Apparatus for shaping outboard terminals of surface-mountable circuit modules

Claim 1

An apparatus for shaping outboard terminals of a surface-mountable integrated component applied to a carrier having the terminals extending to the component, comprising: an automatic slotting unit for cutting slots in the carrier thereby forming retaining webs; an automatic cutting and bending tool including: four bending dies rigidly joined to one another and arranged in a quadrangle, lower die faces being shaped to a desired shape of the terminals, cutting dies joined to said four bending dies as horizontal extensions of sides of said quadrangle, said cutting dies extending below a lower edge of said four bending dies to separate the retaining webs from one another; a pneumatic cylinder for driving said cutting and bending tool in a vertical direction; four trimming dies positioned immediately adjacent said four bending dies and being vertically movable relative to said four bending dies; a lower bending part being a hollow rectangular column arranged below said cutting and bending tool, upper edges of said lower bending part being shaped to correspond to a desired shape of the terminals and adapted to a shape of said four bending dies; a supporting element having a surface adapted to a shape of the component and being vertically displaceable in a cavity of said hollow rectangular column of said lower bending part; stop sections at four corners of said lower bending part at a predetermined distance below said upper edges of said lower bending part for abutment with said cutting and bending tool to limit a vertical stroke of said cutting and bending tool; and module hold-down means in an interior of said four bending dies for holding the terminals of the component on said lower bending part.

Claim 2

An apparatus for shaping outboard terminals of a surface-mountable integrated component applied to a carrier having the terminals extending to the component, comprising: an automatic slotting unit for cutting slots in the carrier thereby forming retaining webs; an automatic cutting and bending tool including: four bending dies rigidly joined to one another and arranged in a quadrangle, lower die faces being shaped to a desired shape of the terminals, cutting dies joined to said four bending dies as horizontal extensions of sides of said quadrangle, said cutting dies extending below a lower edge of said four bending dies to separate the retaining webs from one another; a pneumatic cylinder for driving said cutting and bending tool in a vertical direction; four trimming dies positioned immediately adjacent said four bending dies and being vertically movable relative to said four bending dies; a lower bending part being a hollow rectangular column arranged below said cutting and bending tool, upper edges of said lower bending part being shaped to correspond to a desired shape of the terminals and adapted to a shape of said four bending dies; a supporting element having a surface adapted to a shape of the component and being vertically displaceable in a cavity of said hollow rectangular column of said lower bending part; stop sections at four corners of said lower bending part at a predetermined distance below said upper edges of said lower bending part for abutment with said cutting and bending tool to limit a vertical stroke of said cutting and bending tool; and module hold-down means in an interior of said four bending dies for holding the terminals of the component on said lower bending part.