A DEVICE FOR MAKING A STITCHING THREAD ATTACHED WITH A NEEDLE

An object of this invention is to provide a needle attached suture manufacturing apparatus, with a simple construction and reduced cost, capable of assuredly inserting the lead end of a suture in an insertion hole formed in the end of a needle before the end of the needle is swaged. In order to accomplish the above object, a needle swaging device 20 of this apparatus includes die support members 101 and 102 on which swaging dies 111 and 112 are mounted to be movable toward and away from each other. Suture guide plates 95 and 96 are mounted on the die support members 101 and 102 and are formed with guide grooves 95a and 96b, respectively. Before a swaging operation of the needle end by the swaging dies 111 and 112, the suture guide plates 95 and 96 move to a contact state or to a close contact state with each other when the swaging dies 111 and 112 are set to a pre-swaging position in contact with or in close contact with the end of the needle. In this state, the guide grooves 95a and 96b define a tapered (funnel-like) hole for guiding the insertion of the suture lead end into the insertion hole at the end of the needle.