Method of manufacturing hot plug interface connector and hot plug interface connector thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a hot-plugging interface connector manufacturing method and a hot-plugging interface connector thereof. The hot-plugging interface connector manufacturing method comprises the following steps: dividing a sheet into a left-right lengthways extending sheet strip, wherein the sheet strip comprises a main body and side edges on the upper and lower sides of the main body; stamping positioning holes arranged at intervals on the upper and lower side edges of the sheet strip; nickel plating the sheet strip, and spot tin plating the main body of the sheet strip by taking the positioning holes on the side edges as the positioning holes; coiling the sheet strip after the electroplating is completed; stamping the sheet strip along the coiling pulling direction to form a metal cage body of the hot-plugging interface connector, wherein the metal cage body comprises a welding foot, and the spot tin plating is located on the welding foot, so that the manual pre-tinning, cleaning and drying processes after the stamping forming are omitted. Thus, the manufacturing process is simplified, the production efficiency is improved, the cost is reduced, and the environmental protection is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a hot-plug interface connector and the hot-plug interface connector, and in particular to a method for manufacturing a hot-plug interface connector with welding pins and the hot-plug interface connector. Background Art

[0002] A Gigabit Interface Connector (GBIC) is a hot-swappable input / output device that plugs into a Gigabit Ethernet port / slot and connects the port to the fiber-optic network. GBICs are interchangeable across various Cisco products and can be mixed with 1000BaseSX, 1000BaseLX / LH, or 1000BaseZX interfaces that comply with IEEE 802.3z on a port-by-port basis. Furthermore, Cisco is offering a 1000BaseLX / LH interface that fully complies with the IEEE 802.3z 1000BaseLX standard, but with a transmission distance of up to 10 km on single-mode fiber, 5 km longer than the standard 1000BaseLX interface. As new features are developed, these modules will be easier to upgrade to the latest interface technology, maximizing the value of customer investment.

[0003] While these traditional plug-in designs have been successful in the past, they have tended to fall short of the industry's ongoing miniaturization goals. It is desirable to miniaturize transceivers to increase port density associated with network connections, such as distribution boxes, cable patch panels, wiring closets, and computer input / output (I / O). Traditional plug-in module configurations are unable to meet these required parameters. It is also desirable to increase port density and optimize the connection interface of SFP modules.

[0004] A new standard has been announced, referred to here as the Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP) standard. SFP stands for Small Form Factor Pluggable and can be simply understood as an upgraded version of the GBIC. The SFP module is half the size of the GBIC module and can accommodate more than double the number of ports on the same panel. Other functions of the SFP module are essentially the same as those of the GBIC. Some switch manufacturers refer to the SFP module as a miniaturized GBIC (MINI-GBIC). The SFP module is half the size of the GBIC module and can accommodate more than double the number of ports on the same panel. Other functions of the SFP module are essentially the same as those of the GBIC.

[0005] In the existing hot-plug interface connector manufacturing process, the manufacturing steps mainly include: copper strip cutting - copper strip nickel plating - nickel-plating the copper strip into a shell - manual pre-tinning of the shell - overall cleaning - drying. The process is complicated and tedious, not conducive to automated production, with high costs, and increasingly inconsistent with the requirements of current environmental protection trends.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing hot-plug interface connector manufacturing method and the hot-plug interface connector to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a hot-plug interface connector and a hot-plug interface connector thereof, which simplifies the manufacturing process, improves production efficiency, reduces costs, and is environmentally friendly.

[0008] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: A method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector, for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector, the hot-pluggable interface connector manufacturing method comprising:

[0009] Splitting the sheet into sheet strips extending longitudinally to the left and right, wherein the sheet strips include a main body and side edges located at the upper and lower sides of the main body;

[0010] Positioning holes are punched at intervals on the upper and lower sides of the sheet strip;

[0011] Nickel-plating is performed on the sheet strip, and at the same time, tin plating is performed on the main body of the sheet strip using the positioning holes on both sides for positioning;

[0012] Coiling the electroplated sheet strip;

