Stapler

Date: August 13, 2007

To: Cheryl Nobles

From: Iana Machinskaia

Subject: A mechanism process description of a stapler

Figure 1 Stapler

Introduction

A stapler is a portable “device which binds together sheets of paper by driving a thin metal staple through the sheets and folding over the ends to secure the paper”. (Wikipedia)

Most office staplers are 30 cm long, 9 cm wide and 18 cm tall. The stapler is made of rubber, plastic and metal. Main components of an office stapler include the base, the anvil, the magazine, the metal head, the case, the hanger and the springs.

Base

The base is a 30 cm long, flat, box-shaped plastic container, with anti-skid rubber pads attached at the bottom for stable use. The function of the base is to hold the other parts of the stapler in place.

Anvil

Figure 2 Base and Anvil

The anvil is a thin 3 mm metal plate, located on the top of the stapler’s base. When the staple metal head comes down on to the anvil, the anvil helps bend the staple around the back of the paper. Some staples have an anvil that allows bending the staples heads in or out. The outward bent staples are easier to remove and are for temporary fastening.

Magazine

A staple magazine is a metal container hinged to the base and holds the staples. A staple is “a type of two-pronged, usually metal device for joining or binding materials together”.( Wikipedia) The amount of staples that can fit in the magazine depends on the size of the stapler. Average office magazine holds two hundred standard size (6.35 mm) staples.

Metal Head

Figure 3 Metal Head

Metal head is a metal rectangular box which covers the magazine. Its main purpose is to separate one single staple from the row of staples each time the metal head is forced down.

Case

The case is a plastic cover with a length of 30 cm, wideness of 9 cm and tallness of 5 cm that covers the magazine and the springs. The case is mostly used to make the stapler more appealing.

Hanger

A hanger is welded to the base and holds the pin that connects the base, the magazine,