GB974387A - Automatic piece-part fabricating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

974,387. Making electrical connectors; forging; shearing; welding by fusion; jointing by stamping. NEW TWIST CONNECTOR CORPORATION. Dec. 4, 1962 [Jan. 22, 1962], No. 45847/62. Headings B3A, B3H, B3Q, B3R and B3W. [Also in Division B8] Electrical pin connectors are made by an automatic machine (Figs. 1, 2) in a sequence of camcontrolled operations at stationary work stations over sprockets 8a to 8g, the connectors being carried on work-holders 28 on a continuously moving endless chain 6 (see Division B8). Each work-holder 28 is carried to a rest position over sprocket 8a at a feed station 18 (Figs. 11, 12), where a ferrule 190, held in a notch 172 on an arm 177 by a spring 171 is carried about a pivot 142 to a position over the work-holder 28 on to which it is fed by a ram 162, the ferrules 190 remaining in the feed tube 16 being prevented from falling out by the arm 177. The ferrule 190 is then carried to an assembly station 32 above the sprocket 8b where it is clamped (Fig. 20) by members 79 sliding in channels 77 by rotation of a member 213 by slots 83 co-operating with pin 81. A stranded flexible wire 194 (Fig. 16) is pushed into the ferrule 190, the clamping members 79 tightened to crimp the ferrule 190 on to the wire 194 and the wire 194 severed by rotation of a member 236 (Fig. 17). The work-holder 28 is then carried to a welding station 34 (Fig. 23) above the sprocket 8c where the piece part is clamped, the wire 194 being received in a quartz insert 311 and an electrode 308 brought in correct relation with the wire 194 and a welding arc instituted. On retraction of the electrode 308 and the quartz insert 311 the work-holder 28 is carried to a forming station 36 (Fig. 25) above the sprocket 8d. The piece part is clamped between retaining arms 330, 332 (Fig. 24), the wire 194 being received in a die 353 and receiving an impact from an electrically operated ram 386. The wire 194 has a relatively soft core surrounded by resilient helical wires fixed to the core at one end by the ferrule 190 and at the other by the welding step so that the impact shortens the core and bars the helical wires outwardly in conformity with the shape of the die cavity 355. The piece part is then carried to a sizing station 38 (Fig. 26) above the sprocket 8e where a die 450 having a cavity 452 of determined size is forced over the piece-part to size it by downward movement of a cylinder 428. On retraction of the cylinder 428 a knock-out pin 448 pushes the piece-part out of the die 450. The finished pin connector is inspected for size at an inspection station 40 above the sprocket 8f and removed from the machine at a removal station 42 above the sprocket 8g