The Whitaker Corporation

Charles Edwin Fitz, Jr

Kenneth F Folk

Marlin R Schollenberger

William Kay Seiersen

A terminal applicator (10) is disclosed having a shut height adjustment mechanism (60) for controlling the shut height (160) of the terminal barrel crimping bar (26). The mechanism includes upper and lower adjusting members (66, 64) having opposed ramp surfaces (110, 80), the lower adjusting member being attached to the tooling ram (36) and the upper adjusting member being rotationally coupled to the ram. By incrementally rotating the upper adjusting member (66), the relative spacing between a press ram (148) and the tooling ram assembly (18) can be adjusted, thereby changing the shut height (160) of the barrel crimping bar (26). The upper adjusting member includes an inner cylindrical surface (120) having serrations (122) formed therein that are engaged by resilient projections (98) that extend from an outer cylindrical surface (90) of the lower adjusting member (64). These resilient projections (98) cam out of the serrations (122) during rotation of the upper adjusting member (66), but hold the upper adjusting member in position during operation of the applicator.

Shut height adjustment mechanism for a terminal applicator

A terminal applicator (10) is disclosed having a shut height adjustment mechanisms (68, 120) for controlling the shut height (102, 220) of both the terminal barrel crimping bar (26) and the insulation crimping bar (28). The mechanism includes upper and lower ramp members (126, 128) having opposed ramp surfaces (140), the lower ramp member being attached to the tooling ram (40) and the upper ramp member being rotationally coupled to the ram. By incrementally rotating the upper ramp member (128), the relative spacing between a press ram (222) and the tooling ram (40) can be adjusted, thereby changing the shut height (220) of the barrel crimping bar (26). A cam (72) is rotationally coupled to the tooling ram (40) at right angles to the axis (24) of the upper and lower ramp members (126, 128). The cam has a series of flat surfaces (98), each of which is a different distance from its center of rotation (79). Each flat surface is positionable in abutting engagement with the top surface (70) of the insulation tab crimping bar (28) for adjusting its shut height (102).

The present invention is an improved machine (10) that automatically severs an insulation displacement contact (80) from a carrier strip (90), inserts the contact into an insulating connector housing (210), terminates a wire (242) to the contact (80), and trims the end of the wire flush with the edge of the housing (210). The trimming operation is accomplished during the last part of the contact insertion stroke, after the insulation displacement contact (80) has just begun to engage the wire (242), so that the wire is securely held in place during trimming. A pair of opposite moving slide (126, 132) are utilized where one slide (132) is moved directly by the inserter (28, 260) so that it causes a lever (152) to pivot which in turn moves the other slide (126), carrying the wire trimming blade (192), in the other direction. The lever (152) is arranged so that movement of the one slide (132) results in a greater movement of the other slide (126). Therefore, the movement of the last part of the contact insertion stroke results in a larger movement of the wire trimming blade (192).

Machine for assembling an insulation displacement connector and

An apparatus for laterally positioning flat cable in a machine for performing an operation on the cable comprises a base and a pair of cable guides which are movable with respect to the base. Each of the cable guides has a cable guide surface configured complementary to a respective cable side edge. The cable guide surfaces are in opposing relationship. A linkage is connected for moving the cable guide surfaces convergently and divergently through respective proportional distances on opposite sides of a target plane of convergence between the cable guide surfaces. When the cable guide surfaces are spaced apart at a distance equal to or greater than the cable width and the cable is introduced between the cable guide surfaces, operation of the linkage so as to move the cable guide surfaces convergently causes the cable to become confined between the cable guide surfaces with the cable longitudinal axis aligned parallel to the target plane.

Growing community of inventors

Harrisburg, PA, United States of America

Charles Edwin Fitz, Jr