing Company decided to cease their manufacturing activity in the U.S., transferring the ownership drawings and know-how to Smyth European Ltd.
Having obtained company independence, Smyth European S.p.A. continued their expansion vigorously, replacing the American parent company in the world market, first in the field of thread sewing machines and later in the bookbinding machine production.
In the 1970s for Smyth, and for many other manufacturers of this period, it was important and necessary to invest in “technology” to support the market efforts and respond to the increasing market request and consequently convinced the company to begin a new production process with the purchase of highly technological equipment to warrant considerable production and quality efficiency.
1974 was the year that the first “HIGH SPEED” MAXI 170 automatic book sewing machine. It was designed and manufactured to sew two signatures in one cycle; the Hard Cover Line satisfied all production requirements for the book size specifications, production speed and strength.
To complete the Hard Cover book production cycle in 1980s Smyth introduced in the market the new Book Back Gluing machine mod. Freccia M531. It came equipped with double PVA (cold glue) stations, the High Frequency Dryer and the Gauze Station.
As the market continuously moved forward looking for higher performance machines Smyth Europea manufactured the sewing machines F130 and F120. These two models represented the beginning of the modern sewing line together with another sewing machine for the over size book production called Magnum 75.
During this year Smyth strived to build a company that was unequalled. To achieve this they decided to invest in a renewal program that began with the development and realisation of the new feeder 4D. This automatic signature feeder which held many design patents, is valued by the customer due to the exceptional functional technical features.
The new INTEGRATED SEWING SYSTEM F150 4D showcased the new technology of the automatic feeder 4D was proudly introduced at GRAFITALIA 1990. This integrated sewing system connected the 4D feeder with the consolidated technology of the Smyth sewing machine.
In 1990s the introduction to the market of the newest sewing machines F180 4D (1992) and the large size F150 4D L represented a very important moment in the development of Smyth European Industry.
In 1993 Smyth Europea Industry presented to the market an integrated system called SYSTEMA that connects 2 or more 4D book sewing machines to the latest Gatherer mod. Freccia “P12”.
To confirm the validity of the AUTOMATION project, in 1994 Smyth offered to the market another gathering and sewing line “UNIT” consisting of a high speed sewing machine mod. F180 connected in line with a (12) vertical loading station Gatherer.
Smyth European Industry, enjoyed positive sales and decided to reorganize the company structure to face the challenges of the year 2000 more enthusiastically.
So Smyth s.r.l. was established, a company that has the aim to develop new products and new markets, building up a totally new factory in Coniolo, Alessandria, Italy.
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Smyth's Book-Sewing Machine
The invention of Mr. D. M. Smyth of Hartford, Conn., is represented in Figs. 1 to 6. This apparatus is remarkable not only for the great ingenuity of its construction, but for the rapidity with which it operates and the strength of its finished work. It is capable of sewing 60 signatures per minute and inserts 8 separate threads if need be, any one of which may be cut or broken without impairing the holding of the others. The machine, which is represented in perspective in Fig. 1, uses 8 spools, and is capable of sewing any book in length within the compass of its supporting-bar and up to 8 inches in thickness. On the left of the machine in Fig. 1 is a pivoted upright rod A having four radial arms. This rod has an up and down movement in its bearings and also a movement of rotation. The attendant begins by placing a signature or folded sheet over the arm, which projects directly toward him. The paper is adjusted and held in place by means of a clip B. By the action of the cam shown beneath the machine and the arm connected therewith, the upright rod A is rotated and at the same time raised. Meanwhile the four presser-feet shown are swung upward, so that the sheet by the rotation and subsequent rising of the rod and arm is brought directly under the needles, when the pressers close down on it; at the same time a stop strikes the clip B and raises it. The signature is then in the position shown in Fig. 1.
Referring now to Fig. 2, the clip B is shown raised. Working in guards on a cross-bar of the machine are two curved needles. One needle is shown in full size in Fig. 3. A needle C, as indicated by the dotted lines, is represented in Fig. 2 as having passed down through the back of the sheet. This it is enabled to do by a suitable recess made in the swinging arm. The point of the needle has an eye and through this the thread has previously been placed. As the needle-point emerges from the paper a long horizontal needle comes forward from the rear of the machine and passes through the loop of the thread. The end of this needle just entering the loop is shown in Fig. 2. The curved needle then is retracted, the supporting arm descends and the sheet is left held up by the stitch and pressed back against the preceding sheets by the pressers. In the same way as already described, another signature is now brought into place. This time, however, the curved needle C does not act, but the stitch is made in precisely similar way by the opposite curved needle D, Fig. 2. The loop from this needle is taken by the same straight needle as before, as its point comes out at the same place. It will be seen therefore that the needles C and D constitute, so to speak, a pair and that they operate in turn on alternate signatures. From Fig. 1 it will also be noticed that there are four pairs or sets of these curved needles and that, as all work alike, the left-hand needles put the stitch in the first signature, for example, the right-hand ones in the next and so on.
