US20150007930A1

US20150007930A1 - Process for manufacturing roll staple with wire strip

Info

Publication number: US20150007930A1
Application number: US14/300,521
Authority: US
Inventors: Hsien Cheng CHEN
Original assignee: Patek Pneumatics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Patek Pneumatics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-07-04
Filing date: 2014-06-10
Publication date: 2015-01-08
Also published as: TW201501836A; CN104275426A

Abstract

A roll staple manufacturing process enabling production of a high yield of staples at an effectively reduced manufacturing cost including the steps of providing a wire strip consisting of multiple wires arranged side-by-side; holding the wire strip in place with a holding unit; cutting the wire strip with a staple forming module to provide multiple staple banks; using a push module to push the staple banks from the holding unit to a guide rail set; applying an adhesive element to the staple banks while the same are continuously moved forward by the guide rail set; using a counting element to count the wires of the staple banks passing therethrough, and cutting the staple banks with a cutting element when the number of the wires passed through the counting element reaches a preset value, so as to provide a staple strip; and winding the staple strip on a winding element to form a roll staple.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing a roll staple with a wire strip; and more particularly, to a roll staple manufacturing process that enables a greatly increased yield of staples at effectively reduced time and labor costs to thereby achieve the effect of automated mass production of staples.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A staple is a fastening element driven by a hammer tacker or a staple gun to extend from one object into another object, and a frictional force between the staple and the objects functions to stably bind the two objects together. Staples with a wide range of shapes are used in different applications, such as packaging, civil engineering and construction engineering.
Please refer to FIG. 1. In a conventional roll staple manufacturing process, a single wire 10 is held in place by a clamping die assembly 11, and a staple forming die assembly 12 is used to cut the single wire 10 into a plurality of straight staples 101. The straight staples 101 are then sequentially pushed by a push unit 13 into a fastening die assembly 14 before an adhesive unit 15 is applied to one side of the plurality of straight staples 101, such that the straight staples 101 are bound together without the risk of easily separating from one another. A counting unit 16 counts the straight staples 101. Each time the number of the straight staples 101 having been counted by the counting unit 16 reaches a preset value, a cutting unit 17 cuts the plurality of straight staples 101 apart to provide a straight-staple strip 102. Finally, the straight-staple strip 102 is wound on a winding unit 18 to form a roll staple 103 containing a plurality of straight staples.
In brief, the conventional roll staple manufacturing process uses a single wire 10 as a raw material. That is, multiple pieces of single wires 10 are sequentially processed with the staple forming die assembly 12, the fastening die assembly 14, the adhesive unit 15, the counting unit 16 and the cutting unit 17. In this manner, only a very limited quantity of staples can be produced even if the production continues throughout the day. And the limited quantity of staples generally cannot satisfy the market demand.
To compensate for the limited yield, extended working hours are needed and more machines must be purchased to produce the staples at the same time. However, for the manufacturers, such ways to increase the yield of staples are considered to be unnecessary wastes of time and material in the manufacturing process, which are usually the main factors of increased manufacturing cost.
Furthermore, while the yield can be increased by using more staple forming machines, more workers and technicians must be employed to operate and maintain the machines. The increased number of workers and technicians inevitably results in increased labor and manufacturing costs, which are clearly a big burden to the manufacturers. In the event that the constantly increased labor and manufacturing costs necessitate that the manufacturers increase their investment to maintain the yield, it is natural that the increased costs will be reflected in the prices of the products. However, the raised prices make the products less competitive in the market.
The inventor has therefore attempted to develop an improved roll staple manufacturing process to enable increased yields of staples at an effectively reduced manufacturing cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a roll staple manufacturing process which enables increased yields of staples at effectively reduced time, labor and material costs, so that the staples produced are more competitive in the market.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a roll staple manufacturing process during which an adhesive element is adhered to the staples in a manner that is able to shorten the time needed for an air drying and cooling procedure, so that the staple manufacturing cost can be effectively controlled.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a roll staple manufacturing process in which differently configured holding units and staple forming modules can be used to enable the production of staples of different specifications.
