GB956072A - Electrical connector crimping apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

956,072. Jointing by stamping. AMP Inc. March 20, 1963 [April 2, 1962], No. 12555/62. Heading B3Q. Apparatus for crimping electrical connectors on to electrical wires comprises a series of reciprocable feed fingers each driven by a feed stroke to feed connectors in strip form to a die set for shearing the leading connector from the strip and crimping it to a wire, each dieset having fixed and movable crimping anvils, said fixed anvils being adjustable towards and away from and retainable in working positions along the path of movement of the anvil and a selecting mechanism for preventing one or more of the feed fingers from engaging and advancing its strip of connectors during the feed stroke of that finger. The apparatus comprises a base 1, a platform 3 mounted thereon by spacing bolts 2 on which is mounted an extension plate 3<SP>1</SP> and a pair of feed fingers 12, 13, having adjustable tips, and biased by springs 19 into engagement with the connector, are pivotally connected to a pair of arms 16, 17 bolted to a support 18 which is attached to a reciprocating press ram. The strips 20, 21 of connectors have ring tongues 22, 23 and U-shaped ferrule forming portions 24, 25, the connector 20 and its portion 24 being twice the length of connector 21 and portion 25. A pair of crimping anvils 26, 27 having working faces 40<SP>1</SP> are slidably mounted in slots 28, 29 of a block assembly 30 of a housing 33 and have their inclined lower surfaces 35 in slidable engagement with cooperating surfaces of a pair of height-setting blocks 37 which are adjustable along a base 38 by bolts 41, 42 which are set in association with graduated scales 53 fitted to a cover-plate 34. The scales may be graduated in thousandths of an inch of anvil movement and are exchangeable to suit the various wire and connector gauges used. After setting, screws 47 are tightened to lock the anvils 26, 27 between the blocks 37 and side walls 31, 32. Movable crimping dies 56, 57 and a shear blade 60 attached to the press ram co-operate with the anvils and a pair of fixed shear blades 31<SP>1</SP>, 32<SP>1</SP> respectively to crimp the leading connectors on to wires 58, 59 positioned manually within the ferrule portion thereof and simultaneously shear the connectors from the strip. During the working stroke of the press the fingers are cammed backwardly over the strip whilst during the return stroke they engage and feed the leading connectors to the crimping positions. The stroke of the finger 12 is adjusted by varying the length or position of its tip whilst the finger 13 is held out of engagement during part of its feeding stroke by the extension plate 3<SP>1</SP> which is adjustable axially of its stroke. The fingers may be held out of engagement with the strip by a pivotally mounted plate 5 or other cam means which is rotated under the finger and permits the finger to slide thereon.