Electrical Power Connector Fabrication via Cold Drawing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for fabricating electrical power connectors using metal contacts result in low structural strength, low yield rates, excessive material waste, and high manufacturing costs due to inefficient processing techniques such as stamping and riveting, which also lead to potential electrical issues like high resistance and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A method involving cold drawing of metal rods into thin conducting bars, followed by stamping and cutting to form mating and mounting portions, and then injection molding of insulative housings to create multiple connectors simultaneously, using a contact material strip for precise positioning and reducing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If stamping technique is used to form hollow metal contact from copper sheet material, then the metal contact can be formed into cylindrical configuration, but the structural strength is reduced and the contact can easily be deformed or damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from stamping and bending copper sheet material to cold drawing metal round rod. This parameter change in the forming process transforms the metal contact into a solid cylindrical structure with superior structural strength that resists deformation and damage during connection operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses solid metal round rod material instead of hollow copper sheet material, creating a solid metal contact structure. This material structure change provides enhanced structural strength while maintaining electrical conductivity, eliminating the weakness of hollow contacts.
2Device complexity
If hollow metal contact is formed by curving copper sheet material without riveting, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the product yield rate decreases due to edge misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the forming method from bending and curving sheet material to cold drawing round rod material. This eliminates the edge alignment problem inherent in bending operations, as cold drawing produces a solid cylindrical contact with no seams or edges that could misalign, thereby increasing product yield rate.
3Manufacturing precision
If solid contact with locating flange is made by milling technique, then the contact can be precisely formed, but about 40% of metal material is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes from milling technique that requires excessive material removal to cold drawing technique that forms the contact with minimal material waste. The cold drawing process shapes the metal round rod directly into the final contact form, eliminating the need to mill away 40% of the material and significantly reducing substance loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the milling mechanical system with a cold drawing mechanical system. Instead of removing material through milling, the cold drawing process forms the contact by plastic deformation of the round rod, substituting a forming process for a subtractive process and eliminating material waste.
4Ease of manufacture
If first solid contact and second solid contact are riveted together, then the assembly can be formed, but they may be loosened after long use producing high electrical resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the first solid contact and second solid contact into a single integral piece of metal through the cold drawing process. Instead of assembling two separate contacts with rivets, the solid metal contact is formed as one continuous structure, eliminating the rivet connection that could loosen and causing electrical resistance issues.
5Productivity
If injection molding technique is used to mold housings on metal contacts, then multiple electrical power connectors can be formed rapidly at a time, but the manufacturing cost must be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the metal contact manufacturing method to cold drawing, which produces contacts with minimal material waste and high consistency. This reduces material costs and rework costs, making the injection molding process more cost-effective. The precision of cold drawing eliminates the need for expensive post-processing or scrap disposal associated with other methods.
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 improves fabrication efficiency, increases yield rates, reduces manufacturing costs, and enhances connector durability by embedding shoulders in the housings for secure positioning, thus addressing the structural and safety issues of previous methods.
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
using an injection molding technique to mold electrically insulative housings (51) on the metal contacts (3) to form a number of electrical power connectors (6) at a time
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical power connector fabrication method includes employing a cold drawing technique by using 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, cutting off the thin thickness conducting contact bar to obtain a finished metal contact formed of the mounting portion and the mating contact portion, repeating the aforesaid steps to obtain a large amount of metal contacts, attaching individual metal contacts to respective locating notches of a contact material strip, using an injection molding technique to mold electrically insulative housings on the metal contacts to form a number of electrical power connectors at a time, and then removing the contact material strip from the metal contacts.