US3349556A

US3349556A - Staple making machine

Info

Publication number: US3349556A
Application number: US404135A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry W Walter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-10-15
Filing date: 1964-10-15
Publication date: 1967-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-31

Description

O'cL. 1967 H. w. WALTER 3,349,556

STAPLE MAKING MACHINE Filed Oct 15, 19 64 United States Patent 3,349,556 STAPLE MAKING MACHINE Henry W. Walter, 509 Old Toll Road, Asheville, N.C. 28804 Filed (Pet. 15, 1964, Ser. No. 404,135

11 Claims. (CI. 59-71) V ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for making sharply pointed staples in which the staple material is shaped in a die 'by means of a punch, and, after all movement of the punch has stopped, squareended cutters, mounted on racks, move at an angle towards the sides of the punch and against the legs of the formed staple to shear the staple material smoothly so as to form sharp points on the finished staple.

This invention relates to machines for making staples and particularly to machines for making very small staples for surgical use.

One of the objects of the invention'is to provide a machine for making staples with very sharply pointed ends.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for making staples in which, by means of a simple adjustment, staples of diflierent lengths may be produced.

Other objects and objects relating to the construction and assembly of the various parts of the machine will be apparent as the description proceeds.

The objects of the invention are attained by providing a die having a cavity whose width is equal to the overall width of the completed staple, a punch arranged to force a section of staple material into the die for shaping the staple, and a pair of cutting members arranged to be forced simultaneously against the sides of the punch, each at an acute angle to the punch, for cutting the ends of the staple at such angles to produce smooth, sharp, points on the ends. Driving mechanism drives both the punch and the cutting members in such -a manner that the cutting members operate after the staple has been formed in the die.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the machine, showing the parts after the staple has been formed and in the cutting position;

FIGURE 2 is a part sectional view of the die and punch in the same position as in FIGURE 1 and taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan view of the die and punch assembly, showing the parts in the other extreme position preparatory to the staple-forming operation;

FIGURE 4 is a similar sectional plan view of the die and punch, showing the punch partly inserted in the cavity of the die and the staple partly formed;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional side view of the feeding mechanism for the staple material, taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the end of one of the cutting members; and

FIGURE 7 is a side view, greatly enlarged, of one of the staples produced by the machine.

Referring noW more specifically to the drawings, the machine of the invention comprises a base plate 1 of cold Patented Oct. 31, 1967 rolled steel or other suitable material upon which are mounted all the moving parts. The die 2 comprises a block of steel, preferably tempered tool steel, having a slot 3 of rectangular cross section, the width of the slot defining the overall width of the finished staple. The die block may be fastened to the plate 1 by means of screws 4, thus closing the open side of the slot, so that the die cavity extends completely through the block from front to back.

A punch 5 is arranged to have reciprocal motion into and out of the die cavity. To this end, a block 6 provides guiding means for the punch and is provided with a slot 7 on its under side. The block 6 may be fastened to the plate 1 by means of suitable screws 8 (shown as hollowheaded screws), with the slot 7 aligned with the axis of the die 2.

The punch 5 is rectangular in cross section and has a width which is less than that of the die cavity by a little more than twice the thickness of the staple material, and its other dimension is such that the punch will have a sliding fit within the die cavity. The punch preferably has an enlarged portion 9 which is dimensioned so that it will have a sliding fit in the slot 7 of the guide block 6. The punch is preferably made of tool steel which has been suitably hardened.

Driving means for the punch 5 includes a block 10 of steel which has the same cross sectional dimensions as the portion 9 of the punch 5, so that it also has a sliding fit in the guide block 6 where it is positioned. A hole 11 is provided in the end of the block 10 nearest the punch 5, which is adapted to receive a pin 12 extending out of the portion 9 of the punch with which it may be integral. The hole 11 has an enlargement 13 near the open end thereof to receive the end of a coil spring 14 which is positioned around the pin 12 and bears at one end against the shoulder formed between the hole 11 and the enlargement 13 in the block 10 and at the other end against the portion 9 of the punch 5.

