Electromagnetic contactor having improved structure and assembly

An electromagnetic contactor having a molded insulating enclosure including a lower housing and an upper housing, stationary and movable contacts in said upper housing, an insulating molded contact carrier supporting said movable contacts and means guiding said contact carrier for reciprocal movement in said upper housing, an electromagnet comprising an E-shaped magnet frame, a coil, means supporting said magnet frame and coil in said lower housing, an armature securd to said contact carrier, a return spring normally biasing said armature away from said frame for attraction by said magnet frame when said coil is energized to operate said contacts, means fixing said upper housing onto said lower housing comprising retaining means in one end of said upper housing and said lower housing cooperatively engagable to afford hooking of said upper housing onto said lower housing at said one end and pivoting the other end of said upper housing about said cooperatively engaged retaining means into assembled position on said lower housing, securing means for attaching said other end of said upper housing to said lower housing to join said upper housing to said lower housing, and means operable to insure correct location of said return spring as said upper and lower housings are joined;

• wherein said armature comprises an E-shaped member having three short legs including a center leg and outer legs;
• said return spring has a generally helical wire shape;
• said coil comprises a wire wound bobbin encased in molded insulating material;
• and said means insuring correct location of said return spring comprises:
• grooves at the peripheral portions of the base of said center leg and said center leg having bevels from said grooves toward the end thereof;
• an inner diameter at the upper end of said wire spring small enough to slide along said bevels and snap into said grooves so that said spring may be snap-in attached to said armature by a press and a twist in assembly to be retained thereon;
• and a pair of spaced raised inclines on said molded coil for engagement by the lower end of said spring which guide said lower end of said spring sligingly along said inclines into correct centered location when said upper housing is pivoted onto said lower housing.

An electromagnetic contactor having a molded insulating enclosure including a lower housing and an upper housing;

• an electromagnet comrising an E-shaped magnet frame, a coil, means supporting said magnet frame and coil in said lower housing;
• said upper housing comprising an open top housing portion, stationary contacts mounted in said open top housing portion, an insulating molded contact carrier guided for reciprocal movement in said open top housing portion, movable contacts mounted on said contact carrier, an armature secured to said contact carrier, a molded insulating cover secured to and closing the top of said open top housing portion, arc blowout members press-in mounted in said cover so as to embrace in closely spaced relation contacting portions of said stationary and movable contacts, and a return spring normally biasing said armature away from said frame for attraction by said magnet frame when said coil is energized to operate said contacts;
• means fixing said upper housing onto said lower housing comprising retaining means in one end of said upper housing and said lower housing cooperatively engagable to afford hooking of said upper housing onto said lower housing at said one end and pivoting the other end of said upper housing about said cooperatively engaged retaining means into assembled position on said lower housing, securing means for attaching said other end of said upper housing to said lower housing, and means operable to insure correct location of said return spring as said upper and lower housings are joined;
• wherein said open top housing portion comprises on opposite sides thereof mounting means for an additional pole comprising:
• a pair of slots at the top of each said side each having vertical edges for receiving downwardly slidable hooks of an additional pole;
• and said additional pole having double-pronged hooks with at least one of said prongs of each hook being retained by said cover.

An electromagnetic contactor having a molded insulating enclosure including a lower housing and an upper housing, stationary and movable contacts in said upper housing, an insulating molded contact carrier supporting said movable contacts and means guiding said contact carrier for reciprocal movement in said upper housing, an electromagnet comprising an E-shaped magnet frame, a coil, means supporting said magnet frame and coil in said lower housing, an armature secured to said contact carrier, a return spring normally biasing said armature away from said frame for attraction by said magnet frame when said coil is energized to operate said contacts, means fixing said upper housing and said lower housing comprising retaining means in one end of said upper housing and said lower housing cooperatively engagable to afford hooking of said upper housing onto said lower housing at said one end and pivoting the other end of said upper housing about said cooperatively engaged retaining means into assembled position on said lower housing, securing means for attaching said other end of said upper housing to said lower housing to join said upper housing to said lower housing, and means operable to insure correct location of said return spring as said upper and lower housings are joined;

• wherein one of said housings comprises integrally molded projections abutting the other housing and being compressed therebetween when said housings are attached together to take up slack therebetween.