This will be more clearly understood from Fig. 4, which represents the backs of a series of sheets. Here the long horizontal needles which move out from the rear are shown at E, carrying the loops, the positions of the stitches in alternate signatures being indicated by the dotted lines. The object of thus alternating stitches is to make the finished book of even thickness. In Fig. 5 are shown the horizontal needle and the sheets suspended therefrom by the loops, in perspective. In the end of the needle is an eye. After the desired number of signatures have been sewed, a piece of stout cord is rove through the needle-eyes and then the frame carrying all four needles is retracted. The effect of this is to draw the cords through all the loops, thus firmly locking the stitches. It will be clear that not only are the pairs of adjacent stitches made by each pair of curved needles entirely independent of all other stitches made by other sets of needles, but that the stitch made by the right-hand needle of each pair is independent of the stitch made by the left-hand needle.
The mechanism by which the operations above described are effected is exceedingly simple. An automatic tension keeps a uniform strain on the threads and a novel clutch on the driving-wheel enables the operator to govern the action of the machine. It may be added that this machine is but a single representative of a series of devices of similar nature by the same inventor. The principle of one of these, for sewing in strips of raw hide in the backs of heavy books, is represented in Fig. 6. After the backs are sawed, each signature is so lifted and adjusted that certain portions of its edge are pushed aside. Eye-pointed needles then pass through the portions of the edge not bent down and over the raw-hide strips laid in place, as shown. The stitches are locked in the middle as already described.
1886
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SMYTH MANUFACTURING COMPANY'S PATENTS
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US 184.961 George W. Glazier
Machine for Sewing Books, &c.
...In a machine invented before mine, by David M. Smyth, there were semicircular needles passing into the notches of the folded sheet...
(curved needles)
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Association
December 5, 1876
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US 235.466 David M. Smyth
Book-Sewing Machine
The object of this invention is to introduce the back of the book a strip of parchment, leather, tape, or similar material and to secure the same by an interlaced thread applied in connection with the double threads that are introduced into the sheets by book-sewing machinery, such as that shown in Patent US 220.312, granted to me in October 7, 1879.
(curved needles)
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
December 14, 1880
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US 238.451 David M. Smyth
Book-Sewing Machine
My book-sewing machine represented in Patent US 220.312, October 7, 1879, is capable of performing the sewing according to my present invention
(curved or straight needles)
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
March 1, 1881
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US 250.991 David McConnell Smyth
Book-Sewing Machine
(curved needles)
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
December 13, 1881
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US 274.986 David M. Smyth
Book-Sewing Machine
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
April 3, 1882
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US 276.224 Galen Carlton & David M. Smyth
Apparatus for Pasting, Gumming, or Tipping Folded Sheets in Binding Books
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
April 24, 1882
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US 276.296 David M. Smyth
Machines for Cutting Notches in the Backs of Books
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
April 24, 1882
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US 634.698 lsidor Nasch
Machines for Threading, Looping and Tying Flexible Materials
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
October 10, 1899
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US 715.890 David McConnell Smyth &
David G. Smyth & Herbert Hastings
Signature-Gatherers
Assignors to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
December 16, 1902
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US 1.569.265 Ernest W. Clark & Carl Schramm
Bookbinding machine
Assignors to The Smyth Manufacturing Company
January 12, 1921
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US 1.592.174 Ulrich Bischof
Thread-stitching machine
Assignor, by mesne assignments, to Smyth Manufacturing Company
July 13, 1926
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US 1.802.355 Carl Schramm
Machine for rounding and jointing the back of books
Assignor to The Smyth Manufacturing Company
April 28, 1931
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US 1.864.557 Carl Schramm
Machine for shaping the back of unbound books
Assignor to The Smyth Manufacturing Company
June 28, 1932
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US RE 18.920 Carl Schramm
Machine for shaping the back of unbound books
Assignor to The Smyth Manufacturing Company
August 22, 1933
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US 3.413.669 James H. Thorp
Mechanism for conveying unbound books Intermittently though a rounding and backing machine
Assignor to The Smyth Manufacturing Company
Bloomfield, Hartford County, Connecticut
December 3, 1968
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List of trade-marks registered
56.974–5 renewed October 30, 1926
Book-stitching machines
Smyth Manufacturing Company
57.766 renewed November 27, 1926
Book-maker' machines
Smyth Manufacturing Company
57.800 renewed November 27, 1926
Book-maker' machines
Smyth Manufacturing Company