EP1588813B1 - Stitching device with feeding apparatus for at least one continuous wire - Google Patents

Abstract

The stitching machine (1) has a feed for a continuous stitching wire (06;04) from a supply with a conveyor for a continuous feed of the ire from the supply and second conveyor (3) to move it from an intermediate feed to the machine. The feed can include an electric motor (04). The machine can have a separator for removing sections of the wire.

Description

The invention relates to a stapler with a feeding device for feeding at least one endless stitching wire.

The DD 100 437 shows a feeding device for feeding at least one endless stitching wire from a staple wire supply moved as a whole to a stapler having a first conveying device for continuously conveying the stapling wire from the stapling wire supply and a second conveying device for conveying the stapling wire.

BE 554 705 A discloses a feeding device with a loop formed as an intermediate supply of the supplied material.

DE-PS 123 706 describes a stapler in which the switching from double production to collective production by changing the stitching wire supply takes place.

NL 106 938 C, which is regarded as the closest prior art, discloses a stapling apparatus which conveys the stapling wire intermittently to a separating device by means of a material loop formed as an intermediate supply.

The invention has for its object to provide a stapler with a feeder for supplying at least one endless stitching wire with improved wire feed.

The object is achieved by the features of claim 1.

The achievable with the invention advantages are in particular that for switching the stapler from the first to the second mode, a reconfiguration of the separator or the second stapling head no longer necessary is. The second stapling head also remains in the same position in the second operating mode as in the first operating mode of the stapler. In contrast, the second stapling head in the second mode is not supplied with wire sections as a result of the feed thrust, so that the second stapling head may perform a stapling movement in the second mode of operation, as in the first mode, but no stapling is due to the second stapling head the necessary wire section is missing. On the one hand, this allows a simplified construction of the stitching heads or of the separating device, since they no longer have to be reconfigurable.

As a further advantage of the invention eliminates existing in known staplers sliding gear for the wire feed along with a complete required for this slide gear oil chamber. This leads to a considerable simplification of the mechanical design of the stapler and has a favorable effect both on its manufacturing costs and on its operating costs, because z. B. no gear oil level has to be maintained. Another great advantage of the stapler is that it can switch between modes during operation of the stapler. The stapler does not need to be stopped, nor does the second stapling head need to be accessible. Effort and time to switch between the modes are therefore significantly reduced. In addition, this is the stapler completely remotely controllable from a control room. In contrast to known staplers, the switching can now also be carried out automatically, so that a computer-aided control of the stapler can be implemented.

As with known staplers, the feeder can also feed the stitching wire continuously in the stapling apparatus in the first mode. The stitching wire can then move at a fixed speed. However, in the batchwise feeding of the second mode, the speed of the stitching wire is subject to change. In this case, temporarily speeds may occur which are greater than the fixed speed of the stitching wire in the first mode. For example, a Tip speed of the stitching wire in the second mode to be twice as large as a fixed speed of the stitching wire in the first mode.

In the second mode of operation, the stitching wire can be evenly accelerated or decelerated during feeding. This may occur during an acceleration phase of the stitching wire or during a deceleration phase of the stitching wire or during both acceleration and deceleration of the stitching wire. The deceleration phase may be initiated immediately after the acceleration phase so that the stitching wire is immediately decelerated again upon reaching its tip speed, without maintaining this tip speed for a longer time.

In a preferred embodiment of the stapler, the stapling heads are arranged on a stapling cylinder. The stitching heads of the stapling head pair can be arranged diametrically on the stapling cylinder. It is also possible to provide a plurality of staggered pairs of stitching heads on the stitching cylinder in the axial direction.

Particularly preferably, the separating device comprises blades which interact in pairs to shear off the stitching wire. The blades can be formed on the stitching heads. For example, the blades formed on the stitching heads may be protrusions with which the stitching heads, in cooperation with another blade, which may be an edge of an exit, e.g. Example, a nozzle (cutting nozzle) of a tube through which the stitching wire is supplied, or simply act a fixed stop, shear off a respective wire section of the stitching wire. Then, in the first mode of the stapler, both the first stapling head and the second stapling head shear wire portions from the stapling wire to subsequently staple them. In the second mode of operation, only the first stitching head shears a wire section from the stitching wire, while the second stitching head does not shear a wire section as a result of the batchwise feeding of the stitching wire can shear because the stitching wire has not yet been fed.

