Patent ID: 7121952
Filing Date: 2006-10-17
Classification: B21G

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing an adhesive-free clip of fasteners for use in an impact operated tool comprising: a) forming a plurality of loose fasteners from a metal sheet, each fastener having a generally planar head and a longitudinal center line; b) collecting said loose fasteners; c) filling a mechanical fixture by positioning and aligning said loose fasteners so that the heads of each of said fasteners are substantially coplanar and the center lines of said fasteners are substantially coplanar; d) delivering the filled fixture to a welding station; e) locating a reference line with regard to said fixture and locating position coordinates where each pair of adjacent fasteners abut with respect to said reference line, and recording such abutment coordinates; f) positioning a spot welder according to said coordinates; g) spot welding the first two fasteners in such manner that the planarity of the fastener heads and the fastener center lines are maintained, and forming a partial clip; h) relocating the spot welder to the next abutment coordinates and spot welding each fastener to its adjacent fastener while maintaining the planarity of the fastener heads and fastener center lines until the entire clip is completed; whereby the resultant clip is adhesive-free, and the clip is so precisely formed that no post-assembly operations are required.