Importance

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Abstract

A needle particularly well-suited for use in the dispensing of plastic fasteners of the type comprising a filament having a cross-bar at a first end thereof, each of the cross-bar and the filament including a first flat side, the first flat sides of the cross-bar and the filament being coplanar. The needle includes a stem portion. The stem portion terminates in a tip at its front end and is shaped to define a longitudinal bore and a longitudinal slot. The longitudinal bore is shaped to receive the cross-bar, and the longitudinal slot is shaped to permit the filament to extend therethrough while the cross-bar is disposed within the longitudinal bore. The longitudinal bore has a first flat side, and the longitudinal slot has a first flat side, the first flat sides of the longitudinal bore and the longitudinal slot being coplanar. Preferably, the cross-bar and the filament collectively have a 'd'-shaped cross-section, and the longitudinal bore and longitudinal slot of the needle collectively have a corresponding 'd'-shaped cross-section. The stem portion is preferably made of a boron/nickel alloy and is preferably made using electroforming. A conventional needle base portion may be insert-molded onto the rear end of the stem portion to facilitate removable mounting of the stem portion in a fastener attaching tool.

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First Claim