The stapler is very particularly preferably designed such that it can be switched over during operation between the first and the second operating mode. It is therefore particularly well suited for use in a printing machine controlled via a central control room.

The supply device of the stapler preferably comprises a first and a second conveyor, the first serves to convey stitching wire in both modes continuously from a main supply into an intermediate supply and the second at least in the second mode intermittently further advances the stitching wire from the intermediate supply. Such a design is particularly advantageous when it is necessary to remove the stapling wire from a stapling wire main stock, such as a wire reel, which is moved as a whole when fed as a whole by means of the second clamp. Because such a wire roll can have a considerable mass of up to 100 kg, the first conveyor must be able to apply considerable torque; since it keeps the main supply moving evenly due to the continuous production, nevertheless a low acceleration capacity is sufficient, ie. H. a low drive power of the first conveyor. The second conveyor, however, must accelerate only the contents of the intermediate supply in the second mode. Its mass, however, corresponds only approximately to that of a staple, so that despite a low drive power and the second conveyor for the timely supply of the adhesive wire required high accelerations can be achieved.

Because the stitching wire is accelerated and decelerated in the second mode by the second conveyor, while it is continuously supplied by the first conveyor, there is a periodic forming jamming of the stitching wire on the second conveyor. In order for the periodically accumulating in the second mode before the second conveyor Stitching wire to create space to evade, also preferably a storage space for the stitching wire between the first and the second conveyor is provided.

In the first mode of operation, the second conveyor may operate continuously such that, like the first conveyor, it continuously advances the stitching wire or the second conveyor may be stopped by the stitching wire in the first mode. In the latter case, the first conveyor alone provides for the forward movement and the supply of the stitching wire. Of course, it is also possible to intermittently operate the second conveyor during the first mode of operation, albeit at a mean higher conveyor speed than in the second mode; Whether this is expedient depends inter alia on the geometric conditions of the stapling heads and their movement.

Advantageously, the feed device comprises a sensor for detecting the position of the respective stapling head to be supplied with wire sections. The supply device then preferably further comprises a control unit which controls the second conveyor in the second operating mode on the basis of the detection results of the sensor. For an automated operation of the stapler is possible.

The conveyors may comprise, for example, a pair of rollers clamping the stitching wire. Quite generally, however, the clamps may be any other stapling wire clamping and advancing means such as: B. gripper in various designs, jaws, etc.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in more detail below.

Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic sketch of a stapler in front view;

Fig. 2

the stapler of Figure 1 in side view.

Fig. 3a

a speed-time diagram for a stitching wire in the first mode of the stapler;

Fig. 3b

a location-time diagram for a stitching wire in the first mode of the stapler;

Fig. 4a

an acceleration-time diagram for a stitching wire in the second mode of the stapler;

Fig. 4b

a speed-time diagram for a stitching wire in the second mode of the stapler;

Fig. 4c

Place-time diagram for a stitching wire in the second mode of the stapler;

Fig. 5

another embodiment of a stapler in front view;

Fig. 6

the stapler of Figure 5 in side view.

Fig. 7

a feeder.

In Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a stapler in front view to see. Fig. 2 shows the stapler of Fig. 1 from a lateral view. On a lateral surface of a rotatably mounted stapling cylinder 03 is a pair of stapling heads 01; 02, consisting from a first stapling head 01 and a second stapling head 02, arranged. The stitching heads 01; 02 are arranged diametrically on the stitching cylinder 03. The stitching heads 01; 02 each have two projections 08; 17, z. B. blades 08; 17, which define a recess 18 and 19 in the longitudinal direction of the stapling cylinder 03. The protrusions 08; 17 each have a in the radial direction of the stapling cylinder 03 aligned step 22. In Fig. 1, this step 22 is located at the projections 17 of the stapling head 02 on the side facing away from the viewer and is therefore not visible.