[0013] The sheet material strip is punched along the direction of coil pulling to form a metal cage body of the hot-swappable interface connector. The metal cage body is provided with a longitudinal plug interface for accommodating the docking plug module from front to back. The plug interface is provided with a mounting cavity for accommodating the mounting connector. The metal cage body includes a plurality of wall surfaces. The wall surfaces extend from top to bottom to hold the soldering pins for mounting the circuit board. The spot tinning is located on the soldering pins, eliminating the manual pre-tinning, cleaning and drying processes after stamping.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the sheet strip is entirely nickel-plated, and symmetrical point tin plating is performed on both the front and rear surfaces of the sheet strip.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the sheet strip is provided with a front end face for stamping out the walls of the metal cage body, side end faces connecting the upper and lower sides of the front end face, a top end face connected to the front end face in the left and right directions, a rear end face further extending laterally from the top end face, and a plurality of rear welding feet arranged at intervals up and down and extending laterally from the rear end face. The rear welding feet are provided with a first point tinning location, and the first point tinning location is distributed in a column shape arranged up and down for point tinning.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the side end face has a side welding foot extending laterally in the left and right directions away from the top end face and the rear end face, and the side welding foot is provided with a second tinned point, and the first tinned point is adjacent to the second tinned point of the adjacent metal cage sheet strip above and below.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first tinned point and the second tinned point are electroplated using a special hollow mold to achieve point tinning.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention, the nickel plating thickness is 30u"~80u", and the spot tin plating thickness is 50u"~200u", meeting the reflow soldering temperature of 260℃30S.

[0019] As a further improvement of the present invention, the front end face is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart plug-in holes so that the hot-pluggable interface connector is a stacked hot-pluggable interface connector. The front end face is also provided with a plurality of front spring pieces extending into the plug-in holes, which are located on both sides of the front end of the plug-in interface after stamping.

[0020] As a further improvement of the present invention, the top end wall is provided with a top spring piece portion, which is positioned at the top front end of the metal cage body of the hot-plug interface connector after being stamped and formed.

[0021] The present invention can also adopt the following technical solutions to achieve the purpose of the invention:

[0022] A hot-pluggable interface connector is manufactured according to the hot-pluggable interface connector manufacturing method.

[0023] As a further improvement of the present invention, the hot-pluggable interface connector is an SFP, SFP+, QSFP or QSFP+ connector.

[0024] Compared to the prior art, the hot-pluggable interface connector manufacturing method and hot-pluggable interface connector described in the present invention divides a sheet into longitudinally extending strips, punches spaced positioning holes on the upper and lower edges of the strips, nickel-plates the strips, and simultaneously applies spot tinning to the strips. The strips are then stamped to form the metal cage of the hot-pluggable interface connector, with the spot tinning located on the soldering pins. This arrangement adds a single step to the existing stamping process: punching positioning holes in the die. Furthermore, the spot tinning step is added to the electroplating line, achieving a one-step nickel plating and spot tinning process. This eliminates the three manual pre-tinning, cleaning, and drying steps after stamping. This significantly simplifies the hot-pluggable interface connector manufacturing process, improves production efficiency, reduces costs, and is environmentally friendly, complying with the green manufacturing trend. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the hot-plug interface connector sheet strip of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure after the positioning holes are punched.

[0027] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure after nickel plating and spot tin plating.

[0028] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the hot-plug interface connector sheet strip of the present invention after nickel plating and spot tin plating and before stamping.

[0029] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of the .

[0030] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hot-plug interface connector of the present invention after stamping.

[0031] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hot-plug interface connector of the present invention from another angle.

[0032] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hot-plug interface connector of the present invention from another angle.

[0033] Reference numerals:

[0034] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0036] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

