Adjustable crimping die for clipper mechanism

Claim 1

In a clip attachment apparatus of the type for attaching a U-shaped clip, having a crown and depending legs, about gathered material by forming the legs of the U-shaped clip to encircle the gathered material, said apparatus including a C-shaped die support plate with a channel for receipt of a clip and a die support for holding a die that directs the deformation of the legs of the clip, a punch slidable in the channel for engaging the crown of a clip to drive the clip against the die, and means for operating the punch to reciprocate in the channel, the improvement comprising, in combination: an adjustable crimping die mounted in the die support, said adjustable crimping die including a die block having a curved die forming spiral groove for receipt of the legs of a clip, said block being slidably positioned in a counterbore in the die support plate to move toward and away from the direction of clip movement in the channel, said block including a lower wedge surface; a wedge member supported on a base surface of the counterbore and slidable transversely in the direction of punch travel in the counterbore against the lower wedge surface of the die block to engage the surface and move the die block relative to the extent of travel of the punch thereby controlling the formation of the clip about the gathered material; and an adjustable wedge member drive rod means in the die support plate engaged against the wedge member to control the position of the wedge member and thus the position of the die block.