A feed device 04, 07 essentially comprises a parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stapling cylinder 03 extending feed tube 04 and a servo motor 07, z. B. an electric motor 07 drives a pair of rollers. At one end of the staple head, the feed tube 04 forms an edge 21. A stapling wire 06 unrolled from an endless reel, not shown, is clamped between the rollers driven by the servomotor 07 and is pushed by the latter through the feed tube 04. FIG. 1 shows this wire section 09 at a moment immediately before it interacts with the edge 21 of the feed tube 04 and the projection 08 or 17 facing this edge of the stapling head 01 is sheared off from the stitching wire 06.

For clarity, a cylinder 23, with which the stapler cooperates when stapling, and a bending roller 28 in Fig. 1 are not shown; but they are shown in Fig. 2.

The stapler is set to the rotatably mounted cylinder 23, the closing plates 26 has. In the side view of the stapler dashed lines a circumferential circle 27 is shown, the ends of the stitching heads 01; Run through 02 during a rotation of the stapling cylinder 03. This circumferential circle 27 forms with the cylinder 23 a stitching nip through which a staple stack of sheets 24 is guided by sheets. A bending roller 28 is at the level of the recesses 18; 19 such between the stapler and the cylinder 23 arranged that it partially penetrates into the circumferential circle 27 and thereby into the recesses 18; 19 intervenes.

In a first mode of operation of the stapler, the stapling cylinder 03 rotates in the direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. During the rotational movement of the stapling cylinder 03, the stitching wire 06 is continuously pushed by the servomotor 07 through the feed tube 04, so that a protruding at the tack side end of the feed tube 04 wire section 09 of the stitching wire 06 is evenly longer over time. The propelling speed of the stapling wire 06 and the rotational speed of the stapling cylinder 03 are coordinated so that when the wire portion 09 has reached the width of the stapling head 01 or 02 corresponding length I, the stage 22 of a stapling head 01 or 02, in Fig. 1, the first stapling head 01, the stitching wire 06 presses against the edge 21 and a wire section 09 from the stitching wire 06 shears off. The wire section 09 is taken from the stapling head 01.

With this wire section 09, the stapling head 01 performs a stapling of the stack of sheets 24 in a known manner. For this purpose, the wire section 09 is pressed against the bending roller 28 in the further course of the rotation. Because the bending roller 28 is arranged such that it passes through a stapling head 01; 02 in its recess 18; 19 engages the wire portion 09 of the bending roller 28 in the respective recess 18; 19 pressed. As a result, the wire section 09 is bent to a shape with a rectilinear central portion and two legs bent at 90 °. When the stapling head 01 reaches the cylinder 23, it pushes the then bent wire portion 09 with the tips of the legs ahead through the stack of sheets 24. The cylinder 23 has until then turned so far that one of the closing plates 26 the stapling head 01 is opposite. The stapling head 01 cooperates with the closing plate 26 and completes the stapling of the stack of sheets 24 with the wire section 09.

Meanwhile, the stapling cylinder 03 continues to rotate and also the stitching wire 06 is further pushed by the servo motor 07 continues through the feed tube 04, so that upon arrival of the stapling head 02 at the end of the feed tube 04 a renewed wire section 09 of length I protrudes from this, which abuts in the manner just described on the projection 08 of the stapling head 02 and is sheared off from the step 22 and the edge 21. The new wire section 09 is taken along by the second stapling head 02, whereupon the latter, like the first stapling head 01, performs a stapling with it in the same way as described. Subsequently, the process is repeated in the manner described.

