Abstract: A method of forming a surgical staple comprising a base, a first staple leg, and a second staple leg is disclosed. The method comprises positioning the first staple leg within a first cup of a staple pocket and positioning the second staple leg within a second cup of the staple pocket, contacting the first staple leg to bend the first staple leg toward a first side of the base wherein the first staple leg is maintained in an unformed and unheated configuration until a first compressive force is applied to the first staple leg, and contacting the second staple leg to bend the second staple leg toward a second side of the base wherein the second staple leg is maintained in an unformed and unheated configuration until a second compressive force is applied to the second staple leg.

Abstract: A casing brake assembly and a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products which includes such a casing brake assembly is presented. The casing brake assembly comprises a safety means comprising at least one tubular element and at least one switch element. The at least one tubular element is arranged coaxially with the tubular support means upstream with respect to a filling direction. The tubular element is axially spaced apart and moveably arranged with respect to the tubular support means. The switch element is stationary with respect to the tubular element and arranged for interacting with at least one safety means of the production apparatus. The casing brake assembly and a clipping machine using the casing brake assembly allow a high level of security for the operator.

Abstract: A method for forming a wave form for a stent includes moving a first forming portion of a first forming member across an axis along which a formable material is provided in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the axis to engage and deform the formable material while engaging the formable material with a first forming portion of the second forming member. The method includes moving the first forming portion of the first forming member and the first forming portion of the second forming member across the axis in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction to draw and form the formable material over the first forming portion of the second forming member, disengaging the first forming member from the formable material, and rotating the first forming member to position a second forming portion of the first forming member to face the formable material.

Abstract: There is provided an aluminum-alloy material having sufficient electric conductivity and tensile strength as a wiring material and excellent in wire-drawing property, and an electric wire or cable using the same. An electric wire or cable includes an aluminum-alloy strand formed of an aluminum-alloy including Fe: 0.1% by mass or more to less than 1.0% by mass, Zr: 0 to 0.08% by mass, Si: 0.02 to 2.8% by mass, at least one of Cu: 0.05 to 0.63% by mass and Mg: 0.04 to 0.45% by mass, and the remainder being aluminum and unavoidable impurities.

Abstract: A vine support system for supporting vine crops includes a vertical post having one or more slotted apertures extending horizontally therethrough. A plurality of cross arms are provided, each cross arm fashioned and dimensioned to snap-engage in one of the slotted apertures and to extend horizontally outwardly from the post. The cross arms are adapted to support lateral trellis wires which engage the canes of a vine crop. Each cross arm is a planar member elongated in a lateral direction and vertically oriented, and includes a pair of L-shaped trellis wire slots opening upwardly at laterally opposed ends of the cross arm. The slots are dimensioned to capture and support trellis wires. A pair of spring tabs are integrally formed with the cross arm and bent outwardly therefrom. Each cross arm is dimensioned to be pushed through the slotted aperture of the vertical post described above, and the spring tab is deflected and compressed as it passes through the aperture.

Abstract: A valve actuator subassembly, such as a finger follower and a hydraulic lash adjuster or a rocker arm and push rod, are held together for shipping and installation in an engine valve train by a retainer clip made of wire or sheet, metal or plastic material. The retainer clip includes a U-shaped body having first and second nearly parallel legs interconnected at first ends by a resilient portion. The legs are adapted to resiliently engage opposite sides of a wall of a rockable actuator member having a raised portion on a first side aligned with a socket on a second side. The first leg includes a guide recess adjacent a second end and adapted to guidingly engage the raised portion on the first side of the wall.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing an aneurysm clip (10) having a coil spring (22), a first arm (26) ending in a first clamping jaw, and a second arm (34) ending in a second clamping jaw (40). The method includes: (a) providing a cylindrical starting rod (1) of titanium or titanium alloy; (b) cold drawing the rod to reduce its diameter and increase its strength; (c) cutting the rod to form a single resilient member (12); (d) winding the member about a mandrel to form the coil spring while incorporating the deflection of the arms into the clamping force of the clip; (e) shaping the member into two end sections (16) forming the clamping jaws and two connecting sections (18) forming connecting elements for the jaws; (f) coining the two end sections of the member a temperature between 900 and 1000 degrees F.; and (g) bending the clamping jaws into a position assuring that the clamping jaws are parallel when clamped onto tissue (70).

Abstract: A hog ring fastener has a straight line base and legs each perpendicular to the base but offset at an angle to each other permitting the use of relatively inexpensive "C" points. A stick of the fasteners is generally channel shaped, with the legs and bases all angularly inclined to the longitudinal axis of the stick. The assembly of fasteners is made in a multiwire process by severing blanks and forming the legs at a bias to a line perpendicular to the wire direction. A tool and method for applying the fastener carries out two different deformation stages, one being a predeformation stage to incline the legs of the fastener inward to a preferred application position.

