CA2273711A1 - Fastener feed mechanism and perforated fastener strip - Google Patents

Abstract

A fastener strip of fasteners incorporating flanges, and openings in the flanges, and having a web of material overlying such flanges and openings, forming such fasteners into a strip, and recesses formed in the web registering with the openings in the flanges.
Also disclosed is a fastener setting machine having a plunger for inserting a fastener and a strip feed mechanism in the fastener setting machine which itself forms recesses in the web, thereby achieving the double objective of facilitating the feeding of the strip towards the setting plunger, and facilitating the inter-engagement between the plunger and the end most fastener which is to be driven into the workpiece by the plunger.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to fastener strips in which a plurality of fasteners are collated together and attached to a web of breakable material for feeding into a fastener apparatus and to feed mechanism for feeding such fastener strips and to such a fastener strip having perforations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fastener strips for use in high speed fastener setting machines are well known. Typically such fasteners are what are know as Tee-nuts. Such fasteners are bonded together into a strip in which they are adhesively bonded on a breakable web. Typically the setting machine will incorporate a plunger or hammer which engages the end most or leading fastener in the strip and drives it into a work piece. The strip is intended to break away to allow the end most fastener to be separated and driven in.
In a typical fastener strip, the fasteners consist of Tee-nuts. Tee-nuts are formed of sheet metal and comprise a planar flange portion and a central generally cylindrical or tubular sleeve which is punched out of the centre of the flange. The interior of the tube is threaded to receive a bolt or threaded fastener.
Typically such tee-nuts will incorporate prongs around the flange to engage the work piece. The work piece may be of wood or a composition board or particle board or the like.

Clearly the invention is not restricted solely to the use of Tee-nuts but Tee-nuts are a typical example, and are used in this description for the purposes of explaining the invention.
Tee-nuts of this type are widely used especially in the furniture industry.
Any one piece of furniture may incorporate a large number of Tee-nuts at different spaced locations so that various components of the furniture can be bolted together and assembled. In order to ensure quality control, it is essential that the Tee-nuts be driven in a reliable and repeatable manner so that there is a Tee-nut at each specified location in the work piece. Setting machines must therefore operate reliably and continually so that an operator can move the work piece around on the setting machine and ensure that a Tee-nut is inserted at each location required.
In the past, however, it has been known that there has been some lack of reliability in the operation of such setting machines. It will be appreciated that to some extent that this results necessarily from the design and construction of the Tee-nut strip. The web of breakable material holding the Tee-nuts together must be sufficiently strong that it can hold a large number of Tee-nuts in a roll or strip and ensure that the Tee-nut strip is fed continuously into the setting machine.
On the other hand, if the web is made strong, then it will be difficult for the end most Tee-nut to be engaged by the plunger. When this happens, the plunger bounces on the web material. One or more Tee-nuts may be dislodged or misfed, resulting in missed insertion, or damaged workpiece. In this case, the setting machine either stops working altogether or will result in a failure to insert a Tee-nut at a particular location.
The balancing of the two characteristics of the strip, namely the strength of the web and, at the same time, the integrity of the coiled strip, must therefore be calculated with a great degree of care. In the past, such webs have often been made of thin plastic or, in some cases, paper or paper-based materials.
Such materials were easily breakable for insertion of Tee-nuts. On the other hand, they did not always provide complete integrity of the Tee-nuts strip, for example, in a coil so that occasionally the strip would break in feeding or simply in handling of the coil or strip.
In order to overcome these problems, it has now been found that the strength of the web can be increased by making the web out of a stronger synthetic plastic material. Typically the web is now made out of a plastic material, for example, film of polyethylene type material. This material has two advantages. On the one hand, it is stronger than earlier plastics, or paper so that the web is less liable to break in the handling of the coil. On the other hand, adhesives can be applied to such a plastic strip which are superior to adhesive used on paper, and thus create a better bond with the Tee-nuts.
However, it has been found that these very factors tend to aggravate the other problems indicated above. The plunger in the setting machine must make secure engagement in the end most Tee-nut. In most of the setting machines, the plunger is formed with a protrusion or abutment which is designed to fit into the open top of the sleeve, in the centre of the flange of the Tee-nut. Where the web was of easily breakable material this could be achieved with reasonably reliable results. However, when the web is made of stronger material, it is found that the plunger does not always securely engage the end most Tee-nut. The plunger appears to "bounce" on the web and does not penetrate the web. This sometimes caused one or more of the Tee-nuts to be dislodged or misfed.
An additional and separate consideration in the use of such Tee-nut strips and fastener setting machines, is the feeding of such strip along a feed path and into the setting plunger or hammer. The feeding of the Tee-nut is necessarily intermittent. That is to say the strip must move and then stop so that the end most Tee-nut is located stationary underneath the plunger for a brief moment while the plunger operates and inserts the Tee-nut into the work piece. This intermittent feed operation must take place many times a minute in order to provide high speed, repeatable insertion of Tee-nuts. When using a Tee-nut strip, the design of the feed mechanism has proved to be somewhat of a comprise. The web holding the Tee-nuts in the strip usually covers the opening at the top of the tubular sleeve and the centre of the Tee-nut flange, and leaves only side edge portions of the flanges exposed. Consequently, any feed mechanism used in such a feed apparatus must, generally speaking, operate from one side of the strip. The feed mechanism usually incorporates a tooth or pawl, which engages an exposed side portion of the Tee-nut flange, and thus pushes the strip by increments or lengths, equal to the length of one Tee-nut.