[0037] Techniques and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0038] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0039] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0040] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to the present invention. A method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector is used to manufacture a hot-pluggable interface connector, comprising the following steps: Figures 1 to 3 As shown, first, the sheet is divided into sheet strips 1 extending longitudinally to the left and right, and the sheet strip 1 includes a main body 11 and side edges 12 located on the upper and lower sides of the main body 11; positioning holes 121 are punched at intervals on the upper and lower side edges 12 of the sheet strip 1; the sheet strip 1 is nickel-plated, and at the same time, the positioning holes 121 on the side edges 12 are used as positioning, and tin plating is performed on the main body 11 of the sheet strip 1; the electroplated sheet strip 1 is coiled; Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the sheet strip 1 is punched along the direction of the coiled material to form a metal cage 100 of the hot plug interface connector. Figures 6 to 8As shown, the metal cage 100 is provided with a longitudinal plug port 200 for accommodating a mating plug module (not shown) from front to back. The plug port 200 is provided with a mounting cavity 300 for accommodating a mounting connector (not shown). The metal cage 100 includes a plurality of walls, each of which extends from top to bottom to form solder pins for securing the mounting circuit board (not shown). The solder pins include rear solder pins 1041 and side solder pins 1021. The spot tinning is located on these solder pins, eliminating the need for manual pre-tinning, cleaning, and drying processes after stamping. In this way, taking the copper strip as an example, the present invention adopts the process of copper strip splitting - copper strip punching positioning holes 121 - copper strip nickel plating and spot tinning - spot tinned copper strip punching into shell - no cleaning. Compared with the original process (copper strip splitting - copper strip nickel plating - nickel-plating copper strip punching into shell - manual pre-tinning of shell - overall cleaning - drying), one process of die punching positioning holes 121 is added to the existing process stamping plant, and a spot tinning process is developed and added to the electroplating line assembly line, so that one-time nickel plating and spot tinning can be achieved, and the three processes of manual pre-tinning, cleaning and drying after stamping are eliminated, which greatly simplifies the manufacturing process of hot-plug interface connectors, improves production efficiency, reduces costs, is beneficial to environmental protection, and meets the requirements of the green trend of manufacturing industry.

[0041] Preferably, in the manufacturing method of the hot-pluggable interface connector, the sheet strip 1 is entirely nickel-plated, and symmetrical spot tinning is performed on both the front and back surfaces of the sheet strip 1. In this configuration, the symmetrical spot tinning of the sheet material enables the solder pins of the hot-pluggable interface connector to be relatively completely covered with tin material, thereby improving the soldering yield of the solder pins.

[0042] The sheet material strip 1 is provided with a front face 101 for stamping the walls of the metal cage 100; side face 102 connecting the upper and lower sides of the front face 101; a top face 103 connecting the front face 101 in the left-right direction; a rear face 104 extending laterally from the top face 103; and a plurality of rear solder legs 1041 extending laterally from the rear face 104. The rear solder legs 104 are arranged vertically and spaced apart. The rear solder legs 1041 are provided with first spot tinning areas 111 arranged in a vertically arranged row for spot tinning. This arrangement allows spot tinning of the first spot tinning areas 111 (corresponding to the rear solder legs 1041) to be performed simultaneously, in a row, making tinning more convenient and less likely to cause unnecessary spot tinning contamination on other wall surfaces.

[0043] On the sheet strip 1, the side end surface 102 extends laterally in the left-right direction away from the top surface 103 and the rear end surface 104 to form a side solder leg 1021. The side solder leg 1021 is provided with a second spot tinning area 112. In this manner, the rear solder leg 1041 and the side solder leg 1021 can be spot tinned separately.

[0044] The first tinned spot 111 and the second tinned spot 112 are electroplated using a dedicated hollow mold to achieve point tinning. In this way, the dedicated hollow mold can accurately tin the first tinned spot 111 and the second tinned spot 112, avoiding affecting the manufacturing of other wall surfaces and avoiding undesirable situations such as bridging of adjacent tinned spots.

[0045] Preferably, in this embodiment, the first tinned portion 111 is adjacent to the second tinned portion 112 of the adjacent metal cage 100 sheet strip 1 above and below. Figure 5 As shown, the first tinned point 111 at the rear soldering foot 1041 of the left metal cage body 100 and the second tinned point 112 of the right metal cage body 100 are roughly arranged in a row in the upper and lower directions. Such an arrangement can make the tinned parts more concentrated, which is convenient for the concentrated position arrangement of the tinning heads of the spot soldering equipment, and can also avoid the irregular warping effect of the scattered tinning on the sheet strip 1.

[0046] The front face 101 is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart insertion holes 1011, allowing the hot-swappable interface connector to be stacked. The front face 101 is also provided with a plurality of front spring portions 1012 extending into the insertion holes 1011, which are formed by stamping and positioned on both sides of the front end of the insertion port 200. This arrangement allows the hot-swappable interface connector to be stably secured when mating with a docking connector module, and the integrated molding facilitates manufacturing and ensures overall structural stability.

