Swaged compliant connector pins for printed circuit boards

Claim 1

A compliant connector pin for interfering force fit insertion in a plated through hole of a printed circuit board, formed entirely from original wire stock in coining and forming operations producing substantially no scrap, comprising an elongated segment of wire stock with chamfered wire-wrap ends, having its original maximum wire stock diameter selected to be less than the internal diameter of each said through hole, a stamped board-engaging portion formed at an intermediate point between said chamfered ends of said segment, with an extended cross-section having a maximum dimension exceeding the internal diameter of each said through hole, said board-engaging portion being formed with a central web extending substantially across the full width of the wire stock, and with a pair of lateral wing flanges of substantially uniform thickness between about 44% and about 78% of the thickness between of the central web and extending cantilever-fashion in two opposite directions from a first side of said central web, said central web remaining substantially undeformed during and after the stamping of said wing flanges, each of said wing flanges being smoothly curved toward the other, opposite side of the web, whereby the stamped board-engaging portion of said elongated segment is formed with a cross-section in the shape of the Greek letter epsilon.