Patent Application
20180183198
The present invention relates to a crimp indentor and, more particularly, to a crimp indentor for producing a crimp connection between an electrical conductor and a contact.
During crimping of contacts to electrical conductors/electric cables, a piece of metal is mechanically deformed to produce an electrical and/or mechanical connection. Crimp connections are used extensively to attach electrical contacts and connectors to cables. It is common for metal lugs of a contact to be deformed in a pressing device such that they enclose and firmly clamp an insulation casing or a stripped conductor.
For the mechanical production of such crimp connections, crimping devices are used in which a portion of a cable and corresponding crimping lugs are positioned between a crimp indentor and a crimp anvil. Bringing the crimp indentor and the crimp anvil together deforms the crimping lugs around the cable and crimps the lugs to the cable, forming an electrical connection between the contact and the conductor. At the end of the crimping operation, the crimping lug has an outer contour in the crimping region in the form of the contour of the crimp indentor.
Known crimp indentors have a base on which a machining portion of the crimp indentor is fitted and a corresponding crimping tool. The machining portion contacts the crimping tool and forms the crimp connection. To produce a precise and firm crimp connection, such crimp indentors must meet stringent dimensional requirements and must be capable of absorbing considerable forces in the respective machining ranges during the crimping operation. Crimp indentors consequently are commonly produced from high-alloy, abrasion-resistant and wear-resistant tool steel. Although such crimp indentors exhibit good properties during use, they are nevertheless relatively complex and expensive to produce since the crimp indentors have to be subsequently hardened, polished and chrome-plated, and reworked following the chrome-plating operation. Such highly precise machining is time-consuming and costly. Crimp indentors cannot currently be produced in a fully automated and efficient manner.
A crimp indentor for producing a crimp connection between an electrical conductor and a contact comprises a base and a machining portion connected to the base. The machining portion has a ceramic surface on at least a part of the machining portion. The machining portion is configured to transmit crimping forces to the contact while producing the crimp connection.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which:
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
A crimp indentor 100 according to an embodiment is shown in
The crimp indentor 100 is fixed and retained on a crimping tool head at the base 110 of the crimp indentor 100. The machining portion 120, shown in
The machining portion 120 or the ceramic surface of the machining portion 120 can be formed with a plurality of different indentor contours in various embodiments. The indentor contour has a three-dimensionally curved surface 122, as shown in
To form a crimp connection, an electrical conductor is disposed between the machining portion 120 of the crimp indentor 100 and a crimp anvil. A contact is positioned on the electrical conductor. The crimp indentor 100 and the crimp anvil are then brought together; the crimp anvil is configured to push the electrical conductor and the contact against the crimp indentor 100 and generate crimping forces between the crimp indentor 100 and the contact. The crimping forces plastically deform the contact and the electrical conductor is thereby surrounded by the contact. Between the crimp anvil and the three dimensionally curved surface 122 of the indentor contour, the contact is pushed together in order to produce a reliable mechanical and electrical contact around the electrical conductor.
In the embodiment shown in
A crimp indentor 100 according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in
A crimp indentor 100 according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in
The crimp indentors 100 must have a sufficient strength and hardness to allow them to maintain precise dimensions even following a large number of crimp connections carried out under high levels of force. A material and finish of the machining portion 120 is important because frictional forces between the contact and the crimp indentor 100 should be minimized. Accordingly, a smooth surface finish of the ceramic surface results in a reduction in the co-efficient of friction and thus in a higher quality of the crimp connection, without any need for the use of additional lubricants. Using the ceramic surface results in the crimp indentor 100 being burr-free in the machining portion 120. It is thus possible to process even difficult-to-crimp materials, for example stainless steel, and to achieve a longer service life for the crimp indentor 100 without the need for additional plating on the machining portion 120. Further, for a machining portion 120 with a ceramic surface or a single-piece crimp indentor 100 made of ceramic material, fully automated production is possible which is more cost-effective and provides higher quality than previous production methods.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2015 114 290.2 | Aug 2015 | DE | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2016/070183, filed on Aug. 26, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to German Patent Application No. 102015114290.2, filed on Aug. 27, 2015.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2016/070183 | Aug 2016 | US |
| Child | 15904816 | US |
