Straight Line Delivery

[Mechanic]

A big selling feature of the Elektron Linotype was the Straight Line Delivery, from the assembler to the first elevator.
If you look at the photo of the Blower Linotype, released in 1886, you will see that when the line was assembled it was delivered straight to the elevator. Then the elevator took it down to be cast and then up to be distributed back to the magazine and spaceband box.

Mergenthaler, next machine introduced the assembler elevator, the first and second elevators. The first elevator took the line down to be cast, then up to the transfer position.

Matrices and spacebands were separated at the transfer from the first elevator to the second elevator. A separate arm picked up the spacebands and returned them to the spaceband box, which was now situated just above the assembler elevator. The second elevator carried matrices up to the distributor to be returned to the magazine.

This is basically the way Linotypes operated for seventy odd years.
In 1962 Mergenthaler Linotype introduced the Elektron. In the beginning a mechanical headache. Eventually it became a fairly reliable machine.

Designed to run at 15 lines a minute. One of the main features was the straight line delivery. Not having to wait for the assembler elevator to be raised and be reseated allowed the Elektron to operate at 15 lines a minute.


https://vimeo.com/63467400