Cold-Drawn Electrical Power Connector Contacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing electrical power connectors using solid or hollow metal contacts result in low structural strength, low product yield rate, excessive material waste, and high manufacturing costs due to inefficient processing techniques and material usage.
Innovation Solution
A method employing cold drawing with series of dies to create thin conducting contact bars, followed by stamping and cutting to form metal contacts, and then using insert molding to attach insulative terminal blocks, which are assembled into connectors, enhancing structural strength and reducing waste and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If hollow metal contact is made by curving shaped copper sheet material into cylindrical configuration, then the contact can be formed without riveting, but the applied force control is difficult and the two opposite side edges may not be positively and accurately abutted against each other, lowering the product yield rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters by transitioning from curving sheet material to cold-drawing round rod material. This parameter change enables precise dimensional control through standardized drawing processes, ensuring accurate abutment of opposite edges while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the manufacturing process into distinct cold-drawing stages using multiple dies with different diameters. This segmentation allows progressive deformation of the metal round rod into the final contact shape, ensuring precise control at each stage and high product yield rate.
2Ease of manufacture
If hollow metal contact is made by curving shaped copper sheet material into cylindrical configuration, then the contact can be formed without riveting, but the structural strength is relatively lower and the contact can easily be deformed or damaged upon connection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material form parameter from curved sheet material to cold-drawn round rod material. This parameter change inherently provides superior structural strength through the cold-drawing process, which aligns the metal grain structure and eliminates weak points, preventing deformation during connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by forming the hollow contact through cold-drawing a solid round rod, creating a seamless structure with uniform wall thickness. This composite approach combines the strength of solid material with the functionality of hollow design, eliminating deformation issues.
3Ease of manufacture
If hollow metal contact is made by curving shaped copper sheet material into cylindrical configuration, then the contact can be formed without riveting, but a seam line will be left at the front side of the hollow metal contact, affecting the sense of beauty of the outer appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method parameter from sheet curving to cold-drawing of round rods. This parameter change eliminates seam line formation entirely, as the cold-drawing process creates a seamless hollow structure from solid material, improving outer appearance while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
4Reliability
If solid contact is made using milling technique with locating flange having larger outer diameter, then the contact can be formed with sufficient material, but about 40% of the metal material is wasted, increasing the material cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material utilization parameter by adopting cold-drawing from round rods instead of milling from solid blocks with locating flanges. This parameter change enables near 100% material utilization, as the cold-drawing process directly forms the contact from the rod material without requiring excessive material for locating features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the need for discarding and recovering waste metal material by using cold-drawing processes that utilize nearly all the input material. The small trimmings from cutting operations can be easily recovered and reused, significantly reducing material loss compared to milling methods.
5Reliability
If solid contact is made using milling technique with locating flange, then the contact can be formed with sufficient material, but waste recycling is necessary to recycle waste metal material, increasing the process complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing process parameter from milling with waste generation to cold-drawing with minimal waste. This parameter change eliminates the complexity of waste recycling processes, as the cold-drawing method produces negligible trimmings that do not require separate recycling operations.
6Ease of manufacture
If first solid contact and second solid contact are riveted together, then the contacts can be assembled, but they may be loosened from each other after long use, producing large electrical resistance, high temperature, contact error, electric shock or connector dropping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the first and second solid contacts into a single integrated cold-drawn piece. This merging eliminates the riveted joint entirely, as both contact sections are formed as one continuous metal structure through the cold-drawing process, ensuring permanent connection without loosening risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by cold-drawing a solid round rod to form an integrated contact structure that combines multiple functional sections. This composite approach creates a unified structure with consistent material properties throughout, eliminating weak points at joints and ensuring long-term reliability.
7Reliability
If conventional manufacturing methods are used for electrical power connectors, then the connectors can be produced, but the fabrication efficiency is low, fabrication time is long, yield rate is low, and manufacturing cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental manufacturing parameter from conventional sheet curving or block milling to cold-drawing of round rods. This parameter change enables continuous production with high efficiency, as cold-drawing can process multiple rods simultaneously and requires fewer operations, dramatically improving productivity while maintaining high reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing cold-drawing to near-final dimensions before any assembly operations. This preliminary shaping ensures that subsequent operations such as cutting and assembly are simplified and can be performed rapidly, increasing overall fabrication efficiency while ensuring high-quality results.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method significantly increases the yield rate and reduces manufacturing time and costs while producing high-strength, reliable, and long-lasting electrical power connectors.
Implementation Method 1
employing a cold drawing technique with a series of dies (2) having different diameters of drawing holes (20) to repeatedly draw a metal round rod (1) into a thin thickness conducting contact bar (11)
Implementation Method 2
stamping a part of the thin thickness conducting contact bar (11) to form a mounting portion (31)
Implementation Method 3
cutting a part of the thin thickness conducting contact bar (11) so that a finished metal contact (3) is obtained
Implementation Method 4
using an insert molding technique to mold electrically insulative terminal blocks (6) on the metal contacts (3)
Implementation Method 5
electroplating the metal contacts (3)
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical power connector preparation method for making electrical power connectors by: employing a cold drawing technique with a series of dies to repeatedly draw a metal round rod into a thin thickness conducting contact bar, processing one end of the thin thickness conducting contact bar into a mating contact portion, stamping a part of the thin thickness conducting contact to form a mounting portion, repeating the aforesaid steps to obtain a large amount of metal contacts, using one or multiple contact material strips to hold multiple metal contacts in multiple sets, electroplating the metal contacts, using an insert molding technique to mold an electrically insulative terminal block on each set of metal contacts, and then assembling each set of metal contacts and the associating electrically insulative terminal block with one respective electrically insulative housing so that multiple electrical power connectors are obtained after removal of the contact material strips.