Patent ID: 8033005

Claim:
A method for making a collated fastener assembly comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of fasteners in a row parallel to one another, the fasteners being arranged in a plane, the fasteners each having a head and a tip; preheating the plurality of fasteners to elevate the temperature of the fasteners; applying a molten polymer material onto the preheated plurality of fasteners; conveying the fasteners with the molten polymer thereon between a pair of forming wheels; maintaining the fasteners in the plane; molding the molten polymer material onto the preheated fasteners and between adjacent fasteners to form a plastic molding having a collar encircling a shank of each fastener and a connecting portion between adjacent fasteners; and spraying a cooling vapor onto the fasteners and the plastic molding as the fasteners and the plastic molding exit from between the molding wheels.