Terminal crimping machine

Claim 1

A crimping machine for attaching terminals to electrical conductors comprising: an applicator having a bed and a ram relatively movable together and apart to operate on a workpiece placed therebetween; first and second cooperating crimping dies operable by relative movement together of the ram and bed to crimp a terminal onto a conductor, the first crimping die being removably attached to the applicator ram and the second crimping die being removably attached to the applicator bed; terminal feed means removably attached to the applicator and including a reciprocating member for supplying terminals seriatim and in synchronism with the relative movement of the ram and bed, to the region between the ram and bed and only during motion of the reciprocating member in one direction; flexible, nonelastic tension transmitting means coupling the feed means and applicator to actuate the feed means to supply a terminal to the region between the ram and bed when the ram and bed move apart; and biasing means opposing operation of the flexible nonelastic tension transmitting means to restore the feed means for subsequent actuation by the flexible nonelastic tension transmitting means, the biasing means including a feed means restoring spring and the flexible nonelastic tension transmitting member interconnecting the ram and the feed means reciprocating member to deform the restoring spring and deliver a terminal when the ram moves away from the bed, the distance moved by the reciprocating member being less than the extent of relative motion between the bed and ram with the flexible nonelastic tension transmitting means going slack between reciprocations of the reciprocating member.