In this operation mode of the stapler described above, stapling is performed alternately by both the first stapling head 01 and the second stapling head 02. In printing this mode of operation is called double production. But it is also a collective production of the stapler known in which prior to execution of the stapling two stacks of in a stapler upstream printing unit sequentially collected on a strand of material printed pages collected in a combined stack and this stack is then stapled. The clock rate at which the staples to staple arrive at the stapler is here only half as large as in the double production. In the case of collective production, therefore, only one of the two stitching heads 01; 02 used for stapling. For this purpose, it is necessary in known staplers to reconfigure the respective non-stapling stapling head 01 or 02, so that with its projections 08 and 17 and the edge 21 no wire section 09 can be sheared off more. In addition, a feed speed of the stitching wire 06 must be reduced so that the wire section 09 has the correct length I when shearing off by the respective stapling stapling head 01 or 02.

For clarification, in the case of the double production in FIG. 3 a a speed-time diagram and in FIG. 3 b an associated location-time diagram for the tip of the stitching wire 06 are shown. Since the stitching wire 06 is fed at a continuous speed v in the double production, the speed v of the Stitching wire 06 for all times t the constant value v ₁ . This is shown in the speed-time diagram of FIG. 3a. In the time-time diagram of FIG. 3b, the path traveled by the stitching wire 06 corresponds to the removal of the tip of the stitching wire 06 from the edge 21, this path being at the same time the length of the wire section 09 of the stitching wire 06 protruding at the stapler side end of the feed tube 04. From time t = 0, this wire section 09 begins to form; its length increases linearly up to time T ₁ . At the time T ₁ , the end section has reached the length I and is sheared off from the stitching wire 06 by the projection 08 of the stitching head 01 and the edge 21 as the wire section 09 having this length I. From time T ₁ , a renewed projecting wire section 09, whose length in turn increases linearly, is formed at the end of the feed tube 04 at the head end. This new wire section 09 is sheared off at the time T ₂ from the projection 17 of the second stitching head 02 and the edge 21 also with a length I as the wire section 09. The process is repeated from time T ₂ , so that at time T ₃ again a wire section 09 of length I from the projection 08 of the first stapling head 01 and the edge 21 and at time T _4, a wire section 09 of length I from the projection 17 of the second Stapling head 02 and the edge 21, etc., is sheared off.

Corresponding diagrams are shown for the advancement of the stitching wire 06 for the second mode of operation, ie in collective production, in FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c. In the stapler, the feed of the stitching wire 06 in the second mode is in batches, wherein in FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c, a preferred variant of such a batch feed is shown. The type of feed can be easily adjusted via the servo motor 07. According to the acceleration-time diagram of Fig. 4a the stitching wire 06 from the time t = 0 to time t _1, wherein t ₁ = T _1/2, accelerated at a constant acceleration a _0. From the time t ₁ to the time T ₁ , the stitching wire 06 with an acceleration -a ₀ with the same amount as a ₀ , but with the opposite sign, delayed. The associated speed profile of the stitching wire 06 is shown in Fig. 4b. Between time t = 0 and time t _{1 increases} the speed v of the stitching wire 06 linearly up to a peak value v ₂ , to fall linearly from the time t ₁ to the time T ₁ to the value 0 again. The peak value v _{2 is} twice as large as the constant velocity v _{1 of} the stitching wire 06 in the case of double production: v ₂ = 2 · v ₁ . As shown in FIG. 4c, the projection of the stitching wire 06 at the end of the feed tube 04 has increased in the time from t = 0 to T ₁ to the value I. At time T ₁ , this projection is sheared from the projection 08 of the stapling head end of the feed tube 04 passing stapling head 01 and the edge 21 and taken as a wire section 09 with a length I. In the period between the time T ₁ and the time T ₂ , ie between the passage of the first stapling head 01 and the second stapling head 02 at the end of the feed tube 04, the stapling wire 06 remains at rest and undergoes no advance. Both its velocity v and its acceleration a are zero. For this reason, no projecting wire section 09 is formed at the end of the feed tube 04, so that the projection 17 of the second stapling head 02 passing at time T ₂ does not shear the wire section 09 with the edge 21. Only after passing the second stapling head 02, from the time T ₂ , the stitching wire 06 is accelerated until the time t ₃ in the same manner as described above, from the time t ₃ to the time T ₃ , to which the first stapling head 01 the firing head end of the feed tube 04 again happens to be decelerated. At time T _3, therefore, the projection 08 of the first stapling head 01 and the edge 21 shear off a length I wire section 09 as before, and the first stapling head 01 takes it along. The process is repeated as just described. In this way, without a shutdown of the second stapling head 02 would be necessary, why the operation of the stapler would have to be interrupted, a collective production of the stapler allows. By suitable control of the servo motor 07 can be switched between double production and collective production even during operation of the stapler. Because the control of the servo motor 07 can also be done by a computer, an automatic switching between double production and collection production is also possible.

