Figure 2 Base and Anvil
Anvil
The anvil is a thin 3 mm metal plate, located on the top of the stapler’s base. When the staple’s metal head comes down onto 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 that is hinged to the base and holds the staples. The magazine enables the stapler to operate more efficiently, as the magazine can hold several hundred staples, as opposed to reloading staples one by one. A staple is “a type of two-pronged, usually , 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. An average office magazine holds two hundred standard size (6.35 mm) staples.
Metal Head
Figure 3 Metal Head
The 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”. (Ewers, William) This part of the device is slightly tilted from the base to ensure that documents can be slipped between the base and metal head and stapled.
Case
The case is a plastic cover with a length of 30 cm, width of 9 cm and height of 5 cm that covers the magazine and the springs. The case is mostly used to make the stapler look pleasing. The case is also designed to appeal to the comfort of its user, as it is often sculpted to fit more easily into the hands of its operator.
Hanger
A hanger is welded to the base and holds the pin that connects the base, the magazine, the metal head, and the case. The pin is a piece of metal cut off to a certain length and shape. Usually, the pin is in a cylinder form about 9 cm long and with a radius of 3 mm. Since the pin is used to hold the top and bottom halves of the stapler,” it is usually made from a strong, heat-treated metal”. (Ewers, William)
Figure 4 Hanger
Springs
Figure 5 Coil Spring
There are two types of springs in the office stapler. One is a coil spring that connects the plastic case, which covers the metal head, to the magazine. The other is a leaf spring, which is made of rolled thin pieces of steel. The leaf spring in a stapler typically performs two separate jobs: it keeps the row of staples lined up in the magazine and “ready to be used, and it returns the metal head to its original upright position.” (Ewers, William)
Conclusion
There many different types of staplers that are used in medicine, production and households, but the basic principles behind its mechanism remain the same for all of them. The bottom portion of the stapler, which includes the base, the anvil, and the hanger, and the top portion, comprised of the magazine, the case, the springs, and the metal head, form the perfect invention to secure documents together with staples.
Work cited
Ewers, William. The Staple Gun in Home and Industry. Sincere Press, 1971.
Retrieved August 13, 2007 from <>
Wikipedia
Retrived August 13, 2007 from