However, when such setting machines are operated at high speed, it is found that the continual pushing of the strip from one side tends to cause the strip to become misaligned in the feed mechanism and creates unnecessary friction.
This occurs because the pushing action of the tooth or pawl is offset at a substantial angle to the axis of travel of the Tee-nut strip, to one side of the Tee-nut strip, tending to push the strip sideways as well as forwards.
At first sight, it would appear to be desirable that the position of the feed mechanism could be rearranged so that its axis of operation was aligned with the central axis of the strip so that the pushing action simply tended to push the strip along the slide, rather than push it sideways. However, the location of the web engaging the upper surfaces of the flanges of the Tee-nuts is such that it prevents access of any feed mechanism to any portion of the Tee-nuts, from above.
It has been found that by modifying the feed mechanism and also by modifying the strip itself, that these various problems, both of feeding of the strip and of engaging the end most Tee-nut, on the plunger, can be overcome without loss of strength in the integrity of the coil or strip itself.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With a view to overcoming the various disadvantages in the problems noted above, the invention comprises a fastener strip for fasteners incorporating flanges, and openings in the flanges, and a web of material overlying such flanges and openings, forming such fasteners into a strip and in which the strip is formed with recesses registering with the openings in the flanges.
In accordance with the invention, the recesses may be pre-formed in the web material before it is applied to the fastener. In another form of the invention, the recesses may be formed during the process of collating the fasteners into the strip.
A preferred form of the fastener strip comprises a plurality of Tee-nuts adhesively bonded to a web strip and in which recesses are formed in the web in registration with the threaded sleeves of the Tee-nuts.
In a preferred form of the invention, the recesses are actually formed in the Tee-nut setting machine used for inserting the Tee-nuts into the work piece so that the Tee-nut strip may be assembled and delivered into the setting machine, with the web unbroken, and in which the actual Tee-nut strip feed mechanism in the fastener setting machine itself forms recesses in the web, thereby achieving the double objective of facilitating the feeding of the strip towards the setting plunger, and facilitating the inter-engagement between the plunger and the end most Tee-nut which is to be driven into the workpiece by the plunger.
The advance mechanism within the setting machine may be operated at angle relative to the axis of the strip, but aligned with the central axis of the strip, so that the pushing action engages each Tee-nut centrally, rather than along one edge. In another embodiment, the advance mechanism may take the form of a linear push and return mechanism operating along a movement path parallel to the axis of the strip, and incorporating a punch moveable transversely to the axis, to punch recesses in the web.
The invention also envisages the provision of a Tee-nut strip collating apparatus which incorporates a web punch assembly for forming recesses, or actually punching holes in the web while the Tee-nuts are being collated and assembled into a strip.
The recesses may be formed as depressions in the web, or may be actual punctures or slits. In some cases, actual holes can be punched out of the web if desired.
The invention further provides for a Tee-nut feed escapement mechanism, whereby Tee-nuts can be fed in a strip forwardly, ie. towards a setting station but in which reverse movement is prevented. The escapement apparatus also provides a stop control for the apparatus, when the Tee-nut strip has passed through the escapement mechanism.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with more particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