In Figs. 5 and 6, another embodiment of a stapler is shown once in front view and once in side view. In addition to a first stapling head pair 01, 02, this stapler has a second stapling head pair 11, 12, which is arranged on the same stapling cylinder 03 as the first stapling head pair 01, 02, with diametrical arrangement of the stapling heads 01; 02, 11; 12. The stapling head pairs 01, 02 and 11, 12 are arranged staggered in the axial direction of the stapling cylinder 03. The stitching heads 11; 12 have projections 29; 31, z. B. blades 29; 30 on. A first feed tube 04 serves to supply the stitching heads 01; 02 with wire sections 09, of a first stitching wire 06, as described above, of projections 08; 17 of the stitching heads 01; 02 and the edge 21 are sheared off. In addition, a second supply pipe 13 for supplying the pair of stitching heads 11; 12 provided. It has an edge 32 at the end of the staple head. Through this feed tube 13, a stitching wire 14 is supplied from which the projections 29; 31 of the stitching heads 11; 12 with the edge 32 each wire sections 16 shear. In order to abut a stapling head 01; 02 of the first pair of stitching heads 01; 02 to avoid the second feed tube 13, the feed tube 13 is offset in the manner shown in Fig. 5 and forms between the stapling head pairs 01, 02 and 11, 12 two bends.

In this embodiment of the stapler result in the double production all stitching heads 01; 02 and 11; 12 stitches out. In the collective production leads from each stapling head pair 01, 02 and 11, 12 only one stapling head 01; 11 or 02; 12 stitches out. For example, only the stitching heads 01 and 11 perform stapling operations in the collective mode, while the stitching heads 02 and 12 are not equipped with respective wire sections 09 and 16 by suitable batchwise feeding of the respective stitching wires 04 and 14, so that they can not perform stitching. In a similar way, staplers with even more pairs of stapling heads are possible.

A preferred embodiment of the feed device 33 of a stapler is shown in FIG. 6 in schematic form. To see is a stapling cylinder 03 with two stapling heads 01; 02 in side view and a stitching wire 06 of a stitching wire stock, z. B. a wire roll 42 unwinding and the stitching heads 01; 02, or one of the stitching heads 01; 02, feeder feeding 33. To make the stapling cylinder 03 in Figure 6 better recognizable, it is shown from a direction parallel to its axis of sight; the feeder 33, however, from a contrast by 90 ° rotated viewing direction. In fact, the conveying direction of the stitching wire 06 is substantially parallel to the axis of the stapling cylinder 03, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

The feeder 33 includes a first motor 37, z. B. electric motor 37 with a driven by this first conveyor 38, z. B. pair of rollers 38 and a second motor 34, z. B. electric motor 38 with a driven by this second conveyor 36, z. B. roller pair 36, and a wire cutting nozzle 39 with feed tube 04 and edge 21, and a sensor 41 with control unit. The roller pairs 36; 38 are spaced from each other by a storage space 43. The stitching wire 06 unwound from the wire roller 42 first passes through the first pair of rollers 38, passes through the storage space 43, then passes through the second pair of rollers 36 and finally reaches the feed tube 04 of the wire cutting nozzle 39, from which it exits at the edge 21.

When the stapler is operated with the feeder 33 in the first mode, the first motor 37 drives the first roller pair 38, which continuously unwinds the stitching wire 06 from the wire roller 42 weighing up to 100 kg. With the same constant speed v, with which the stitching wire 06 is transported by the pair of rollers 38, the stitching wire 06 from the second pair of rollers 36, which is driven by the weaker second motor 34, inserted into the feed tube 04 and occurs at the edge 21 of the Wire cutting nozzle 39 off. As described above, a leaked wire section 09 is alternately separated from one of the stitching heads 01: 02 from the stitching wire 06 and taken away.

