US3894334A - Method of manufacturing contact springs - Google Patents

Method of manufacturing contact springs Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3894334A
US3894334A US468341A US46834174A US3894334A US 3894334 A US3894334 A US 3894334A US 468341 A US468341 A US 468341A US 46834174 A US46834174 A US 46834174A US 3894334 A US3894334 A US 3894334A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
springs
contact
billet
welding
spring
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US468341A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Royston Walter Bannister
Frank Taylor
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
STC PLC
Original Assignee
International Standard Electric Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by International Standard Electric Corp filed Critical International Standard Electric Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3894334A publication Critical patent/US3894334A/en
Assigned to STC PLC reassignment STC PLC ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A DE CORP.
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H49/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of relays or parts thereof
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H11/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches
    • H01H11/04—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts
    • H01H11/041—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion
    • H01H11/043—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion by resistance welding
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
    • Y10T29/49117—Conductor or circuit manufacturing
    • Y10T29/49204—Contact or terminal manufacturing
    • Y10T29/49208—Contact or terminal manufacturing by assembling plural parts
    • Y10T29/4921—Contact or terminal manufacturing by assembling plural parts with bonding
    • Y10T29/49211—Contact or terminal manufacturing by assembling plural parts with bonding of fused material
    • Y10T29/49213—Metal