When the block 10 is pushed forwardly within the guide block 6, the spring 14 will push the punch towards and into the die cavity 3, and the spring has enough tension to cause the punch to carry a portion of the staple material 15 into the die to form the staple. However, when the end of the punch pushes the staple material against a stop, which will be described later, the block 10 can continue moving against the tension of the spring, while the punch remains stationary. This provides an overmovement or lost motion arrangement between the punch and the driving mechanism which will permit the cutters to continue their movement and sever the staple material although the punch has completed its movement, as will be explained later.

Any suitable staple material may be used with the machine. Surgical staples are usually made of stainless steel, and the machine is designed to handle round, stainless steel wire, as shown at 15, although material of other cross sections might be used.

The driving mechanism for moving the block 10 may comprise a lever 16 which is pivotally mounted at one end on a suitable boss on the plate 1, indicated at 17, to raise it above the plate and above the end of the block 10. The lever 16 may be moved manually or may be attached to any suitable intermittent power drive. A cylindrical post 18 extending upwardly from the block 19 passes through a slot 19 in the lever 16 to permit the lever to be oscillated for moving the block 10 back and forth in its guide block 6.

In order to insure the removal of the punch from the die cavity 3 after a staple has been made, I provide a link member 20 which is pivotally mounted at one end on the cylindrical post 18 on top of the lever 16 where it is secured by a nut 21. The other end of the link member 20 terminates near the end of the junction of the punch per se and the punch portion 9. A slot 22 extends rearwardly from a point near the forward end of the link member and is adapted to receive a pin 23 extending upwardly from the portion 9 of the punch, this pin also passing through a suitable slot 24 provided in the guide block 6. The link member 20 may be bent so that its forward end rests against the guide block 6 while its rear end rests upon the lever 16. The pin 23 is shown having a threaded end which is screwed into a tapped hole in the punch portion 9 and a head 25 which will overlie the link member 20. With this arrangement, when the lever 16 is moved counterclockwise, so as to move the block away from the die, the forward end of the slot 22 in the link member will engage the pin 23 to pull the punch 5 out of the die cavity 3.

After the punch has carried a portion of the staple material 15 into the die a sufficient distance for the length of the desired staple, it is necessary to cut off the staple material, so that both legs thereof are the same length and the ends of both legs are pointed with a smooth, clean, sharp point, as indicated at 26 in FIGURE 7. The manner of accomplishing this is an important feature of the invention. I have found that smooth, clean cuts may be made by cutting the staple material against the sides of the punch 5, and the mechanism for accomplishing this will now be described.

I provide a pair of cutting

members

30 and 31 of hardened tool steel. The end of the member 31 is shown enlarged in FIGURE 6. These cutting members are rectangular in cross section, as shown in FIGURE 6, having a thickness to provide suitable strength and a width the same as that of the surface of the punch with which it cooperates. The cutting members have two

parallel surfaces

32 and 33 with the surface 33 tapered towards the surface 32 at the cutting end, forming a surface 34. Instead of the surface 34, however, making a knife edge with the surface 32, I terminate the surface 34 a short distance from the end by a small flat surface 35, so that actually the cutting edge 36 is the junction between two

surfaces

35 and 32 at right angles to each other. I have found by experiment that this cutting edge 36 formed between two surfaces at right angles to each other produces a clean, smooth cut, so as to give the staple very sharp pointed ends.

The cutting members are arranged to be moved against sides of the punch at an acute angle, as viewed from the front of the machine with the cutting edges parallel to the sides of the punch. To this end, the

cutting members

30 and 31 are removably attached, respectively, to the ends of two

racks

37 and 38, the ends of the racks being cut away to receive the cutting members so that the surfaces 33 of the latter are flush with the surfaces of the racks opposite the teeth. The racks rest upon the plate 1 and are guided for longitudinal movement to move the cutting members in the proper direction which, in the present example, is shown to be 45 degrees with the sides of the punch. The teeth of the racks point forwardly.

Guide members 39 and 40 are provided for the rear or outer surfaces of the racks. These have a rectangular cross section and may be formed integral with the plate 1 or may be attached to it in any desired manner. The teeth of the racks slide along surfaces 41 and 42 which are formed by a thickened forward portion of the plate 1. This thickened portion has a U-shaped cut-out 44 within which are positioned two gears 45 and 46 which mesh with each other and respectively with the

racks

37 and 38. The gears 45 and 46, the

racks

37 and 38, the guide members 39 and 40, and the thickened portion 43 are preferably of the same thickness, so that the upper surfaces of all are flush.