In an alternative embodiment of the feed device 33, the rollers of the second pair of rollers 36 in the first mode of the stitching wire 06 can be turned off, so that the stitching wire 06 is driven by the first pair of rollers 38 alone.

In the second mode, in which the stitching wire 06 is fed in batches, the first motor 37 drives the second pair of rollers 38 uniformly, as in the first mode, so that the second pair of rollers 38 unwinds and transports the stitching wire 06 continuously from the wire roller 42, however with a speed v divided in half by comparison with the first type of drive, so that only the length of a single staple is unwound from the wire roller 42 per revolution of the stapling cylinder 03. In contrast to the first operating mode, however, the first motor 34 is always set in motion by the control unit connected to the sensor 41 when the sensor 41 detects the passage of the stapling head 01 to be supplied with stitching wire.

As long as the second pair of rollers 36 stands, accumulated by the first pair of rollers 38 stitching wire 06 between the pairs of rollers 38; 36, and the stitching wire 06 forms in the storage space 43 between the pairs of rollers 38; 36 a dashed line in FIG. 7 intermediate storage, z. B Wire loop 44. When the control unit sets the motor 34 in motion, stitching wire 06 is ejected from the wire cutting nozzle 39 and the wire loop 44 is pulled straight again. The rollers of the second pair 36 are lightweight, with a low moment of inertia, designed to allow high acceleration by the motor 34 despite low power thereof, and the clamping force between the rollers of the pair 36 and the stitching wire 06 is not substantially greater than that Accelerating the stitching wire 06 of the wire loop 44 required. The second motor 34 therefore does not require accurate speed control; as soon as the stitching wire 06 in the storage space 43 - in time before the passage of the stapling head 01 before the edge 21 - pulled taut, it slips between the rollers of the pair 36, so that between the time of tightening of the stitching wire 06 and the shearing by the stapling head 01 the propulsion speed the stitching wire 06 is determined by the speed v of the first pair of rollers 38.

In conjunction with the shearing, the control unit switches off the second motor 34 again, so that after shearing, no stitching wire 06 leaves the wire cutting nozzle 39 until the stapling head 02, which is not to be supplied, has passed the edge 21.

As soon as the sensor 41 again detects the stapling head 01, the cycle is repeated.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

01

stapling head

02

stapling head

03

stitching cylinder

04

feed

05

-

06

stitching wire

07

Servomotor, electric motor

08

Projection, blade

09

wire section

10

-

11

stapling head

12

stapling head

13

feed

14

stitching wire

15

-

16

wire section

17

Projection, blade

18

recess

19

recess

20 -

21 edge

22

step

23

cylinder

24

bow

25

-

26

closing plate

27

peripheral circle

28

bending roller

29

Projection, blade

30

-

31

Projection, blade

32

edge

33

feeding

34

Engine, second, electric motor

35

-

36

Conveyor, pair of rollers, second

37

Engine, first, electric motor

38

Conveyor, pair of rollers, first

39

Drahtschneiddüse

40

-

41

sensor

42

Stitching wire stock, wire roll

43

Jam rough m

44

Intermediate storage, wire loop

a

acceleration

I

length

t

Time

v

speed

a ₀

acceleration

-a ₀

acceleration

T ₁

time

T ₂

time

T ₃

time

T ₄

time

t ₁

time

t ₂

time

t ₃

time

t ₄

time

v ₁

Speed, value

v ₂

Speed, peak

Claims (20)