[0047] The top wall is provided with a top spring portion 1031, which is stamped and positioned at the top front end of the hot-swappable interface connector metal cage 100. This arrangement allows the hot-swappable interface connector to be more securely fixed to a corresponding cabinet (not shown), preventing shaking. Furthermore, the integrated molding facilitates the manufacture of the hot-swappable interface connector and ensures overall structural stability.

[0048] The nickel plating thickness is 30u" to 80u", and the spot tin plating thickness is 50u" to 200u", which meets the reflow soldering temperature of 260℃ for 30s. In this way, the nickel plating and spot tin plating can meet specific requirements and are not easily damaged in subsequent processes.

[0049] The hot-pluggable interface connector is a high-speed connector and, in specific embodiments, may be, but is not limited to, an SFP, SFP+, QSFP, or QSFP+ connector. The hot-pluggable interface connector includes a front face 101, a top face 103, side face 102 located on both sides, and a rear face 104 located on the rear side. Side solder legs 1021 extending downward from the side face 102 overlap with the second tinned portion 112, and rear solder legs 1041 extending downward from the rear face 104 overlap with the first tinned portion 111.

[0050] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "or / and" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0051] The series of directional words such as front, back, left, right, up, and down used in the technical features of the above-described embodiments are only used to facilitate the description and understanding of the technical features and do not constitute a restriction on specific directions in the actual use of the technical solutions.

[0052] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0053] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector, for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector, characterized in that: The hot-plug interface connector manufacturing method comprises: Splitting the sheet into sheet strips extending longitudinally to the left and right, wherein the sheet strips include a main body and side edges located at the upper and lower sides of the main body; Positioning holes are punched at intervals on the upper and lower sides of the sheet strip; Nickel-plating is performed on the sheet strip, and at the same time, positioning is performed using the positioning holes on both sides, and tinning is performed on the main body of the sheet strip at symmetrical points on both the front and back sides; Coiling the electroplated sheet strip; The sheet material strip is punched along the direction of coil pulling to form a metal cage body of the hot-swappable interface connector. The metal cage body is provided with a longitudinal plug interface for accommodating the docking plug module from front to back. The plug interface is provided with a mounting cavity for accommodating the mounting connector. The metal cage body includes a plurality of wall surfaces. The wall surfaces extend from top to bottom to hold the soldering pins for mounting the circuit board. The spot tinning is located on the soldering pins, eliminating the manual pre-tinning, cleaning and drying processes after stamping.

2. The method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to claim 1, wherein: The entire sheet strip is nickel plated.

3. The method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to claim 1, wherein: The sheet strip is provided with a front end face for stamping out the walls of the metal cage body, side end faces connecting the upper and lower sides of the front end face, a top end face connecting the front end face in the left and right directions, a rear end face further extending laterally from the top end face, and several rear welding feet arranged at intervals up and down and extending laterally from the rear end face. The rear welding feet are provided with a first tinning point, and the first tinning point is distributed in a column shape arranged up and down for point tinning.

4. The method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to claim 3, wherein: The side end face has a side welding foot extending laterally in the left and right directions away from the top face and the rear end face, and the side welding foot is provided with a second tinned point. The first tinned point is adjacent to the second tinned point of the adjacent metal cage sheet strip in the upper and lower directions.

5. The method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to claim 4, wherein: The first tinned point and the second tinned point are electroplated using a special hollow mold to achieve point tinning.

6. The method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to claim 1, wherein: The nickel plating thickness is 30u"~80u", and the spot tin plating thickness is 50u"~200u", which meets the requirements of reflow soldering at 260℃ for 30S.

7. The method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to claim 3, wherein: The front face is provided with a plurality of spaced plug holes for making the hot-plug interface connector a stacked hot-plug interface connector. The front face is also provided with a plurality of front spring pieces extending into the plug holes, which are positioned on both sides of the front end of the plug interface after stamping.

8. The method for manufacturing a hot-pluggable interface connector according to claim 3, wherein: The top wall is provided with a top spring piece portion, which is positioned at the top front end of the metal cage body of the hot-plug interface connector after being stamped and formed.

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