GB1428886A - Apparatus for assembling electrical contacts to a printed circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

1428886 Assembling components on a printed circuit board AMP Inc 5 June 1974 [25 June 1973] 24853/74 Heading B3A An apparatus for assembling a plurality of electrical contacts (210), Fig. 6 (not shown), to a printed circuit board, the contacts being mounted on a carrier strip (211) and having legs (212) adapted to pass through holes in the circuit board, comprises a contact support comb 26, Fig. 5, mounted on a slide 16, which is movable between a first or a loading position at which the comb and circuit board are mounted on the slide with the contact legs passing through holes in the circuit board, and a second position at which the legs extend towards a reciprocable clinch plate 34, Fig. 3, a stripper block 21 which spaces the carrier strip 211 from the contact legs, and means for moving the stripper block away from the comb for removing the carrier strip from the contacts after they have been assembled to the circuit board. The comb with a strip of contacts is placed in a recess 125 in the slide 16 and the carrier strip 211 is located in a groove 133 in a block 21. A printed circuit board is placed on the slide with one side engaging a flange 122 and the contact legs extending through holes in the board. The slide is moved to its second position by pushing handles 43 whereupon a spring plunger (62), Fig. 2 (not shown), engages in a slot (119) in the slide, and a release pin 24, Fig. 3, moves down in its recess 127 as it crosses a ramp 12 of a back-up plate 11. The stripper block is centralized by cam rods (38), (39), Fig. 4 (not shown), and a plate 17 operates a micro-switch 41 to actuate the plate 34 thereby clinching the contact legs to the circuit board. After clinching and as the cam rods (38), (39) ascend surfaces 131 engage a follower to move the block 21 in its housing away from the comb to remove the carrier strip 211 from the contacts and cause a locking pin 25 to enter the recess 127. The slide is then withdrawn by pressing on the handles 43 and the pin 24 rides up the ramp 12 to displace the pin 25 and release the block 21. The plunger spring (62) rides out of the slot (119), the comb 26 is removed from the recess 125 and the assembled circuit board and contacts removed from the comb.