1. A stitcher with a supply device (04, 07, 13; 33) for at least one continuous stitching wire (06; 14), a separating device (08, 17, 29, 31, 21, 32) for severing wire portions (09; 16) from the stitching wire (06; 14) supplied and at least one first and one second pair of stitching heads (01, 02; 11, 12) which are capable of being supplied with the wire portions (09; 16) produced from the at least one stitching wire (06; 14), and wherein selectively either the two stitching heads (01, 02; 11, 12) of the two pairs are arranged so as to perform stitching in a first mode of operation or only the stitching heads (01; 11) of the first pair are arranged so as to perform stitching in a second mode of operation, wherein the supply device (04, 07, 13; 33) is arranged so as to supply the stitching wire (06; 14) batch-wise in the second mode of operation, wherein the supply device (04, 07, 13; 33) has an electric motor (07; 34; 37), wherein the electric motor (07; 34; 37) is actuated in the first mode of operation in accordance with a first speed / time diagram and in the second mode of operation in accordance with a second speed / time diagram which differs from the first one.
2. A stitcher according to Claim 1, characterized in that in the first mode of operation the supply device (04, 07, 13; 33) is arranged so as to supply the stitching wire (06; 14) in a continuous manner.
3. A stitcher according to Claim 1, characterized in that the supply device (04, 07, 13; 33) is capable of being switched between a first mode of operation, in which it supplies the stitching wire (06; 14) in an intermittent manner, and in a second mode of operation, in which it supplies the stitching wire (06; 14) in a continuous manner.
4. A stitcher according to Claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the supply device (04, 07, 13; 33) is capable of being switched between the first and the second mode of operation during operation.
5. A stitcher according to Claim 1, characterized in that a first conveying device (38) conveys the stitching wire (06; 14) into a temporary store (44), and a second conveying device (36) is arranged so as to convey the stitching wire (06; 14) out of the temporary store (44) in an intermittent manner.
6. A stitcher according to one of Claims 3 or 5, characterized in that the second conveying device (36) is set off from the stitching wire (06; 14) in the first mode of operation.
7. A stitcher according to Claim 1 or 3, characterized in that a maximum speed of the stitching wire (06; 14) in the second mode of operation is twice as high as a speed of the stitching wire (06; 14) in the first mode of operation.
8. A stitcher according to Claim 1 or 3, characterized in that in the second mode of operation the stitching wire (06; 14) is moved whilst being uniformly accelerated or braked during the conveying.
9. A stitcher according to Claim 1, characterized in that the supply device (04, 07, 13; 33) comprises a sensor (41) for detecting the position of the respective stitching head (01, 02; 11, 12) to be supplied with wire portions (09; 16).
10. A stitcher according to Claim 9 and 1 or 3, characterized in that in the second mode of operation the second conveying device (36) is controlled by way of the detection results of the sensor (41).
11. A stitcher according to Claim 5, characterized in that a separate electric motor (34; 37) is associated with each conveying device (36; 38).
12. A stitcher according to Claim 5, characterized in that an accumulation space (43) for the temporary store (44) is arranged between the first and the second conveying device (36; 38).
13. A stitcher according to Claim 5, characterized in that the conveying devices (36; 38) comprise one pair of rollers (36; 38) in each case.
14. A stitcher according to Claim 1, characterized in that the stitching heads (01, 02; 11, 12) are arranged on a stitching cylinder (03).
15. A stitcher according to Claim 14, characterized by a plurality of pairs of stitching heads (01, 02; 11, 12) arranged on a stitching cylinder (03) in a staggered manner.
16. A stitcher according to Claim 1, characterized in that the separating device (08, 17, 29, 31, 21, 32) comprises blades which co-operate in pairs in order to sever the stitching wire (06; 14).
17. A stitcher according to Claim 14, 15 or 16, characterized in that blades (08; 17; 29; 31) are formed on the stitching heads (01; 02; 11; 12).
18. A stitcher according to Claim 1, characterized in that the stitcher has at least one stitching cylinder (03) with at least one stitching head (01; 02; 11; 12).
19. A stitcher according to Claim 1 or 18, characterized in that at least two stitching heads (01; 02; 11; 12) arranged axially adjacent to each other are provided.
20. A stitcher according to Claim 1 or 18, characterized in that at least two offset supply devices (04, 07, 13; 33) are arranged with respect to the peripheral direction of a stitching cylinder (03).

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