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT Method and apparatus are disclosed for welding electrical contacts onto springs.
  • a billet of contact material is first welded to two contact springs and. after welding. is cut in two parts leaving one contact on each spring.
  • the method provides rapid and precise means for attaching precious metal contacts to spring material. 1
  • a method of manufacturing contact springs by providing a billet of contact material and two springs, supporting the billet and springs so that the billet touches the two springs, passing an electric welding current to weld the billet to both springs, and then forming the billet into separate portions such that each spring is left with a contact made from the billet.
  • each spring is bifurcated, two billets can be welded simultaneously.
  • apparatus for manufacturing contact springs in a continuous process comprising a welding station, a cutting station and a coining station, first transfer means for transferring first and second contact springs through the stations, second transfer means for transferring a contact billet to the welding station, and holding means for holding the billet against and between opposed contact portions of the springs for welding to both springs at the welding station, the cutting and coining stations being effective to form the billet into separate portions such that each spring is left with a contact made from the billet.
  • the contact material is in the form of wire fed to a billet cutting station, there being a circular disc having a slotted periphery arranged to pass through said cutting station and pick up said free end portion in a peripheral slot, there being a cutter to cut a free end portion of the wire so that after cutting the billet is carried away from the cutting station in the slot towards the welding station where it is welded to the springs.
  • the springs are punched out of strips of contact spring material.
  • the springs can remain integral with the respective strip, or they can be separated and stacked prior to feeding through the contact making and forming stations.
  • the springs are fed through the contact welding station and then through a cutting station where the billet is cut so that the contact springs become separated.
  • the springs pass through a coining station where the unfinished contacts are coined to shape. They are then stacked or if integral with the strips rewound on respective separate reels.
  • FIGS. I-6 filed with the Provisional Specification and FIGS. 7-I0 of the accompanying drawings, wherein:
  • FIGS. lA-lG illustrate schematically the billet and contact forming process according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIGS. 2A2D show schematically parts of an apparatus for carrying out the forming process of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 shows schematically apparatus incorporating the parts of FIG. 2;
  • FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively a plan and side view of a complete high speed contact forming and welding machine incorporating the features outlined in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3;
  • FIG. 5 shows in greater detail typical contact springs, during a stage of manufacture according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 6 shows a welding head arrangement suitable for use in the embodiment of FIG. 4;
  • FIG. 7 shows schematically an alternative embodi ment of the present invention
  • FIG. 8 shows in greater detail part of the embodiment of FIG. 7
  • FIGS. 9 and 9A show another part of the embodiment of FIG. 7 in greater detail.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic section of part of FIG. 9 on a different scale.
  • precious metal wire I is fed from a reel to a cutting station where a cut 2 forms a billet 3 for transfer to a welding station (FIG. IA and FIG. 1B).
  • the billet 3 is located between two springs 4 and 5 (FIG. 1C) and is welded to the springs 4 and 5 at the welding station (FIG. ID).
  • the springs and welded billet move on to a cutting station where a cut 6 (FIG. 1E) forms the welded billet into two separate contacts 7 and 8 (FIG. IF).
  • the contacts are subsequently coined to produce the finished contacts 9 and 10 (FIG. 1G).
  • FIG. 1 describes the basic process and apparatus and further details of various other aspects of the process and apparatus will be more fully explained in the subsequent drawings.
  • FIG. 2A shows the use of two rotating cutters 11 and 12 for cutting a billet 3 from the fed wire I.
  • a carrier plate 13 carries the billet in a slot I4 to a welding station illustrated schematically in FIG. 28.
  • two rolling electrodes 15 and I6 supply welding current from a supply (not shown) through the springs 4 and 5 and the billet 3 as the springs and billet pass between the rollers.
  • From the welding station the springs and welded billet pass to a cutting station illustrated schematically in FIG. 2C where the billet is cut into the separate unfinished contacts 7 and 8.
  • FIG. 2D a coining station illustrated schematically by FIG. 2D comprising two rollers 17 and 18, the roller I7 having recesses such as 19 having the shape of the finished contacts such as 9.
  • the springs are connected together and form part of an integral strip which is unwound from a first roller pass through the welding and forming apparatus and are wound onto a second roller (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5).
  • the precious metal contact wire I is fed from several reels of the wire (not shown) via a wire feeder 20 to a rotating wire feed turret 21 which is rotationally fast with a cutter wheel 21 (similar to wheel 11, FIG. 2A).
  • the turret 20 carries free end portions, such as 22, into the cutting station where they are picked up by slots such as 23 in the carrier plate 24 (similar to carrier plate 13 in FIG. 2).
  • the cut billets are held captive in the slot such as 23 by means of a cover plate 25 and base 26 and intermediate pressure plate 27, during their transfer round to the diametrically opposed welding station illustrated schematically by rotary welding electrodes 28 and 29 (corresponding to 15 and 16 in FIG. 2).
  • Pre-punched strips 30 and 31 of transverse springs (such as 4 and 5, FIG. 2) are advanced through the welding station and to the cutting station represented schematically by cooperating cutter wheel 32 and 33 (corresponding to the wheels shown in FIG. 2C).
  • each contact could then be subjected to a coining operation as illustrated in FIG. 2D, or alternatively, could simply be rewound on take-up reels for coining elsewhere.
  • FIG. 4 two coils of pre-punched nickel silver strip A provide springs arranged across the strips with the contact positions along one edge.
  • FIG. shows clearly a typical spring configuration having slots 34 and 35 to engage with feed sprockets B for synchronously advancing the pre-punched strip to the welding and cutting stations.
  • Coils C of precious metal wire e.g. 0.85 m/m diameter are mounted on the billet producing unit, above a wire feeder and turret such as is shown schematically in FIG. 3.
  • each individual contact spring locates in a nest (not shown) on the billet carrier plate to ensure accurate location of the billet with respect to the contact springs.
