Terminal crimping machine having a wire clamp
AssigneeTyco Electronics Corporation
InventorsMichael Morris, Neil Edward Deming, Christopher John Karrasch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A terminal crimping machine includes a termination tool having crimp tooling defining a crimping zone that receives the terminal and the wire. The crimp tooling is actuated during a crimp stroke to crimp the terminal to the wire. The terminal crimping machine includes a wire clamp holding the wire near the crimping zone. The wire clamp releases the wire prior to completion of the crimp to allow extrusion of the wire during the crimping process. Optionally, the wire clamp may release the wire prior to bottom dead center of the crimp stroke. The wire clamp may release the wire after the terminal partially retains the wire.
Claims20
A terminal crimping machine that crimps a terminal to a wire, the terminal crimping machine comprising:
- crimp tooling, the crimp tooling defining a crimping zone that receives the terminal and the wire, the crimp tooling being actuated during a crimp stroke to crimp the terminal to the wire;
- a wire clamp holding the wire near the crimping zone, the wire clamp releasing the wire prior to completion of the crimp to allow extrusion of the wire during the crimping process.
A terminal crimping machine that crimps a terminal to a wire, the terminal crimping machine comprising:
- a termination tool having an actuator and crimp tooling comprising an anvil and a ram movable by the actuator, a crimping zone being defined between the ram and the anvil that receives the terminal and the wire, the ram being actuated by the actuator during a crimp stroke in an advancing direction and then in a retracting direction, the ram being actuated by the actuator in the advancing direction from a released position to an initial contact position where the ram makes initial contact with the terminal, the ram being actuated by the actuator in the advancing direction from the initial contact position to a bottom dead center position where the ram is at the closest position to the anvil during the crimp stroke, the ram being actuated by the actuator in the retracting direction from the bottom dead center position to a separation position where the ram separates from the terminal, the ram being actuated by the actuator in the retracting direction from the separation position to the released position where the ram is at the furthest position from the anvil during the crimp stroke;
- and
- a wire clamp holding the wire near the crimping zone, the wire clamp releasing the wire as the ram is moved in the advancing direction prior to the ram reaching the bottom dead center position.
A method of crimping a terminal to a wire, the method comprising:
- positioning a terminal in a crimping zone between an anvil and a movable ram;
- loading a wire through a wire clamp to the crimping zone, the end of the wire being received in the terminal;
- clamping the wire with the wire clamp to hold the position of the wire relative to the terminal;
- actuating the ram through a crimp stroke from a released position in an advancing direction to a bottom dead center position and then in a retracting direction back to the released position;
- and
- releasing the wire clamp as the ram is moved in the advancing direction prior to the ram being advanced to the bottom dead center position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.