IN THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an upper perspective illustration of a portion of a fastener strip greatly enlarged, to illustrate the invention, the fasteners in this case being Tee-nuts;
Figure 2 is a schematic side elevational view of a fastener strip feed mechanism such as is used in fastener setting machines, the fasteners in this case being Tee-nuts;
Figure 3 is a schematic side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a fastener feed mechanism;
Figure 4 is a schematic side elevation of a portion of a collating apparatus incorporating a punch assembly for punching hales during collating of the fastener strips;
Figure 5 is a cut away perspective illustration of an alternate form of web material embodying the principals of the invention;
Figure 6 is a perspective illustration partially cut away of the further embodiment of web material;
Figure 7 is a schematic side elevational view of an alternate form of strip, in which the recesses are in the form of depressions or dimples, are formed in the tape in registration with recesses in the fasteners, without actual perforations being made through the web;
Figure 8 is a schematic top plan view of a Tee-nut feed mechanism incorporating a one-way escapement, shown in one position, and;
s Figure 9 shows the same mechanism in another position, corresponding to a machine shut down condition.

DESCRIPTION OF A SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT
Before describing the various embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that the type of fastener to which the invention relates is a fastener which can be driven into a work piece, usually a wooden or particle board work piece, typically such as is used in furniture, although many other uses of such fasteners are known. Such fastener setting machines operate at a high rate of repetition, so that a large number of fasteners can be set into work pieces, over a period of time. The fastener machines typically incorporate a setting location, where there is a fixed anvil, and a moveable plunger or hammer which can reciprocate towards and away from the anvil, either downwardly or upwardly, in most cases, and during such driving movement the plunger or hammer will engage a fastener and drive it towards the anvil. The work piece is placed against the anvil, so that the operation of the plunger drives the fastener into the work piece.
A typical example of such fastener setting machines is employed to drive Tee-nuts into a work piece. As already explained, Tee-nuts are well known, and comprise a planar sheet metal flange, in the centre of which there is formed a tubular sleeve, and the interior of the sleeve is threaded to receive a bolt.
Prongs are usually formed around the periphery of the flange. The sleeve is usually driven into a predrilled hole in the work piece, and the prongs are forced into the material of the work piece around the pre-drilled hole, with a view to holding the Tee-nut.
Examples of such machines are shown in U.S. Letters Patent Number 5, 323,531 Inventor: Walter H. Leistner and Keith G. Bromley, dated June 28, 1994, and U.S.
to Letters Patent Number 5,606,794 inventor: Volkmar W. Leistner and also in U.S.
Letters Patent Number 5,214,843; inventor: Keith G. Bromley and Walter H.
Leistner, granted: June 1, 1993 and U.K: Letters Patent 0580907. For this machine Tee-nuts were formed into a strip, usually by some collating and bonding to form of adhesive web such as paper or the like. This strip was rolled into a wound coil, and the coiled strip was then placed on edge on a rotary feed table. The Tee-nuts were unwound from the coil, and fed into a Tee-nut feed slide. They were advanced along the slide incrementally by means of a Tee-nut feed advance mechanism, until the leading Tee-nut registered with a plunger.
Reference is made to the machine shown in this patent merely by way of example and for the sake of illustration and without, in any way, wishing to restrict the scope of the invention.
Such apparatus being known per se, is not illustrated over again here, since it is superfluous.
The Tee-nut setting machine in this patent illustrates a plunger operating in an upward direction, with the anvil being located above the work piece and held stationary.
However, it will be appreciated that in many other machines the anvil is located beneath the work piece and the plunger operates downwardly driving the fastener downwardly.
The invention is equally applicable to both types of fastening setting machines as well as others not discussed here.
m It is, however, apparent that such apparatus of this type incorporates a feed mechanism for advancing the Tee-nut strips, along a Tee-nut carriage or slide path, and it is to this aspect of a machine that the invention is directed, in one embodiment.
As mentioned above, in such earlier machines, the Tee-nut advance mechanism was located to one side of the feed slide. The advance mechanism would engage the side edge of each Tee-nut and push it along the slide. The advance mechanism usually operated at an angle, off set to one side of the axis of the Tee-Nut strip. Thus the sideways angled pushing movement of the advance mechanism had a forward axial component and also a side ways component of force. The side ways component of the feed advance mechanism tended to push the Tee-nut strip to one side of the feed slide, and caused unnecessary and undesirable displacement of the strip within the slide, and also set up frictional forces which were undesirable.
As shown in Figure 1, a fastener strip illustrating the invention is shown generally as 10. As mentioned in this case, the fasteners are Tee-nuts and the Tee-nuts are shown individually by the general reference 12. As is generally well known, such Tee-nuts incorporate generally planar flanges 14, and tubular sleeves 16.
Prongs 18 are formed out of the flanges 14, spaced from the sleeves 16.
Although not shown, the interior of the sleeve 16 are formed in threads, and the sleeves are open at both ends so that threaded fasteners can pass through them. As mentioned, such Tee-nuts are well known.

In this particular case, the Tee-nuts 12 are formed with axial depressions 20, in the flanges 14, for reasons to be described below. The invention, however, is not specifically limited to Tee-nuts incorporating such depressions 20, and it is, in any event, not specifically limited to Tee-nuts per se but is applicable to a variety of different fasteners, of the type which may be fed sequentially into a fastener setting machine.
The fasteners 12 are formed into a continuous strip by being adhesively bonded to a continuous web or tape 22. Web or tape 22 is formed of flexible material. It may be paper, or a paper composition, or a thermoplastic or the like. All of these materials have been used in the past for forming strips of fasteners in this way. In this particular embodiment, polyethylene type thermoplastic material is the preferred form of tape since it is strong enough to hold a substantial number of Tee-nuts and maintain them in a roll or coil. It will be noted that the web or tape 22 is of a reduced width in relation to the transverse dimensions of the flanges 14.
The web 22 is aligned along the central axis of the fasteners 12 and covers a substantial central area of the flanges 14 and also covers the top or upper ends of the sleeves 16, which are indicated generally as 16A in phantom.
As has been previously explained, Tee-nuts strips of this general type have been used in the past in fastener setting machines. In such machines, a Tee-nut feed advance mechanism was located to one side of the strip 10. The feed mechanism engaged side edge portions of the respective flanges 14 of successive Tee-nuts and push them in sequence along a feed slide (see below).

