Dungarvan Observer 3 May 1930
Dungarvan Solicitor’s Patent - Removing a difficulty in
paper-making
Another Irish invention is described in the official journal of
the Industrial Property Office for last month. It stands in the names of
Frederick Butterworth, solicitor, Dungarvan, and Robert W. Horsburgh, Saggart,
as joint inventors, and its object is to control automatically the thickness of
paper in manufacture. The method adopted to measure the thickness depends upon
the use of the photo electric cell. A beam of light passed through the paper will
vary in intensity with the thickness of the paper, more or less light being
absorbed, or the thickness increases or decreases. The beam of light, after its
passage through the paper, is focused upon a photo electric cell and variations
in intensity of the light produce variations in electric currents in the cell.
These variations are amplified and used to control the speed of the motor
driving the paper- making machine, so that, if the paper tends to thicken, the
motor is accelerated and the amount of ‘stuff’ fed to the machine in each
revolution is reduced.
Mr Butterworth, solicitor, is the nephew of Mr E.A. Ryan, solr.,
Dungarvan, and practices in the Waterford office of the firm of Messrs E.A.
Ryan & Co Solrs.
Note: The Butterworth family lived in Colligan Lodge in the early
1900s.