Hydraulic crimping press for electrical connectors

Claim 1

A hydraulic tool for crimping connectors comprising a C-shaped die head having a spine, a lower hub, and an upper jaw, a die fitted into the upper jaw defining a fixed die, a piston ram and cylinder subassembly secured to and together with the hub member aligned along the vertical tool axis, the piston ram having an upper side wall and an upper surface defining a low jaw, a die member fitted to the movable jaw defining a movable die, the fixed and movable dies aligned along the tool axis and cooperating to crimp connectors when the tool is actuated, the piston ram upper wall having a dovetail channel defined by a channel base and converging side walls extending vertically along the surface of the upper wall from its base to the circumferential surface of the upper wall, the channel being open at the top, side and bottom portions of the side wall, a recess in the spine portion of the C-shaped head extending vertically in parallel with the tool axis and in confronting relation with the dovetail channel and for a sufficient length to accommodate the excursionary distance travelled by the piston ram during a crimping operation, the recess having a base portion and parallel side walls, a dovetail key in the recess having a base portion conforming to the recess, side walls flaring outward from the base portion and conforming to the contour of the dovetail channel so that the circumferential surface and the coverging side walls of the channel form wall members for grasping the dovetail key whereby the piston ram is guided during the crimping operation by the dovetail key to move in a true axial direction being held in true axial alignment when encountering non-linear forces as when crimping an irregular shaped connector and for preventing the piston ram from rotating with respect to the tool axis or from moving laterally of the tool axis so that opposing die members maintain planar alignment for proper engagement and crimping of irregular shaped connectors.