Abstract: An apparatus used for the paper clip making machine downstream of the cutting machine comprises, a set of conveyors including continuous belt continuous chains, transferring wheels for advancing the cut wires, pieces of magnet properly located on the conveyors for attracting and arraying the cut wire in a proper orientation, three annular members spaced apart and mounted for rotation on the same axis, each of the annular members having a plurality of forming die member on the rim thereof for receiving and engaging cut wires, three segmented ring members of different lengths provided along the circumferences of corresponding annular members, ramming means provided at two sides of the annular member assembly adapted to exert bending forces on cut wires in the direction parallel to the axis of the annular member, the die members intermittently rising from the rim of the annular member to cooperate with the ramming means to bend the cut wires about the segmented ring members.

Abstract: An apparatus for making paper clips which includes cutting predetermined lengths of wire by advancing a continuous wire at a predetermined speed to a cutting station. The cutting station includes knife means with the knife having a cutting blade edge for penetrating the wire. Delivery means to engage the wire are provided along the path downstream of the cutting station for advancing the wire into a receiving slot. The receiving slot is provided with a deflecting member at an acute angle to the path of the wire and a magnet. The cut wire is then lifted out of the slot by an elevator platform means, and the wire is engaged by a ramming plate associated with three spindles, each spindle adapted to pass through a respective die member and the die member having spiral bending edges for bending the cut wire about the respective spindles for forming the paper clip.

Abstract: Clips adapted to be subsequently employed in tying the necks of bags and the like are formed in a continuous ribbon of metallic material and adapted to be wound on a reel for subsequent use as ties. A continuous ribbon of flat material is bent alternately in opposite directions at spaced points along its length to form a continuous length of generally sinusoidal-shaped similar connected elements so that substantially all of the deformation of the material takes place when the approaching end of the ribbon is free and thus not subject to being stretched or compressed except so far as these deformations take place during the bending process.

Abstract: The specification discloses a kit for making a universal clip. The kit includes a base having a horizontal top surface and a vertical side surface. Mounting apertures are disposed in the base for receiving fasteners to mount the base on support structure. A metallic cylinder and a pin extend upwardly from the top surface of the base spaced apart at a predetermined distance. The base also includes two horizontal bores of different bore depths and an oblique bore extending through the top and side surfaces for use in forming a tip on the universal clip. The universal clip is formed from a metallic wire that is wrapped around the cylinder to form a spring loop and forced against the pin to crook the wire to form two arms. A tip is formed on the end of each arm by bending the ends of the wire using the two horizontal bores in the base.

Abstract: A length of wire is formed to a noncircular cross section preparatory to forming the wire into clips. The noncircular cross section is formed by a pair of rollers and the rolled wire is oriented for use in the clip forming machine by guiding the rolled wire in a relatively large loop so that the tendency for the wire to twist after rolling is readily overcome and so that the proper orientation of the wire is achieved while feeding the wire to the clipping apparatus.

Abstract: The device is intended more particularly for closing sausage casings to separate individual sausages of a sausage strand, using clamps or clamping ties of strip material or wire. The closing device is connected to a manufacturing device for making clamps from a substantially continuous length of clamping material. The manufacturing device includes a cutting device, a feeder for feeding the length of clamp material intermittently to the cutting device for severing into individual clamping ties, a bending device operable to bend each clamping tie to provide a pair of substantially parallel legs, a clamping tie closing device operable to wrap each clamping tie around the tubular casing, and a guide operable to supply the bent clamps from the bending device to the closing device.

Abstract: A clip exhibiting improved corrosion resistance and reduced weight is processed by a drawing operation which is preferably conducted without interannealing treatments and which may employ a variation of drawing speeds. The clip of the present invention is prepared from an aluminum base alloy comprising from about 0.05-6.0% silicon, about 0.10-0.8% iron, about 0.02-0.3% copper, up to 1.0% manganese and up to 7.0% magnesium. The resulting clips possess comparable tensile properties to conventional tin and zinc-coated steel clips with an economy of processing.

Abstract: A method for producing piles of U-shaped clips as used for example to close the ends of sausages or the like. A plurality of wire lengths are formed into a band of parallel adjacent wire lengths, to one side of which is applied a layer of material with a thermo-plastic on the side thereof engaging the band. The wire/layer of material combination is then heated to adhere the wire lengths to the layer of material via the thermo-plastic. The wire/layer of material combination is subsequently cut perpendicular to the lengths of wires and bent to form the clips.