Apparatus for forming a slot in a headless screw

An apparatus for forming slots in headless screws comprising:

• a rotatable disc having a horizontal shaft and a circumferential end;
• a plurality of clamps which are mounted on the rotatable disc and which extend radially and are spaced apart circumferentially along said circumferential end, each of said clamps including a first component and a second component having clamping parts adjacent to said circumferential end and connecting parts inwardly of said clamping parts, said clamping parts being normally spaced apart from each other and said connecting parts being connected to one another, said first and second components being aligned in an axial direction of said rotatable disc and provided with cavities in said clamping parts for complementing one another to form a screw receiving space which is open substantially at said circumferential end for exposing one end of said headless screw, said second component having a resiliently bendable part between said clamping part and said connecting part thereof for permitting said clamping part of said second component to bend toward said first component, each of said cavities having a segment-shaped cross-section and an arched clamp face for contacting said headless screw when said clamping part of said second component moves toward said first component to be in a clamping position;
• a feeding member provided above said circumferential end for dropping said headless screws into said screw receiving spaces one after the other;
• a rotary cutter unit rotatable about an axis parallel to said shaft of said rotatable disc and provided adjacent to said circumferential end, said rotary cutter being located downstream of said feeding member so as to cut successively the ends of said headless screws which are exposed from said screw receiving spaces of said clamps, respectively;
• and
• a press member provided adjacent to said rotary cutter unit for pressing said clamping part of said second component of each of said clamps to the clamping position to grip said headless screw which is being cut by said rotary cutter unit.