Method and apparatus for tipping, cutting, and sorting sutures

Abstract

A method and apparatus for tipping, cutting, and sorting sutures includes a suture supply, a tipping station wherein delimited portions of the suture are tipped, preferably with a cyanoacrylate tipping agent, a diameter measuring station, a cutting station wherein a knife is operated to cut the suture at a tipped portion to form cut suture lengths having tipped suture ends for insertion into the barrel end aperture of a surgical needle, and a pair of graspers for alternatively grasping and drawing the suture from the suture supply through the tipping apparatus, the diameter measuring station and the cutting station. Optionally, a drying station can be interposed to hasten the curing of the tipping agent. Preferably, a controller is provided for controlling the sequence of operation of the apparatus and for controlling sorting of cut suture lengths deposited by the graspers onto a tilting sorting table.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.