Between the guide member 39 and the rack 37, I preferably provide a gib 47 which is the same height as the rack and guide member and may be urged against the rack by means of two screws 48 and 49. A similar gib 50, positioned between the guide member and the rack 38 may be urged against the rack by means of two

screws

51 and 52. These gibs may be made of any suitable material to provide a good bearing surface for the racks, and the screws may be adjusted to take up any wear.

The gear 46 may be mounted for free rotation on a stub shaft 53 which may be mounted in the plate 1 in any desired manner. The gear 45, on the other hand, is fixed to a stub shaft 54 which is rotatably mounted on the plate 1. The gear is driven in a manner to be explained and, in turn, drives the rack 37 and the gear 46 which, in turn, drives the rack 38. It will be seen from FIGURE 1 that when the gear 45 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, the rack 37 carrying the cutting member 30 will be moved towards the left away from the punch 5. At the same time the gear 46 will be rotated clockwise which will move the rack 38 carrying the cutting member 31 away from the punch. The racks slide between the guiding members 39 and 40 and the surfaces 41 and 42, and through this gear arrangement, sufficient pressure can be brought by the cutting members against the punch to make the desired smooth cut at the staple ends.

The gear 45 is driven in the following manner: The stub shaft 54 extends above the gear 45, and a lever 55 is fixed to the shaft. The portion of the lever surrounding the shaft is bifurcated by means of a slot 56, and a screw 57 passes through a countersunk hole in the forward portion of the end of the lever and threads into a tapped hole in the other portion, so that the two portions may be drawn together to grip the shaft. In addition, both the gear and the lever may be keyed to the shaft by means of a tapered pin 58, after all adjustments have been made.

The lever extends to the right, as shown in the figure, and its end is mechanically connected to the lever 16 by means of a link 59. This link is rotatably connected to a pin 60 mounted on the lever 16, the link being secured on the pin by a nut 61. The other end of the link is 'rotatably connected to a pin 62 fixed to the end of the lever 55 where it is held in position by means of a nut 63.

An adjustable stop member 64 (shown better in FIG- URES 2, 3, and 4), is arranged to stop the staple material and punch for a selected length of staple. To this end a threaded rod 65 passes through a hole 66 in the thickened portion 43 of the plate 1 and through suitable slots, indicated at 67 in FIGURE 2, in the gear teeth of gears 45 and 46 and is rigidly connected to the stop member 64. This stop member 64 has a rectangular cross section dimensioned so as to have a sliding fit within the die cavity 3. A disk 68 is threaded on the rod 65 and is positioned within the U-shaped cut-out 44 in the portion 43 of the plate 1, an opening 69 being provided completely through the plate to accommodate the disk and permit the rod 65 with the disk on it to be shifted longitudinally.

The disk 68 will bear against the rear surface of the cut-out 44 when the punch forces the portion of staple material 15 against the stop member 64 and will prevent further movement of the punch. If it is desired to make a longer staple, the disk is rotated on the rod so that the stop member is farther forward when the staple material reaches it. The disk is rotated in the opposite direction when a shorter staple is desired. The outer surface 70 of the disk is preferably knurled for ease in manipulation.

After the punch has been forced into the die cavity to form the staple and has been removed therefrom, the finished staple will remain in the die until forced out. This may be accomplished by pushing in the rod 65 carrying the stop member 64. To facilitate this operation, a

. knob 71 may be attached to the end of the rod 65. It is only necessary to push on the knob 71 to force the stop member 64 farther into the die so as to push the finished staple out the rear end of the die.