  • the two strips now joined by a billet at each contact position continue through the machine to the cutting station E where the two rotary blades cut the billets into half, thus separating the spring strips and leaving chisel-shaped contacts on each strip.
  • the strips are then rewound onto individual take-up reels.
  • the final coining of the contacts can be performed at a later stage, when the strips are cut into individual springs.
  • the welding current can be monitored as every billet is welded to give an immediate indication of the condition of the weld and the machine can be arranged to automatically stop if a fault occurs.
  • FIG. 6 there is shown one embodiment of welding apparatus which would be situated above the strips of contact springs as they pass through the welding station. Below the strips would be a similar piece of welding apparatus working synchronously with the one shown.
  • the apparatus comprises an electrode carrier 36 carrying an electrode 37.
  • the carrier is mounted on flexures 38 connected to a block 38a mounted on a beam 39.
  • the beam 39 is pivotably connected at 40 and 41 to respective depending beams 42 and 43 pivotably connected to a frame (not shown) at 44 and 45.
  • a compression spring arrangement 46 acts between a cam 47 and the top of the electrode carrier 36. This cam 47 imparts up and down motion to the electrode while a second cam 48 imparts horizontal motion to the electrode.
  • the cams co-operate to drive the electrode tip 37 over the closed loop a, b, c, d indicated by the dotted line in the Figure.
  • the electrode tip is positioned just above the tip of a contact spring about to be welded and proceeds down into contact with the strip at position b, through the combined action of the cams 47 and 48, spring arrangement 46 and slight flex ure of the flexures 38.
  • the electrode tip is held in contact with the spring contact and weld current is applied to weld the contact to the contact spring.
  • the cam 47 allows the electrode tip to rise to position d away from the contact spring and then cam 48 causes the tip to return through the loop back to position a to commence a further weld on a subsequent contact spring.
  • the machine comprises a double feeder unit A which feeds two prepunched springs from the spring magazines B to the transfer track C.
  • a transfer mechanism (shown more clearly in FIG. 8) moves the springs along the track to the operating stations.
  • the first operating station is the welding heads D' (one above and one below) and, to one side of the transfer track there is the precious metal wire feed unit E from which the individual billets are cut (shown in greater detail in FIGS. 9 and 10).
  • a splitter cut station F separates the two springs which have been welded together via a pair of billets and the spring contacts are coined at the coining unit G.
  • the individual springs are stacked on stacking stems H.
  • This machine differs from the one described earlier also in that the welding head does not move with the contact springs neither does the precious metal wire feed unit E rotate. This also is fixed and the whole process is a step-by-step process, the operations at the various stations taking place while the transfer of the springs has temporarily halted.
  • FIG. 8 the feed of the individual contact springs is shown on a larger scale and in greater detail, although still somewhat schematically.
  • the initial part of the feeding unit A comprises a rotating crank 50 with a connecting rod 51 driving a feeding tongue 52 to and fro sinusoidally.
  • a spring magazine 53 (one of the magainzes B in FIG. 7) feeds the springs in front of the tongue 52 which projects them forward so that the springs such as 54 become engaged by a feeding arm 55 driven in orbital fashion by a crank 56.
  • the arm 55 has a plurality of teeth 57 which drives the springs such as 54 along by their rear edge.
  • a guiding arm 58 is driven up and down by a connecting rod 59 and a rotating crank 60.
  • This arm 58 has a plurality of teeth 61 having tapered ends such as 62.
  • the synchronization of the movement of the arms 55 and 58 and the tongue 52 is indicated on their respective crank positions by the letters a, b and c.
  • a second feed of contact springs from the second of the magazines B (FIG. 7) is positioned just below those shown in FIG. 8 and separated by the track plates. Arms similar to 55 and 58 would be positioned upside down with reference to FIG. 8 to feed the underlying row of springs in synchronism with the first row shown in FIG. 8. As illustrated in FIG. 7 the feed unit A has two tongues (each similar to 52 in FIG. 8) for feeding from the respective magazines.
  • FIG. 9 there is shown perspectively and schematically a wire feed unit E and one of the welding heads D.
  • the arrangement is somewhat similar to that shown in FIG. 3 except that only two precious metal wires 63 and 64 are fed to provide the billets in pockets such as 65 in a billet carrier wheel 66.
  • a flying cutter arm 67 having two cutting wheels 68 and 69 will rotate anticlockwise about the pivot 70 sufficient to cut the two wires 63 and 64 just above the pockets in the wheel 66 in which the wires are positioned.
  • the arm 67 returns then to its position shown in the Figure and the wheel 66 rotates clockwise about the pivot 70 through one step, i.e. to a position where the next pair of pockets 65 is situated beneath the wires 63 and 64 to receive the end portions of the wires.
  • the cut billets are carried around by the wheel 66 to the position of the welding head D.
  • contact springs 54 are advanced so that at the welding position their contact head portions just overlie the wheel 66 to receive a pair of billets.
  • a similar feed of contact springs is also fed just beneath those shown in FIG. 9 so that their contact tip portions overlie the other side of the wheel 66 in a corresponding position.
  • the welding head D' welds the contact spring 54' to a corresponding spring beneath it via the two contact billets and this is shown by the reference numeral 54".
  • FIG. 9A the contact tip portions of the two contact springs 54" held together by their welded contact billets 55 and 56 are shown in greater detail (each similar to the contact billet 3 shown in the sequency of events in FIGS. lA-lG).
  • a guiding and feeding arrangement (not shown in FIG. 8) would be used to guide the contact wires 63 and 64 accurately into the pockets such as 65 in the wheel 66.
  • FIG. 10 is a section in the direction of the arrows on the line X-X shown in FIG. 9, but with the flying cutter arm 67 on the point of cutting a billet from the wire 63.
  • the cutter wheels 68 and 69 are rotated in mutually opposite directions as they approach the wire 63 so that as the wheel peripheries touch the is 63 there is little or no relative movement between the peripheries of these wheels and the wire 63. This ensures a clean cut of the wire 63 with the cutting peripheries.
  • a billet 71 (similar to 3, 56 and 55 of the other figures) is thus cut from the wire and is held in position in the pocket 65 of the wheel 66 and a guide wall 72 ensures that the billet does not fall out of the pocket during rotation of the wheel 66 to transfer the billet to the welding station D.
  • the FIG. 10, being schematic, does not show associated driving gearwheels etc, which would be required to drive the cutter wheels 68 and 69 and to rotate the am 67 and also to drive the carrier wheel 66.
  • a method of manufacturing contact springs comprising the following steps:

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
  • Wire Processing (AREA)
US468341A 1973-05-31 1974-05-09 Method of manufacturing contact springs Expired - Lifetime US3894334A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB2600173A GB1418205A (en) 1973-05-31 1973-05-31 Making contact springs

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3894334A true US3894334A (en) 1975-07-15

Family

ID=10236784

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US468341A Expired - Lifetime US3894334A (en) 1973-05-31 1974-05-09 Method of manufacturing contact springs

Country Status (10)

Country Link
US (1) US3894334A (pt)
AR (1) AR202650A1 (pt)
BE (1) BE815771A (pt)
BR (1) BR7404033D0 (pt)
CH (1) CH580333A5 (pt)
ES (1) ES426796A1 (pt)
FR (1) FR2232059B3 (pt)
GB (1) GB1418205A (pt)
IT (1) IT1012471B (pt)
NL (1) NL7407149A (pt)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4357751A (en) * 1979-11-06 1982-11-09 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. Electrical contact manufacturing method and apparatus
US8607607B1 (en) * 2009-06-18 2013-12-17 Elizabeth-Hata International System and method for feeding wire material to a rotary press
US20230241672A1 (en) * 2018-04-04 2023-08-03 Metal Powder Works, LLC System and Method for Manufacturing Powders from Ductile Materials

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CH624326A5 (pt) * 1976-09-18 1981-07-31 Heraeus Gmbh W C

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2129845A (en) * 1936-09-11 1938-09-13 Western Electric Co Electric welding machine
US3114828A (en) * 1960-12-14 1963-12-17 Sylvania Electric Prod Manufacture of electrical contacts
US3229357A (en) * 1961-07-05 1966-01-18 Schlatter Ag Process and apparatus for manufacturing contact blades
US3382575A (en) * 1965-06-02 1968-05-14 Sylvania Electric Prod Method of making electrical contacts from strip stock
US3475816A (en) * 1966-01-03 1969-11-04 Texas Instruments Inc Method of joining metal materials having different characteristics
US3485994A (en) * 1966-10-12 1969-12-23 Western Electric Co Apparatus for resistance welding spaced contact elements onto a strip of material
US3803711A (en) * 1971-02-04 1974-04-16 Texas Instruments Inc Electrical contact and method of fabrication

