Male terminal fitting and method of manufacturing the same

A method of manufacturing a male terminal fitting, said method comprising:

• preparing a blank sheet of elongated conductive metal sheet;
• stamping said elongated conductive metal sheet to form a plurality of sequentially arrayed terminal fittings, in developed states, which are integrally connected to a carrier, each of said terminal fittings including a conductor clamping portion extending from said carrier, a clamping body connected to said conductor clamping portion, and a plate-shaped contact protrusion which is composed of a base plate component longitudinally extending from said conductor clamping portion via said clamping body, a first overlapping fold plate component laterally extending from one side of said base plate component, and a second overlapping fold plate component laterally extending from the other side of said base plate component;
• and
• forming said conductor clamping portion, said clamping body, and said plate-shaped contact protrusion into respective final shapes,
• wherein, after said forming step, said base plate component overlaps with said first and second overlapping fold plate components and serves as a flatness securing plate component to ensure flatness conditions of said base plate component and said first and second overlapping fold plate components.

A method of manufacturing a male terminal fitting, said method comprising:

• preparing a blank sheet of elongated conductive metal sheet;
• stamping said elongated conductive metal sheet to form a plurality of sequentially arrayed terminal fittings, in developed states, which are integrally connected to a carrier, each of said terminal fittings including a conductor clamping portion extending from said carrier, a clamping body connected to said conductor clamping portion, and a plate-shaped contact protrusion which is composed of a base plate component longitudinally extending from said conductor clamping portion via said clamping body, a flatness securing plate component laterally extending from one side of said base plate component, and an overlapping fold plate component laterally extending from the other side of said base plate component;
• and
• forming said conductor clamping portion, said clamping body, and said plate-shaped contact protrusion into respective final shapes,
• wherein, after said forming step, said flatness securing plate component overlaps with said base plate component and said overlapping fold plate component to ensure flatness conditions of said base plate component and said overlapping fold plate component, respectively.