Abstract: Apparatus for assembling staple drivers in a cartridge to be used during surgery includes a fixture having tapered converging passageways to guide staple drivers into alignment with pockets in the cartridge. After the staple drivers are properly in place to be pushed into the pockets of the cartridge, a plunger with blade-shaped projections descends such that the blades project through the fixture and the passageways therein to push the drivers into the pockets. To prevent the drivers from falling out of the pockets through the entrance opening where they were inserted, a pocket locking or blocking element is applied to the cartridge after the drivers are in the pockets.

Abstract: Method for assembling staple drivers in a cartridge to be used during surgery includes a fixture having tapered converging passageways to guide staple drivers into alignment with pockets in the cartridge. After the staple drivers are properly in place to be pushed into the pockets of the cartridge, a plunger with blade-shaped projections descends such that the blades project through the fixture and the passageways therein to push the drivers into the pockets. To prevent the drivers from falling out of the pockets through the entrance opening where they were inserted, a pocket locking or blocking element is applied to the cartridge after the drivers are in the pockets.