After each staple has been made, it is necessary to feed a length of staple making material into position in front of the die. The staple-making material 15, which may be in the form of a stainless steel wire, will normally be supplied from a spool, not shown, and in order to draw the desired amount into the machine, I provide two cooperating rollers 72 and 73 with finely serrated rims which engage the sides of the wire. The roller 72 is rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 74 extending upwardly from a plate 75 attached to the plate 1 in any desired manner, as by the screws 76. The roller is free to rotate on the shaft and may be held in place by means of a nut 77. The plate 75 extends outwardly a short distance from the side of the plate 1, and the shaft 74 is positioned so that the rim of the roller 72 is tangential to the wire as it moves into the machine. The roller 73 is movable with respect to the roller 72. To this end a lever 78 is pivotally mounted on a suitable boss 79 which raises it sulficiently above the plate 75 to accommodate the roller 73 beneath it and permit the roller 73 to be aligned with the roller 72. A bearing member 80 provided with a head 81 may be screwed into the boss 79 to provide the pivot for the lever. The roller 73 is fixed in any desired manner to a short shaft 82 which passes through a suitable hole in the lever 78. Also fixed to the shaft 82 on the upper side of the lever 78 is a ratchet wheel 83 which is engaged by a pawl 84 which is also pivoted on the bearing member 80 and urged against the teeth of the ratchet wheel by means of a spring 85. The ratchet wheel and pawl are arranged so that the roller 73 can turn only in a clockwise direction. Above the ratchet wheel 83 I provide a knob 86 which is also attached to the shaft and may have a knurled rim to facilitate rotating it by hand.

The lever 78 is urged in a clockwise direction about its pivot 80 by means of a spring 87 which has one end connected in a suitable manner to the lever and the other end connected to a pin 88 attached to an upturned flange 89 on the end of the plate 75, this flange being extended rearwardly of the plate. The spring thus acts to urge the roller 73 towards the roller 72.

In order to receive the staple wire 15, the flange 89 is provided with a suitable hole which is fitted with a guiding bushing 90 which guides the incoming wire between the rollers 72 and 73. A guide tube 91 is also preferably provided attached to the forward edge of the plate 75 to guide the wire to a position in front of the die member 2.

In order not to waste the staple material, I provide a stop 92 to limit the amount of wire fed in for each staple. This stop comprises a block of metal which may be adjustably positioned at the right side of the die and punch. For the purpose of adjusting the position of this stop, I provide an upstanding lug 93 through which is threaded a screw 94 provided with a knurled head 95. The end of the screw fits into a hole in the block 92 which is not threaded, and the screw is prevented from longitudinal movement therein by a pin 96 which engages a groove in the end of the screw. Rotation of the screw 94 will cause the screw to move longitudinally through the lug 93 to cause the block 92 to move correspondingly. The block rests upon the plate 1 and against the bevelled end of the guide member 40 and can only move longitudinally as the screw 94 is adjusted.

The entire plate 1 may be mounted above a table upon posts, indicated by the screws 97, so that there is a space under the plate 1. In this space a suitable receptacle to receive the finished staples may be placed. I preferably provide a drawer 98 which has flanges on its sides arranged to slide on supports 99 attached to the underside of the plate 1. The drawer may have a post 100 extending from one end terminating in a knob 101 to facilitate removing and replacing the drawer. A hole 102 with a tapered upper edge is provided in the plate 1 between the die member 2 and the punch guide 6 in order to receive the finished staple when it is forced out of the die cavity and let it fall into the drawer immediately underneath.

In operating the machine, the lever 16 is first moved to its maximum counterclockwise position, which by means of the link 20 and pin 23, will move the punch rearwardly to its farthest rearward position. At the same time the link 59 will rotate the lever 55 in a counterclockwise direction, thus rotating the gears and 46 in a counterclockwise and clockwise direction, respectively, and withdrawing the

racks

37 and 38 and the cutting

members

30 and 31 away from in front of the die.

The feed knob 86 is now turned manually in a clockwise direction which will advance the staple wire gripped between the rollers 72 and 73 into the machine. The wire will advance until the end of it engages the stop 92, as shown in FIGURE 3, which can be easily felt when rotating the knob by hand. Thereupon the rotation of the knob is stopped.

Now the lever 16 is moved in a clockwise direction about its pivot 17. This does two things: it starts the member 10 in a forward direction, pushing the spring 14 and the punch before it, and it moves the lever in a clockwise direction, thus rotating the gears and moving the racks and cutting

members

30 and 31 towards the punch.

The punch 5 will push the wire 15 into the die cavity 3, as shown in FIGURE 4, and will continue to do so until the forward loop of the wire reaches the stop member 64. At this time the cutting members have not yet reachedthe punch. The punch will then stop but the member 10 will continue, since the cutting members have not reached the punch, and the spring 14 will be comlpressed, permitting this further movement of the mem- The

cutting members

30 and 31 will continue to move towards the punch until they have severed the wire with the smooth cuts indicated in FIGURE 7. The lever 16 is now prevented from moving any farther and is then moved in a counterclockwise direction.

