Process and apparatus for manufacturing contact blades

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF MAKING CONTACT BLADES WHICH CONSISTS IN FEEDING A STRIP OF SUITABLE METAL THROUGH A FIRST PRESS, PUNCHING TWO SPACED ADJACENT ROWS OF SUCCESSIVE HOLES NEAR ONE EDGE OF THE STRIP THE HOLES OF EACH ROW BEING NON-CIRCULAR AND OF THE SAME SHAPE, BUT OF DIFFERENT SHAPE FROM THE HOLES IN THE OTHER ROW AND ONE ROW OF SUCCESSIVE HOLES OF AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT SHAPES ARRANGED ALTERNATELY NEAR THE OTHER EDGE OF SAID STRIP THE HOLES FORMING PART OF THE OUTLINE OF THE BLADES AND NOT PART OF ANY SCRAP SECTION SUBSEQUENTLY DISCHARGED, FEEDING SAID STRIP INTO A MACHINE DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID FIRST PRESS, LOCATING SAID STRIP IN SAID MACHINE BY INSERTING MATCHING SHAPE GUIDE MEANS INTO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID HOLES MATCHING IN SAID STRIP FOR FIXING THE POSITION OF SAID STRIP BOTH LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY, WELDING A QUANTITY OF CONTACT MATERIAL TO SAID STRIP AT PREDETERMINED POINTS, STAMPING THE CONTACT MATERIAL WELDED TO SAID STRIP TO PROVIDE A UNIFORMLY SHAPED CONTACT MEMBER, FEEDING SAID STRIP THROUGH A SECOND PRESS MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID MACHINE, PUNCHING ADDITIONAL PORTIONS TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID STRIP IN SAID SECOND PRESS TO FORM ALONG WITH THE PERIPHERY OF SAID SUCCESSIVE HOLES THE OUTLINE OF A SUBSTANTIALLY FINISHED CONTACT BLADE, AND SEVERING SAID BLADE FROM THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID STRIP.