In accordance with the present invention, however, the web 22 is formed with recesses 24, which register with the upper open ends 16A of the sleeve 16. The purpose of these recesses will become apparent from the following explanation.
However, it is noteworthy that these recesses 24 may, in some circumstances, be preformed as actual perforations, in the web 22 before it is applied to the fasteners. In other circumstances, the recesses or perforations may be formed in the web 22 during the process of collating the fasteners and securing them on the web, and in other cases, the recesses may be formed in the actual advance mechanism in the Tee-nut in the fastener setting machine. While recesses 24 are shown in this preferred embodiment as actual tears or perforations, there may be circumstances where a simple slit is adequate. There may be other cases where an actual hole is punched out of the web, and in some other cases, it may be sufficient to stretch the web in the region of the open end 16A to form a recess in the form of a depression without actually breaking the web at all.
Referring now to Figure 2, this figure illustrates a strip 10, carried in a feed slide indicated generally as 30. The feed slide 30 is, in this case, a portion of a fastener setting machine, the remaining details of the fastener setting machine are not pertinent to this description and are omitted for the sake of clarity.
Fasteners in the strip 10 are advanced so that the end most fastener will register with a hammer or plunger or piston (not shown) which is commonly incorporated in such setting machine and will be separated from the remainder of the strip 10, and driven into a work piece (not shown) by operation of such a plunger.