The reversal of movement of the lever 16 will move the member 10 rearwardly with respect to the portion 9 of the punch until the forward end of the slot 22 in the link 20 engages the pin 23, whereupon the punch will be drawn out of the cavity.

At the same time the lever 55 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction to rotate the gears so as to move the racks and the cutting

members

30 and 31 away from the punch and forward of the line of feed of the staple wire.

The finished staple, however, remains in the die cavity because of the friction with the sides of the die. When the lever 16 has reached its farthest rearward position, the knob 71 attached to the rod may be pushed rearwardly which forces the stop member 64 rearwardly of the die and pushes the finished staple out of the die to permit it to fall through the hole 102 into the drawer 98 provided to receive it.

The operation of the various parts is then repeated for the production of the next staple.

If it is desired to change the length of the staple, the disk is rotated to effect the desired change. Rotating the disk to move it towards the rear will lengthen the staple, while rotating it to move it towards the front will shorten the staple.

A machine constructed as shown and described has been used successfully in manufacturing surgical staples from stainless steel wire .012 of an inch in diameter, of an inch wide, and between K and of an inch long.

The machine shown in the drawing is intended to be operated manually. The wire is fed in by rotating the knob 86 with the left hand, the staple is formed and cut off and the punch withdrawn by moving the lever 16 towards and away from the operator with the right hand, and the staple is ejected from the die by pressing the knob 71. However, it will be understood that the machine may be made entirely automatic by mechanically coupling the knob 86 to the driving means for intermittent rotation when the lever 16 is at its rearward rest position, and likewise coupling the rod 65 for rearward motion after the lever 16 has returned to its rearward rest position.

Other modifications may be made in the structure of the machine without departing from the spirit of the invention. I do not therefore wish to limit myself to the specific arrangement as shown and described except by limitations contained in the appended claims.

What I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for making staples comprising:

(a) a die having a cavity therein to define the overall width of the finished staple;

(b) a punch mounted for reciprocating motion into and out of the cavity in said die, said punch having a width which is less than that of the cavity in said die by slightly more than twice the thickness of the material of said staples;

() means for feeding a length of staple material in front of the cavity in said die;

(d) means for moving said punch into said die cavity, thereby forcing said staple material into said cavity to shape it;

(e) a pair of cutting members mounted for longitudinal reciprocating motion on opposite sides of said punch so as to make an acute angle with the side of the punch, as viewed from said die, and arranged so that their cutting edges may be simultaneously pressed against said punch in front of the cavity in said die; and

(f) means for simultaneously moving said cutting members towards said punch so as simultaneously to cut the staple material against said punch on both sides thereof and point the ends of the staple after the material has assumed the desired shape and size in said die.

2. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 1, in which each cutting member has a rectangular cross section and the cutting edge is the intersection of two surfaces substantially at right angles to each other, one of which surfaces is the side of said member towards said punch.

13. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

(a) lever means mechanically connecting the punchmoving means and the cutting-members-moving means, so that the rate of movement of said cutting members is such as to permit the punch to form the staple material into the proper shape and length before said cutting members reach said punch in the cutting operation.

4. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

(a) spring means included in the means for moving the punch, arranged so that said punch can be stopped in its travel into the die and said punch-moving means can continue moving against the tension of said spring means;

(b) stop means for stopping the punch in its movement into the die when a staple of the desired length has been formed; and

(c) means for adjusting the position of said stop means so as to adjust the length of the staple produced.

5. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 4, further comprising means for moving the stop means towards the punch after the punch has been withdrawn from the die for ejecting a completed staple from said die.

6. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

(a) spring means included in the means for moving the punch arranged so that said punch can be stopped in its travel into the die and said punchmoving means can continue moving against the tension of said spring means;

7. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 6, further comprising means for moving the stop means towards the punch after said punch has been withdrawn from the die for ejecting a completed staple from said die.

