Methods and apparatus for making electrical connectors

Claim 1

A machine for installing electrical termination connectors simultaneously on the ends of a plurality of wires which have previously been coupled together and arrayed in substantially planar, parallel, spaced-apart relationship with bared conductor ends thereof exposed for presentation to said machine, comprising: a base; gripper means movable relative to said base in a direction transverse to the plane of a planar array of wires for gripping such an array in substantially fixed position relative to said base, at a point axially spaced from the ends of wires; wire guide means having a plurality of open grooves for receiving individual wires therein, positioned between said gripper means and the ends of wires held therein, said guide means being movable in a direction transverse to the axes of wires held in said gripper means between a first non-engaging position and a second wire-engaging position; connector support means for positioning a plurality of electrical contacts in position to receive the ends of individual wires held by said gripper means; movable contact crimping means positioned to engage and deform a plurality of contact elements supported in said connector support means onto the ends of a plurality of wires held by said gripper means; means for moving said gripper means in the direction of the axes of wires gripped therein to advance such wires axially into a connector supported in said connector support means together with contacts installed on such wires, when said guide means has moved from said wire-engaging position to said non-engaging position.