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2129845A (en) * 1936-09-11 1938-09-13 Western Electric Co Electric welding machine
US3114828A (en) * 1960-12-14 1963-12-17 Sylvania Electric Prod Manufacture of electrical contacts
US3229357A (en) * 1961-07-05 1966-01-18 Schlatter Ag Process and apparatus for manufacturing contact blades
US3382575A (en) * 1965-06-02 1968-05-14 Sylvania Electric Prod Method of making electrical contacts from strip stock
US3475816A (en) * 1966-01-03 1969-11-04 Texas Instruments Inc Method of joining metal materials having different characteristics
US3485994A (en) * 1966-10-12 1969-12-23 Western Electric Co Apparatus for resistance welding spaced contact elements onto a strip of material
US3803711A (en) * 1971-02-04 1974-04-16 Texas Instruments Inc Electrical contact and method of fabrication

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4357751A (en) * 1979-11-06 1982-11-09 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. Electrical contact manufacturing method and apparatus
US8607607B1 (en) * 2009-06-18 2013-12-17 Elizabeth-Hata International System and method for feeding wire material to a rotary press
US20230241672A1 (en) * 2018-04-04 2023-08-03 Metal Powder Works, LLC System and Method for Manufacturing Powders from Ductile Materials
US12023731B2 (en) * 2018-04-04 2024-07-02 Metal Powder Works, LLC System and method for manufacturing powders from ductile materials

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AR202650A1 (es) 1975-06-30
BR7404033D0 (pt) 1975-09-23
IT1012471B (it) 1977-03-10
NL7407149A (pt) 1974-12-03
GB1418205A (en) 1975-12-17
CH580333A5 (pt) 1976-09-30
FR2232059A1 (pt) 1974-12-27
AU6860774A (en) 1975-11-06
ES426796A1 (es) 1976-07-16
BE815771A (nl) 1974-12-02
FR2232059B3 (pt) 1977-04-22

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4164808A (en) Apparatus for producing sets of accurately and identically sized wire leads
US5701788A (en) Razor blade manufacture
US1920630A (en) Automatic electrode mounting machine
CN103151735A (zh) 线材的保护膜剥离装置以及线材的保护膜剥离方法
US4165768A (en) Wire straightening mechanism for wire lead production apparatus
US3894334A (en) Method of manufacturing contact springs
US4125137A (en) Apparatus for locating wires in predetermined co-planar relationship to each other
US3382575A (en) Method of making electrical contacts from strip stock
US4159413A (en) Contact welding machine, particularly for automatic application of tiny contact plates to a substrate carrier
CA1070095A (en) Electrical terminal insertion apparatus
US2749419A (en) Machine for welding contacts onto switch parts
US2677173A (en) Automatic machine for forming and mounting crystal diode electrodes
US3516157A (en) Methods of and apparatus for assembling terminal strips
US2798936A (en) Method of and apparatus for welding contacts onto relay parts
US2564874A (en) Terminal wiring method and apparatus
US3689981A (en) Methods of assembling electrical components
US2681447A (en) Machine for crimping electric connector members on the ends of wires
US4205772A (en) Terminal pin insertion machine
US1677133A (en) Method of and machine for feeding and working articles
US3004565A (en) Device for indexing, guiding and severing a plurality of wires
US4162572A (en) Providing solder on electrical contacts
US3298217A (en) Terminal attaching machines
US4777720A (en) Method for manufacturing multiple-wire brush contact
US2683474A (en) Method of and apparatus for forming polygonal brackets
US2771539A (en) Apparatus for welding contacts onto wire spring relays

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: STC PLC, 10 MALTRAVERS STREET, LONDON, WC2R 3HA, E

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A DE CORP.;REEL/FRAME:004761/0721

Effective date: 19870423

Owner name: STC PLC,ENGLAND

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A DE CORP.;REEL/FRAME:004761/0721

Effective date: 19870423