Method for cutting suture

A method for cutting an indefinite length of suture to uniform lengths for subsequent threading and swaging to surgical needles having a suture receiving opening formed therein, comprising:

• (a) feeding the indefinite length suture to a drawing axis of an apparatus for drawing and cutting thereof, said drawing axis being defined as being parallel to first and second longitudinal members of a drawing frame of said apparatus;
• (b) heating a predetermined small length of the suture to stiffen the small length of suture after subsequent cooling thereof, in preparation for cutting the suture at the stiffened small length and inserting a stiffened lead cut end of the suture into an end of a needle for swaging thereto;
• (c) gripping said indefinite length suture and alternately drawing it along said drawing axis by first and second gripping means, said first and second gripping means being mounted for reciprocal movement on at least one of said first and second longitudinal members, wherein one of said first and second gripping means draws the indefinite length suture to a position beyond said cutting means, while the other of said first and second gripping means reciprocates to a start position along said drawing axis before said cutting means, such that the first and second gripping means are used alternately to draw said indefinite length suture through the apparatus and to feed said indefinite length suture into a needle;
• (d) cutting said indefinite length suture to provide uniform lengths of suture;
• (e) providing a predetermined long length of suture travel between the heating step and the cutting step, which is a discrete number, two or more, times the uniform length of suture being cut by the apparatus, to provide a discrete number, two or more, of apparatus cutting cycles between heating of the suture and cutting of the suture, whereby after heating of a small length of suture, the suture is cooled to allow setting and hardening of the suture material prior to cuffing.