To achieve above and other objects, the present invention provides a process for manufacturing roll staples with wire strips. According to a first preferred embodiment thereof, the roll staple manufacturing process includes following steps: providing a wire strip consisting of a plurality of wires arranged side by side; holding the wire strip in place with a holding unit; cutting the wire strip with a staple forming module to provide a plurality of straight-staple banks; pushing the straight-staple banks with a push module, so that the straight-staple banks are sequentially moved from the holding unit to a guide rail set to be supported thereon and closely arranged side by side; applying an adhesive element to one surface of the straight-staple banks while the straight-staple banks are supported on and continuously moved forward by the guide rail set, such that the straight-staple banks are bound to one another by the adhesive element; causing the straight-staple banks that have been bound together by the adhesive element to pass through a counting element, which counts the wires of the straight-staple banks passing through the counting element; and then cutting the straight-staple banks with a cutting element each time the number of the wires passed through the counting element reaches a preset value, such that a section of the closely arranged straight-staple banks that contains the preset number of wires is separated from the rest of the straight-staple banks to form a straight-staple strip; and finally, winding the straight-staple strip on a winding element to provide a roll staple containing a plurality of straight staples.
In the first preferred embodiment, the holding unit is configured for holding an end of the wire strip in place; and the staple forming module also forms pointed staple ends on at least one of two cut ends of the respective wires of the wire strip, and the straight-staple banks so provided are identical in length to contain a plurality of cut-size wires that respectively form a straight staple.
In the first preferred embodiment, the adhesive element is a segment of adhesive tape which is heated and bonded to the straight-staple banks.
According to the second preferred embodiment thereof, the roll staple manufacturing process of the present invention includes the following steps: providing a wire strip consisting of a plurality of wires arranged side by side; holding the wire strip in place with a holding unit; cutting the wire strip with a staple forming module to provide a plurality of bent-staple banks; pushing the bent-staple banks with a push module, so that the bent-staple banks are sequentially moved from the holding unit to a guide rail set to be supported thereon and closely arranged side by side; applying an adhesive element to one surface of the bent-staple banks while the bent-staple banks are supported on and continuously moved forward by the guide rail set, such that the bent-staple banks are bound to one another by the adhesive element; causing the bent-staple banks that have been bound together by the adhesive element to pass through a counting element, which counts the wires of the bent-staple banks passing through the counting element; and then cutting the bent-staple banks with a cutting element each time the number of the wires passed through the counting element reaches a preset value, such that a section of the closely arranged bent-staple banks that contains the preset number of wires is separated from the rest of the bent-staple banks to form a bent-staple strip; and finally, winding the bent-staple strip on a winding element to provide a roll staple containing a plurality of bent staples.
In the second preferred embodiment, the holding unit is configured for holding a partial area of the wire strip in place, such that the wire strip has two end portions located outside the holding unit. Further, the staple forming module also punches the wire strip to form pointed staple ends on at least one of two cut ends of the respective wires in the wire strip; and the bent-staple banks so provided are identical in length to contain a plurality of cut-size wires that respectively form a bent staple.
In the second preferred embodiment, the adhesive element is a segment of adhesive tape which is heated and bonded to the bent-staple banks.
The process for manufacturing roll staples with wire strips according to the present invention is characterized by using a wire strip consisting of a plurality of wires arranged side by side. The wire strip is held in place by a holding unit and cut by a staple forming module into a plurality of staple banks, which respectively contain a plurality of staples. The staple banks then go through a series of processing procedures, in which a push module, a guide rail set, an adhesive element, a counting element and a cutting element are used, so as to form a plurality of staple strips. The staple strips are respectively wound on a winding element to form a roll staple. With the roll staple manufacturing process of the present invention, roll staples can be manufactured efficiently to enable a reduction of manufacturing costs and increased competitiveness in the market. Furthermore, by using the thermal-bonding type adhesive element to bind the staple banks to one another, the time needed for air drying and cooling is shortened to enable the effective control of manufacturing costs.
