Apparatus for feeding stapling elements to a stapling machine suitable to join strips at an angle

In a frame assembling machine which comprises a worktable, a slider, first guides mounted on said slider;

• second guides fixed to said worktable perpendicularly to said first guides, said slider being slideable on said second guides;
• a stapling machine having a striking punch adapted to insert stapling elements astride a joint of strips arranged at an angle on the worktable to form frames, said stapling machine being slideable on said second guides;
• an apparatus for feeding stapling elements, grouped in sets to the stapling machine, comprising:
• a magazine composed of at least one inclined channel for accommodating a plurality of sets of stapling elements arranged in an aligned configuration, said at least one channel having a downward outlet for said sets;
• releasing means for individually releasing said sets from said at least one channel through said outlet;
• a holder including at least one seat, which is arranged below the outlet of said at least one channel and is movable along said first guides with respect to the outlet;
• movement means for moving said holder and said slider between a position in which the holder receives in said at least one seat said sets of stapling elements from said at least one channel, and a position in which the holder positions a respective one of said sets of stapling elements received from said at least one channel, with respect to said stapling machine, so as to align the punch with the stapling elements to be inserted.

An apparatus for feeding stapling elements, grouped in sets, to a stapling machine provided with a striking punch adapted to insert the stapling elements astride a joint of strips arranged on a worktable at an angle to form frames the apparatus comprising:

• a magazine composed of a plurality of inclined, adjacent channels for accommodating in each a plurality of sets of stapling elements arranged in an aligned configuration, said channels having downward outlets for letting out said staple sets;
• releasing means for individually releasing said sets of stapling elements from said channels through said outlets;
• a holder including a plurality of seats adapted to receive sets of stapling elements from said magazine, said holder being arrangeable below the outlets of said channels, said holder being constituted by a sliding block in which said plurality of seats are provided adjacent and parallel one another, said sliding block being movable along transverse and axial directions so as to position said seats aligned with the outlets of said inclined channels, in order to receive said sets of stapling elements therefrom, and so as to arrange a seat of said plurality of seats that contains the stapling elements to be inserted with respect to the stapling machine in a position such as to provide the alignment of said punch with the stapling elements contained in said seat;
• and
• movement means for moving said holder with respect to said channel outlets between a position for receiving from the channel outlets in said at least one seat a staple set and a position for positioning said staple set with respect to said stapling machine so as to align the punch with the stapling elements to be inserted.