A device for connecting products composed of stacked and continuously conveyed webs or sheets of paper or the like, wherein the webs or sheets are connected by a wire-like stapling material which can be cut and deformed into individual clamps. The stapling device includes a supply roll with conveying unit for the stapling material, a cutting device for cutting the stapling material to a length required for forming the clamps, a clamp forming unit, a plunger for pushing the formed clamps into the product and a clamp closing unit. The supply roll with the conveying unit, the cutting device and the plunger of the stapling device are mounted on a rotatable drum-shaped body which approximately contacts the product on one side thereof transversely of the conveying direction. The clamp forming unit is composed of a pocket provided in the drum-shaped body and a radially displaceable clamp forming body which rotates synchronously with the drum-shaped body and is mounted on the same side of the product as the drum-shaped body, wherein the axis of rotation of the clamp forming body extends parallel to the axis of the drum-shaped body. The clamp closing unit is mounted on a rotatable body which is located on the side of the product opposite of the drum-shaped body and can also be driven synchronously with the drum-shaped body.
A rotary stitching device has a wire supply, a cutting device for cutting a wire section from the wire supply, and a rotating forming wheel having a forming wheel axis of rotation, the rotating forming wheel receiving the wire section. A rotating delivery wheel has a delivery wheel axis of rotation parallel to the forming wheel axis of rotation and an outer circumference, the delivery wheel having an opening in the outer circumference and having at least one stitching head, and the forming wheel placing the wire section in the opening to form a stitch. A printed product conveyor moves printed products in a direction perpendicular to the delivery wheel axis of rotation so that the printed products receive the stitch from the stitching head.
