Apparatus for making holes in thick stacks of paper

An appratus for making holes in thick stacks of paper, comprising:

• first and second member mounted for relative movement toward and away from one another, the first member having a die surface for bearing the stack of paper and the second member having a punching tool non-rotatably fixed thereto, the punching tool having an inner bore and a sharp axially pointing cutting edge at its end, the bore communicating with a first discharge opening for cut-out cup-shaped waste parts which collect in the bore;
• the die surface having an opening forming a cutting rim at the die surface;
• a counterpunch having a diameter corresponding to the bore in the punching tool and disposed in the opening to form an annular gap between the cutting rim and the counterpunch;
• and,
• an annular removal path for cut-out annular waste parts which collect in the gap, the removal path communicating between the gap and a second discharge opening remote from the die surface, the removal path including means for retarding movement of the annular waste parts along the removal path, so as to form a self-renewing countercutting plug cooperating with the cutting edge of the tool, whereby, when said members undergo movement toward one another, the stack is first cut by the cutting edge of the punching tool alone, the cup-shaped waste parts being transported through the bore in the punching tool to the first discharge opening, and when cutting has progressed through the stack, the paper is punched out between the rim of the die opening and the counterpunch to form both waste parts, the cup-shaped waste parts being transported through the bore, and the annular waste parts being retardedly transported through the removal path.