As mentioned above, all of this is well known and requires no separate description of illustration.
In accordance with the invention, the advance mechanism is illustrated generally as 32. It will be seen to comprise a power source, in this case a cylinder 34, containing a piston 36. The piston 36 is connected to a piston rod 38 which, in turn, is provided at its lower free end with an advance tool 40. Such a tool 40 may be of a variety of different designs. In this particular embodiment, it incorporates a downwardly oriented tooth 42, the purposes of which will be described below.
The one end of the cylinder 34 is powered by means of air through hose 44, and at the opposite end of the cylinder 34 there is a spring 46.
The cylinder 34, is mounted on a stub 48. Stub 48 is pivotally mounted in a yolk 50, mounted on a fixed arm 52. The stub 48 is swingable in the yolk 50. A
return spring 54 extends between the face of the arm 52 and the free end of the cylinder 34.
The operation of the Figure 2 embodiment is as follows.
The Tee-nut strip 10 formed with an unbroken web 22, in this case formed of polyethylene type thermoplastic material, although this is merely an example, and is in no way limiting as to the scope of the invention, is manually fed along the slide 30, until it reaches the advance mechanism 32. At this point, the apparatus is then ready to commence operation. During the sequence of operations of the apparatus, the plunger (not shown) will cycle down and up, and as part of the timing of such apparatus, the air pressure is normally applied through hose 44 to piston 36 urging piston 36 to compress spring 46.
During the normal cycle of operations, the air pressure on hose 44 is momentarily released, allowing piston 46 to move under the biassing force of spring 46, thereby extending the tool 40.
The tool 40, having a tooth 42, pierces or tears the web 22 in the region of the upper end 16A of the sleeve 16 and thereafter, pushes the entire strip 10 along the feed slide 30. As the machine continues to cycle, the air pressure is alternately applied to hose 44 and then released, causing the piston 46 to cycle to and fro within cylinder 46. This will draw the tool 44 backwardly, and then allow it to move forwardly, procuring intermittent advancing of the strip 10, and one-by-one forming of recesses or perforations 24 in web 22.
Eventually the first fastener in the strip will reach the plunger, at which point the plunger will then engage the end most fastener, and tear it away from the rest of the web 22 and drive it into a work piece.
Thereafter, each time the apparatus is cycled, the tool 44 will be retracted and then advanced, thereby successively forming recesses or perforations 24 in sequence, registering with respective fasteners 12. It will be seen that this pushing action takes place along the longitudinal axis of the strip 10, so that there is no tendency for the strip 10 to get pushed to one side of the feed slide 30.
At the same time, the formations of the recesses or perforations 24 materially assist in the in the registering of the free end of the plunger (not shown) with the central sleeve in the fastener, thereby facilitating the insertion of the individual fasteners, one-by-one, without disturbing the rest of the fasteners in the strip.
Referring now to Figure 3, an alternate embodiment of advance mechanism is illustrated. In this case, the fastener strip 10 is shown supported in a fastener feed slide 30 of a typical fastener setting machine, as in the case of Figure 2. In this case, the fastener advance mechanism consists of a cylinder 60, containing a piston 62 connected to a piston rod 64.
Cylinder 60 is a mounted parallel tube, spaced above the central axis of the strip 10, and the piston 62 and piston rod 64 reciprocate to and fro parallel to such axis, for the advancing of the strip.
In order to engage the fasteners in the strip and also to form recesses the web 22, a second cylinder 66 is provided. Cylinder 66 contains a piston 68 connected to a piston rod 70. A recessing and advance tool 72 is mounted on the lower free end of piston rod 70.
In piston 60, piston 62 is normally urged to the left, by means of spring 74 and is moved against spring 74 by means of air pressure supplied through hose 76.
In piston 62, the piston 68 is urged upwardly by means of spring 78 and is forced downwardly against spring 78 by air pressure supplied through air hose 80.
Cylinder 66 is mounted on a sliding mounting plate 82, and can slide to and fro, along the axis of piston rod 64 so as to intermittently advance the strip 10.
Tool 72 is reciprocal downwardly and upwardly so as to recess or actually perforate the strip in the region of the opening 16A.
