Space forming apparatus for a slide fastener chain

A space forming apparatus comprising

• chain supplying means for intermittently supplying a long slide fastener chain, which is attached with right and left coupling elements continuously along opposing side edges of a pair of fastener tapes thereof, the space forming apparatus being disposed at a conveying path for said slide fastener chain to remove the coupling elements of a predetermined length successively from said slide fastener chain,
• wherein said space forming apparatus comprises:
• a pair of fixed grippers forming at least part of the conveying path;
• a pair of movable grippers which are cooperatively movable in a vertical direction toward and away from said slide-fastener-chain conveying path;
• a knock-out, which is provided between said pair of fixed grippers and moves vertically between said fixed grippers and between said movable grippers;
• and a punch section, which is disposed so as to oppose a top end of the knock-out and which moves vertically and independently between said pair of movable grippers and cuts coupling heads of the coupling elements while pressing the coupling heads at the time of being cut, and wherein said fixed grippers, said movable grippers, said knock-out and said punch section are accommodated integrally within a single housing having a conveying path for the slide fastener chain;
• and
• wherein the housing is a box, the inside of which is hollow;
• wherein said fixed grippers and the knock-out are accommodated in a bottom portion inside the housing;
• and
• wherein said movable grippers and the punch section are accommodated in an upper portion inside the housing.