Patent ID: 6266871
Filing Date: 2001-07-31
Classification: B21J,B23P,B25B,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for simultaneously applying multiple fasteners to a workpiece, the fasteners being carried by a flexible carrier tape and being spaced along the length of the tape at an integral multiple of a predetermined unit spacing, wherein the apparatus comprises a guide manifold which includes:a top plate incorporating a plurality of spaced fastening stations, each fastening station comprising a plunger which is axially aligned with a respective fastening position and a fastener delivery tube for conducting a fastener from the carrier tape to the respective fastening position;at least one tape guide adapted to guide the tape to successive fastening stations along a path adapted and arranged such that a path length for the tape between each pair of fastening stations is a distance corresponding to an integral multiple of the predetermined unit spacing; andtape indexing means adapted to index the tape a sequence of distances each of which is an integral multiple of the predetermined unit spacing so as to bring a fastener carried by the tape simultaneously into axial alignment with the respective fastener delivery tube at each of the fastening stations.