In addition, differently configured holding units and staple forming modules can be used to hold and punch the wire strips, so as to manufacture staples of various specifications to satisfy market demands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objectives [?] can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram showing the steps included in a conventional process for manufacturing a roll staple;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the steps included in a process for manufacturing roll staple according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing the steps included in the roll staple manufacturing process according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps included in a process for manufacturing roll staples according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram showing the steps included in the roll staple manufacturing process according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described with some preferred embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of easy understanding, elements which are the same in the preferred embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals.
Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3. The present invention provides a process for manufacturing roll staples with wire strips, according to which a group of wires 201 supplied as a wire strip 20 is processed with a holding unit 21, a staple forming module 22, a push module 23, a guide rail set 24, an adhesive element 25, a counting element 26, a cutting element 27 and a winding element 28, so as to complete the steps for manufacturing a roll staple. For the purpose of conciseness, the present invention is also briefly referred to as the manufacturing process or the roll staple manufacturing process herein.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show the steps included in the roll staple manufacturing process according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
(a) In the first step, the above-mentioned wire strip 20 is provided. The wire strip 20 consists of a plurality of wires 201, which are arranged side by side. The number of the wires 201 in each wire strip 20 is changeable according to actual market demand. Higher yield can be achieved when the number of the wires 201 in each wire strip 20 is increased.
(b) In the second step, the wire strip 20 is held in place by the holding unit 21. More specifically, the holding unit 21 is used to firmly hold an end of the wire strip 20.
(c) In the third step, the wire strip 20 held in place by the holding unit 21 is cut by the staple forming module 22 into a plurality of straight-staple banks 202 that are identical in length. More specifically, when the staple forming module 22 cuts the wire strip 20 into the straight-staple banks 202, it also forms pointed staple ends on at least one of two cut ends of the respective wires 201 in the wire strip 20. That is, each of the length-identical straight-staple banks 202 includes a plurality of cut-size wires 201 that respectively form a straight staple. It should be noted that, in the first preferred embodiment, the holding unit 21 holds only an end of the wire strip 20.
(d) In the fourth step, after the straight staples in the straight-staple banks 202 have their cut ends correctly pointed, the straight-staple banks 202 are sequentially pushed by the push module 23 from the holding unit 21 to the guide rail set 24. The guide rail set 24 functions to support a plurality of straight-staple banks 202 thereon, such that the straight-staple banks 202 supported on the guide rail set 24 are closely arranged side by side.
(e) In the fifth step, while the straight-staple banks 202 supported on the guide rail set 24 are guided forward by the guide rail set 24, the adhesive element 25 is applied to one surface of the closely arranged straight-staple banks 202 to bind the straight-staple banks 202 to one another. More specifically, the adhesive element 25 can be a segment of adhesive tape 251 which is heated and bonded to the straight-staple banks 202. In this way, the time needed for air drying and cooling process can be shortened to thereby enable reduced staple manufacturing cost and increased production efficiency.
(f) In the sixth step, when the adhesive element 25 has been adhered to the straight-staple banks 202, the straight-staple banks 202 supported on the guide rail set 24 are caused to pass through the counting element 26, which counts the cut-size wires 201 of the straight-staple banks passing through the counting element 26. Each time the number of the cut-size wires 201 passed through the counting element 26 reaches a preset value, the cutting element 27 is actuated to cut the straight-staple banks 202, such that a section of the closely arranged straight-staple banks 202 that contains the preset number of straight staples is separated from the rest of the straight-staple banks 202 to form a straight-staple strip 203.
(g) In the final step, the straight-staple strip 203 is wound on the winding element 28 to form a roll staple 204 containing a plurality of straight staples, completing the manufacture of a roll staple with a wire strip. With the roll staple manufacturing process according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, roll staples containing straight staples can be manufactured in an efficient manner to obtain an increased yield at reduced labor and material costs, making the roll staples produced more competitive in the market.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show the steps included in the roll staple manufacturing process according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.
(a) In the first step, the above-mentioned wire strip 20 is provided. The wire strip 20 consists of a plurality of wires 201, which are arranged side by side. The number of the wires 201 in each wire strip 20 is changeable according to actual market demand. Higher yield can be achieved when the number of the wires 201 in each wire strip 20 is increased.