m Thus, in the normal operating cycle of the fastener setting machine, the piston 68 will be forced downwardly by compressed air, causing the tool 72 to recess the web 22. Cylinder 60 will then be operated so as to advance cylinder 68, thereby advancing the strip 10. The air pressure in cylinder 66 will then be released, causing the tool 72 to raise upwardly, and after that air will be supplied to cylinder 60, causing the piston 62 to retract.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the recesses or other formations may be formed in the web, in the process of collating the fasteners into a strip and attaching thereby adhesive means to the web.
Figure 4 illustrates in schematic form a portion of such a collating machine.
Number 90 relates to a collating feed slide, for collating the strip 10.
A rotary recessing wheel 92 is mounted reciprocally, so that it may move downwardly and upwardly. The wheel 92 is provided with a plurality of recess tools 94. Rotation of the wheel 92 will cause the tools to successively form indentations or perforations in the web 22. In this case, the feed mechanism of Figure 2 or Figure 3 will not be actually required to form additional recesses or perforations, but it may function in essentially the same way, so that the feed mechanism engages the fastener by means of inter-engaging in the top end of the recess 16A. The feed movement of the feed mechanism is transmitted to the strip 10 along the central axis of the strip 10 and not from one side.
It will be understood from the foregoing that the invention is equally applicable to a strip in which there are recesses or indentations formed in the web in la registration with the open ends of the sleeves, as well as with strips in which the recesses are formed as actual tears, perforations, slits or even punched holes.
Examples of webs showing punched holes 24A are shown in Figure 5, the web being shown as 22A. A web shown with slits 24B is shown in Figure 6, the web being shown as 22B.
A web formed with depressions or recesses 24, without actual perforation or tearing of the web is shown in Figure 7 as 22C.
In accordance with further features of the invention, a feed slide escapement mechanism may be provided in a Tee-nut feed slide, substantially as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a top plan view in schematic form looking down on a strip of Tee-nuts. In Figure 8, the Tee-nuts indicated generally as 100 and the tape or web is shown in phantom as 102. The actual details of the feed slide itself are not shown, since it is believed they are self evident. The Tee-nut insertion plunger tool is indicated generally as 104. For the purposes of this illustration, it is shown rotated 90°, out of its correct position. This is simply for the sake of clarity of explanation. The piston clearly could not operate from the actual location as shown, but would have to be located vertically above the Tee-nuts, substantially in the manner shown in the U.S. Letters Patent described above.
The movement of the Tee-nuts in both Figures 8 and 9 are from right to left.
The Tee-nut advance mechanism substantially as described in relation to, for example, Figure 2, will be engaging the Tee-nuts from vertically above, by placing an insertion tool in the upper end of the central sleeve of each Tee-nut and pushing the strip along. In order to prevent the strip from inadvertently backing up, an escapement mechanism is provided, in accordance with this embodiment which comprises a first escapement lever 106, pivoted at 108 and normally urged by spring 110 to engage the flanges of the Tee-nuts on one side, between adjacent Tee-nuts. A second escapement tool 112 is pivoted at 114 and engages the Tee-nut flanges on the opposite side. The second tool is also normally urged inwardly by a spring 116.
It will be noted that the tools 106 and 112 are off set from one another along the axis of the strip, by a distance equal to the length of one Tee-nut.
The tool 106 has a free end 118 which engages a limit switch 120. Limit switch 120 may be operated to shut off supply of power, ie. compressed air, to the machine but is normally open to allow such supply of air to continue.
When a strip of Tee-nuts has passed both the second escapement tool 112 and the first tool 106, the tool 106 will swing inwardly and the free end 118 will swing outwardly. This will operate limit switch 120 which will then shut off supply of air to the machine.
The few remaining Tee-nuts in the Tee-nut slide will then stay in place. The fresh strip of Tee-nuts will then be inserted. The first Tee-nut will abut against the last Tee-nut of the previous strip and be held in position by the escapement tool 112. As the Tee-nuts are inserted, they will spread the two escapement tools and 112 apart and thereby opening limit switch 120, and allowing air to reach the machine for continued operation.

