Apparatus for forming composite electrical contact elements

Claim 1

A HEADER ASSEMBLY FOR FORMING A COMPOSITE ELECTRICAL CONTACT ELEMENT INCLUDING A CONTACT WORKING FACE PORTION AND, INTEGRAL THEREWITH, A CONTACT ODEY PORTION, WHICH HEADER ASSEMBLY COMPRISES: (A) A FEED DIE HAVING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FEED PASSAGES FORMED THEREIN FOR FEEDING WIRE STOCK MATERIALS FOR FORMING SAID WORKING FACE AND BODY PORTIONS, RESPECTIVELY, THERETHROUGH, SAID FEED DIE BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT A SHEAR PALNE WITH THE OPENING AT ONE END OF EACH OF SID PASSAGES CONTIGUOUS THERETO; (B) A FORMING DIE SPACED FROM THE FEED DIE AND DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID SHEAR PALNE, THE FORMING DIE HAVING AN ENLARGED RECESS THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH THE SHEAR PLANE FOR RECEIVING WIRE COMPONENTS SEPARATED FROM SAID WIRE STOCK MATERIALS TO EFFECT MUTUAL UPSETTING AND BONDING THEREOF, SAID RECESS HAVING A DIAMETER OF AT LEAST 1.5 TIMES THE DIAMETER OF EACH OF SAID FEED DIE PASSAGES; (C) A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED CUTTER BAR DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID SHEAR PLANE OPPOSITE FROM SAID DIES AND HAVING A BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH FOR RECEIVING SAID WIRE COMPONENTS, THE OPENING OF ONE END OF SAID BORE BEING CONTIGUOUS TO THE SHEAR PLANE AND BEING MOVABLE THROUGH AN ARC UPON PIVOTING SAID CUTTER BAR, BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION IN ALIGNMENT WITH A FIRST OF THE FEED PASSAGES IN SAID FEED DIE, A SECOND POSITION IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SECOND OF SAID FEED PASSAGES, AND A THIRD POSITION IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE RECESS IN SAID FORMING DIE; (D) SHEAR MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID FEED DIE AND SAID CUTTER BAR FOR SHEARING SAID WIRE COMPONENTS FROM THE WIRE STOCK MATERIALS FED THROUGH THE FEED PASSAGES IN SAID ROMING DIE UPON PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE CUTTER BAR BETWEEN ITS POSITIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD POSITIONS OF THE BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH; (E) FIRST FORMING MEANS MOVABLE THROUGH THE CUTTER BAR BORE FOR DRIVING SAID WIRE COMPONENTS INTO THE RECESS IN SAID FORMING DIE, WHEN SAID BORE IS DISPOSED IN SAID THIRD POSITION, AND FOR IMPARTING A FIRST FORMING BLOW TO EFFECT MUTUAL UPSETTING OF THE ABUTTING ENDS OF SAID COMPONENTS IS SAID RECESS TO PROVIDE BONDING THEREOF: (F) SECOND FORMING MEANS DISPOSED FOR ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FORMING DIE FOR IMPARTING A SECOND FORMING BLOW TO THE BONDED WIRE COMPONENTS DISPOSED IN THE RECESS IN SAID FORMING DIE, SAID SECOND FORMING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR ENTERING THE RECESS IN THE FORMING DIE TO CLOSE THE DIE AND PRESS SAID WIRE COMPONENTS INTO THE SHAPE OF THE DESIRED CONTACT ELEMENTF AND (G) MEANS FOR EJECTING THE RESULTING ELEMENT FROM THE RECESS IN SAID FORMING DIE.