(b) In the second step, the wire strip 20 is held in place by the holding unit 21. More specifically, the holding unit 21 is used to firmly hold a partial area of the wire strip 20, such that two end portions of the wire strip 20 are located outside the holding unit 21.
(c) In the third step, the wire strip 20 held in place by the holding unit 21 is punched by the staple forming module 22 to form a plurality of bent-staple banks 205 which are identical in size and shape, and respectively contain a plurality of bent staples. More specifically, when the staple forming module 22 punches the wire strip 20 into the identical bent-staple banks 205, it also forms pointed staple ends on at least one of two cut ends of the respective wires 201 in the wire strip 20. In this manner, the staples can be manufactured by mass production.
It should be noted that, in the second preferred embodiment, the holding unit 21 holds a partial area of the wire strip 20, such that two end portions of the wire strip 20 are located outside the holding unit 21.
As can be seen in FIG. 5, the bent-staple banks 205 respectively include a pressure bearing portion 205 a and two bent leg portions 205 b. However, the bent-staple bank 205 with the above-described pressure bearing portion 205 a and bent leg portions 205 b is only illustrative and not intended to limit the configuration of the bent-staple bank 205 in any way. That is, by using other differently configured holding units 21 and staple forming modules 22 to holding and punching the wire strip 20 respectively, it is possible to manufacture bent-staple banks 205 of different configurations or specifications.
(d) In the fourth step, after the wires 201 in the bent-staple banks 205 have their cut ends correctly pointed, the bent-staple banks 205 are sequentially pushed by the push module 23 from the holding unit 21 to the guide rail set 24. The guide rail set 24 functions to support a plurality of bent-staple banks 205 thereon, such that the bent-staple banks 205 supported on the guide rail set 24 are closely arranged side by side.
(e) In the fifth step, while the bent-staple banks 205 supported on the guide rail set 24 are guided forward by the guide rail set 24, the adhesive element 25 is applied to one surface of the closely arranged bent-staple banks 205 to bind the bent-staple banks 205 to one another. More specifically, the adhesive element 25 can be a segment of adhesive tape 251 which is heated and bonded to the bent-staple banks 205. In this way, the time needed for air drying and cooling process can be shortened to thereby enable reduced staple manufacturing cost and increased production efficiency
(f) In the sixth step, when the adhesive element 25 has been adhered to the bent-staple banks 205, the bent-staple banks 205 supported on the guide rail set 24 are caused to pass through the counting element 26, which counts the wires of the bent-staple banks 205 passing through the counting element 26. When the number of the bent staples passed through the counting element 26 reaches a preset value, the cutting element 27 is actuated to cut the bent-staple banks 205, such that a section of the bent-staple banks 205 that contains the preset number of bent staples is separated from the rest of the bent-staple banks 205 to form a bent-staple strip 206.
(g) In the final step, the bent-staple strip 206 is wound on the winding element 28 to form a roll staple 207 containing a plurality of bent staples and complete the manufacture of a roll staple with a wire strip. With the roll staple manufacturing process according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, roll staples containing bent staples can be manufactured in an efficient manner to obtain an increased yield at reduced labor and material costs, making the roll staples produced more competitive in the market.
In summary, the present invention provides a process for manufacturing a roll staple with a wire strip that contains a plurality of wires arranged side by side. The wire strip is held in place by a holding unit and cut by a staple forming module into a plurality of staple banks, which respectively contain a plurality of staples. The staple banks then go through a series of processing procedures, in which a push module, a guide rail set, an adhesive element, a counting element and a cutting element are used, so as to form a plurality of staple strips. The staple strips are respectively wound on a winding element to form a roll staple. With the roll staple manufacturing process of the present invention, roll staples can be manufactured efficiently to enable reduced manufacturing costs and enhanced competitiveness in the market. Further, by using a thermal-bonding type adhesive element to bind the staple banks to one another, the time needed for air drying and cooling is shortened to also enable effective control of the manufacturing cost.
In addition, by using differently configured holding units and staple forming modules to respectively hold and punch the wire strip, it is possible to manufacture staples of various specifications to satisfy market demands. The roll staple manufacturing process of the present invention enables an increased yield and allows well adjusted and balanced labor and material costs, which not only meets the requirements of the current high-labor-cost business environment, but also effectively reduces unnecessary waste of energy and accordingly, increases the products' competitiveness in the market.
The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof, and many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention, which is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A process for manufacturing a roll staple with a wire strip, comprising the following steps:

providing a wire strip consisting of a plurality of wires arranged side by side;

holding the wire strip in place with a holding unit;

cutting the wire strip with a staple forming module to provide a plurality of straight-staple banks;

pushing the straight-staple banks with a push module, so that the straight-staple banks are sequentially moved from the holding unit to a guide rail set to be supported thereon and closely arranged side by side;

applying an adhesive element to one surface of the straight-staple banks while the straight-staple banks are supported on and continuously moved forward by the guide rail set, such that the straight-staple banks are bound to one another by the adhesive element;

causing the straight-staple banks that have been bound together by the adhesive element to pass through a counting element, which counts the wires of the straight-staple banks passing through the counting element; and then cutting the straight-staple banks with a cutting element each time the number of the wires passed through the counting element reaches a preset value, such that a section of the closely arranged straight-staple banks that contains the preset number of wires is separated from the rest of the straight-staple banks to form a straight-staple strip; and

finally, winding the straight-staple strip on a winding element to provide a roll staple.

2. The roll staple manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding unit is configured for holding an end of the wire strip in place.

3. The roll staple manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step of cutting the wire strip with the staple forming module to provide a plurality of straight-staple banks, the staple forming module also forms pointed staple ends on at least one of two cut ends of the respective wires in the wire strip; and the straight-staple banks so provided are identical in length to contain a plurality of cut-size wires that respectively form a straight staple.

4. The roll staple manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adhesive element is a segment of adhesive tape which is heated and bonded to the straight-staple banks.

5. A process for manufacturing a roll staple with a wire strip, comprising the following steps:

holding the wire strip in place with a holding unit;

cutting the wire strip with a staple forming module to provide a plurality of bent-staple banks;

pushing the bent-staple banks with a push module, so that the bent-staple banks are sequentially moved from the holding unit to a guide rail set to be supported thereon and closely arranged side by side;

applying an adhesive element to one surface of the bent-staple banks while the bent-staple banks are supported on and continuously moved forward by the guide rail set, such that the bent-staple banks are bound to one another by the adhesive element;

causing the bent-staple banks that have been bound together by the adhesive element to pass through a counting element, which counts the wires of the bent-staple banks passing through the counting element; and then cutting the bent-staple banks with a cutting element each time the number of the wires passed through the counting element reaches a preset value, such that a section of the closely arranged bent-staple banks that contains the preset number of wires is separated from the rest of the bent-staple banks to form a bent-staple strip; and

finally, winding the bent-staple strip on a winding element to provide a roll staple.

6. The roll staple manufacturing process as claimed in claim 5, wherein the holding unit is configured for holding a partial area of the wire strip in place, such that the wire strip has two end portions located outside the holding unit.

7. The roll staple manufacturing process as claimed in claim 5, wherein, in the step of cutting the wire strip with the staple forming module to provide a plurality of bent-staple banks, the staple forming module also punches the wire strip to form pointed staple ends on at least one of two cut ends of the respective wires in the wire strip; and the bent-staple banks so provided are identical in shape and size to contain a plurality of cut-size wires that respectively form a bent staple.

8. The roll staple manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adhesive element is a segment of adhesive tape which is heated and bonded to the bent-staple banks.