The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention vhich is given here by way of example. The invention is not to be taken as limited o any of the specific features as described, but comprehends all such variations :hereof as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (16)

1. A fastener strip comprising fasteners incorporating flanges, and openings in the flanges;
a web of material overlying such flanges and openings, forming such fasteners into a strip; and recesses formed in the web registering with the openings in the flanges.

2. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the recesses pre-formed in the web material before it is applied to the fasteners.

3. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the recesses are formed during the process of collating the fasteners into the strip.

4. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the fasteners are Tee-nuts having a flange, and a tubular sleeve with internal threads, and wherein a plurality of Tee-nuts are adhesively bonded to a web strip and in which recesses are formed in the web strip in registration with the threaded sleeves of the Tee-nuts.

5. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the recesses are actually formed in a Tee-nut setting machine used for inserting the Tee-nuts into a work piece so that the Tee-nut strip may be assembled and delivered into the setting machine, with the web unbroken.

6. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the recesses are formed as depressions in the web.

7. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the recesses are formed as depressions in the web.

8. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the recesses are formed as punctures or slits.

9. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the recesses are formed as punctures or slits.

10. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 1 wherein actual holes are punched out of the web.

11. A fastener strip as claimed in Claim 4 wherein actual holes are punched out of the web.

12. A fastener setting machine for setting fasteners in a workpiece, the fasteners having a flange and an opening, and collated together by a web into a strip comprising:
a plunger for inserting a fastener;
a strip feed mechanism in the fastener setting machine;
means for forming recesses in the web of the strip, thereby facilitating the feeding of the strip towards the plunger, and facilitating the inter-engagement between the plunger and the end most fastener which is to be driven into the workpiece by the plunger.

13. A fastener setting machine as claimed in Claim 12 and wherein the feed mechanism within the setting machine operates at angle relative to the axis of the strip, but is aligned with the central axis of the strip, so that the pushing action of the feed mechanism engages each fastener centrally.

14. A fastener setting machine as claimed in Claim 13 wherein the feed mechanism comprises a linear push and return mechanism operating along a movement path parallel to the axis of the strip, and incorporating a punch moveable transversely to the axis, to punch recesses in the web.

15. A fastener setting machine as claimed in Claim 12 and wherein the feed mechanism comprises a power operated feed finger mounted at an angle relative to the strip axis but aligned centrally therewith.

16. A Tee-nut strip collating apparatus for collating Tee-nut fasteners into a strip on a web material and comprising:
a Tee-nut fastener slide; and a web perforation punch assembly for forming recesses in the web while the Tee-nuts are being collated and assembled into a strip.