8. A machine for making staples comprising:

(a) a base plate;

(b) a die mounted on said plate and having a cavity therein with its axis parallel to said plate and with two parallel sides substantially perpendicular to said plate and spaced apart to define the overall width of the finished staple;

(c) a punch adapted to fit into said cavity and having a width which is less than the distance between the parallel sides of said cavity by slightly more than twice the thickness of the staple material;

(d) punch guide means mounted on said plate for guiding said punch for motion into and out of said die cavity;

(e) means for feeding a portion of staple material in front of said die cavity;

(f) driving means including spring means for forcing said punch and said portion of staple material into said die cavity a predetermined distance to form the staple material into the desired shape;

(g) a pair of cutting members mounted at opposite sides of said punch;

(h) cutting-member-guide means mounted on said plate for guiding said cutting members in longitudinal movement parallel to said plate towards and away from said punch and at an acute angle to the sides of said punch as viewed from said die;

(i) stop means in said die cavity for stopping said punch after it has moved a predetermined distance into said die cavity while permitting said driving means to continue moving against the tension of said spring means;

(j) means for adjusting the position of said stop means so as to predetermine the length of the staple produced; and

(k) means coupled to said driving means for moving said cutting members towards said punch at such a rate that they will simultaneously cut through the staple material at each side of the punch after the punch has stopped its movement into the die cavity to provide pointed ends for the staple.

9. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 8, in which each cutting member has a rectangular cross section and the cutting edge is the intersection of two surfaces substantially at right angles to each other, one of which surfaces is the side of the cutting member towards the punch.

10. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim 9, in which the means for moving the cutting members comprises:

(a) a pair of racks, one attached to each cutting member;

(b) a pair of gears mounted on said plate in such a manner as to mesh with each other and each with one of said racks;

(c) a lever fixed to one of said gears; and

(d) coupling means between said lever and the driving means, whereby said driving means will rotate said gears so as to move said cutting members towards said punch.

9 10 11. A machine for making staples, as defined in claim "gears so as to move said cutting members towards 8, in which the means for moving the cutting members said punch. comprises! h References Cited (alleipair of racks, one attac ed to each cutting mem- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS (b) a pair of gears mounted on said plate in such a 394,217 12/1833 Slater 5'9-74 manner as to mesh with each other and each with 1,342,712 6/ 0 Garllus 59-71 one of said racks; ,5 ,362 -3/ 1925 Harmon 59-74 (c) a lever fixed to one of said gears; and

(d) coupling means between said lever and the driving 10 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

means, whereby said driving means will rotate said

Claims

1. A MACHINE FOR MARKING STAPLES COMPRISING: (A) A DIE HAVING A CAVITY THEREIN TO DEFINE THE OVERALL WIDTH OF THE FINISHED STAPLE; (B) A PUNCH MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOTION INTO AND OUT OF THE CAVITY IN SAID DIE, SAID PUNCH HAVING A WIDING WHICH IS LESS THAN THAT OF THE CAVITY IN SAID DIE BY SLIGHTLY MORE THAN TWICE THE THICKNESS OF THE MATERIAL OF SAID STAPLES; (C) MEANS FOR FEEDING A LENGTH OF STAPLE MATERIAL IN FRONT OF THE CAVITY IN SAID DIE; (D) MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PUNCH INTO SAID DIE CAVITY, THEREBY FORCING SAID STAPLE MATERIAL INTO SAID CAVITY TO SHAPE IT; (E) A PAIR OF CUTTING MEMBERS MOUNTED FOR LONGITUDINAL RECIPROCATING MOTION ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PUNCH SO AS TO MAKE AN ACUTE ANGLE WITH THE SIDE OF THE PUNCH, AS VIEWED FROM SAID DIE, AND ARRANGED SO THAT THEIR CUTTING EDGES MAY BE SIMULTANEOUSLY PRESSED AGAINST SAID PUNCH IN FRONT OF THE CAVITY IN SAID DIE; AND (F) MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING SAID CUTTING MEMBERS TOWARDS SAID PUNCH SO AS SIMULTANEOUSLY TO CUT THE STAPLE MATERIAL AGAINST SAID PUNCH ON BOTH SIDES THEREOF AND POINT THE ENDS OF THE STAPLE AFTER THE MATERIAL HAS ASSUMED THE DESIRED SHAPE AND SIZE IN SAID DIE.