PRODUCTION OF PRESS-FIT AND CRIMP CONNECTIONS IN A VICE

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a method for connecting a strand element to a connection element using a re-shaping method, such as a connecting a cable lug. A system is also disclosed which comprises a pair of receiving elements having a front side with a recess and a hollow section. The hollow section is designed to accommodate a press insert having a front side with a recess. The receiving element and the press inserts are arranged in a vice. The system also comprises a clamp having a front side with a recess, which is suitable for receiving the connection element. When a pair of receiving elements is arranged, together with the press insert, around a central region of the connection element, then a re-shaping connection, such as a crimp connection, is produced between the strand element and the connection element.

Claims

1. A system for establishing a mechanical connection between a strand element and a connection element, the system comprising: a pair of receiving elements, where each receiving element has a front side with a recess suitable for receiving the connecting element and a hollow section, a pair of press inserts (300), where each press insert has an font side with a recess extending over the entire narrow face of the end face, and wherein the press insert is designed to be arranged in the hollow section and, if the press insert is arranged in the hollow section, the recess of the press insert is substantially aligned with the recess of the receiving element, wherein the receiving elements and the press inserts are arranged in a vice, so that the system the strand element with the connection element, which is arranged at a first end of the strand element, and the pair of press inserts is arranged around a central region of the connection element.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein a clamp is provided with a front side having a recess, which is suitable for accommodating the connection element, and a stop, disposed on a first side of the clamp.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the strand element comprises at least partially of at least one of plastics and thermoplastics, of at least one of soft metals aluminum, copper, aluminum, copper alloys, and steel, the connection element comprises at least partially at least one of plastics, thermoplastics, of at least one of soft metals, aluminum, copper, aluminum, copper alloys and steel, and at least one of the strand element and the connecting element is coated with at least one of plastics, lacquer, metals, nickel, tin, zinc and silver.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pair of the recesses of the press inserts forms at least one of a polygon and a hexagon.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a welding tool for the bonded connection of the strand element and the connection element.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pair of receiving elements are configured to be driven by the jaws or the jaw attachment of a vice.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein at least one jaw side of the vice is integrated in a tool unit which can be moved along a sliding bar relative to a second tool unit.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein a holding device serves as part of the receiving element for receiving the strand element and a die arranged correspondingly on the tool unit for positioning and aligning the connection element relative to the strand element.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the holding device and the correspondingly arranged die are mounted such that they can be displaced at least one of horizontally and vertically relative to one another by means of at least one compensation element.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the die has a clamping hook corresponding to a tab or lug of the connection element and thus allowing the positioning and alignment of the connection element by means of the movement of the clamping hook.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises at least one of a cooling system and a preheating system, with which at least parts of at least one of the system, the strand element and/or the connection element can be cooled or heated during at least one of the forming process and during the subsequent welding process.

12. A method for producing a mechanical connection between a strand element and a connection element, comprising the steps of: arranging the strand element with the connection element on a stop of a clamp; arranging a pair of press inserts around a central region of the connection element; and forming a bonded connection of the strand element and the connection element by means of a welding tool.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the strand element is arranged in the connection element in such a way that a predefined distance remains between a first end of the strand element and the inner side of the front side of the connection element.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the strand element and the connection element are displaced at least one of vertically and horizontally relative to one another until an optimum positioning and alignment of the connection element relative the strand element is achieved.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of: cooling or heating of at least one part of at least one of the system, the strand element and the connection element during at least one of the forming process and during the subsequent welding process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Further advantages features and details of the various embodiments of this disclosure will become apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred exemplary embodiment or embodiments and further with the aid of the drawings. The features and combinations of features recited below in the description, as well as the features and feature combination shown after that in the drawing description or in the drawings alone, may be used not only in the particular combination recited but also in other combinations on their own without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0032] In the following, an advantageous embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

[0033] FIG. 1a is the schematic representation of an embodiment of a press insert;

[0034] FIG. 1b is the schematic representation of an embodiment of a receiving element;

[0035] FIG. 1c is the schematic representation of an embodiment of a clamp;

[0036] FIG. 2a is the schematic representation of an embodiment of a system implemented by means of a vice or clamping vice;

[0037] FIG. 2b is a closed vice or clamping vice at the end of the forming process; and

[0038] FIG. 3 shows the schematic exploded drawing of an embodiment of the system with a die and a holding device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] As used throughout the present disclosure, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “or” encompasses all possible combinations, except where infeasible. For example, the expression “A or B” shall mean A alone, B alone, or A and B together. If it is stated that a component includes “A, B, or C”, then, unless specifically stated otherwise or infeasible, the component may include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or A and B and C. Expressions such as “at least one of” do not necessarily modify an entirety of the following list and do not necessarily modify each member of the list, such that “at least one of “A, B, and C” should be understood as including only one of A, only one of B, only one of C, or any combination of A, B, and C.

[0040] FIG. 1a depicts the schematic representation of a press insert 300. It is clearly visible that the recess 315 extends over the entire narrow side of the front side 310 of the press insert 300. The recess 315 is designed in such a way that it has a smaller diameter than the recess 215 of the receiving elements 200 (see FIG. 1b). As a result, the press insert 300 is suitable for reshaping the connection element 150 (see FIG. 2a). In the embodiment shown, the recess 315 is designed to have a hexagonal shape when the press insert 300 is used in pairs.

[0041] FIG. 1b shows the schematic representation of a receiving element 200. The receiving element 200 has a recess 215 on the front side 210. The receiving element 200 further comprises a hollow section 230. This is opened downwards in the embodiment shown. The receiving element 200 is designed in such a way that, if the press insert 300 (see FIG. 1a) is arranged in the hollow section 230, the recess 315 of the press insert 300 is substantially aligned with the recess 215 of the receiving element 200, apart from the different diameters and shapes of the recess 215 and 315. In one embodiment, the press insert can protrude up to 0.2 mm.

[0042] FIG. 1c shows the schematic representation of a clamp 400. The clamp 400 has a recess 415 on the front side 410 (this is shown in FIG. 1c on the bottom). On a first side 420, the clamp 400 has a stop 450. In the embodiment shown, the clamp 400 is designed to be movable. It can be clearly seen that the stop 450, when guided downwards and closed, does not completely close the recess 415 of the clamp 400, but is suitable for allowing a protruding part of the connection element to protrude beyond the connection element.

[0043] FIG. 2a shows the schematic explosion representation of a system 10 according to the invention, which was realized by means of a vice or clamping vice. The elements press insert 300 and the receiving element 200 are mounted on an adapter plate 290, which is arranged on a carriage track 530. The elements press insert 300 and the receiving element 200 on an adapter plate 290 can also be configured as one piece. The Adapter Plate 290 allows easy mounting on a vice 500. It can be clearly seen that the elements press insert 300, receiving element 200 and adapter plate 290 are arranged in pairs opposite each other.

[0044] A strand element 100 and a connection element 150 are arranged in the middle of the system 10. The connection element 150 has a tab or lug 158. The connection element 150 is shown after the re-shaping and opening of the system 10; wherein the middle area 155 of the connection element 150 was pressed into a hexagonal shape, by closing the movable element of the vice 500. A vice 500 can exert enormous forces on the workpiece in a predictable manner and ensure a satisfactory repeatability of the motion sequences, thus cause achieving a high quality forming process.

[0045] FIG. 2b shows a closed vice immediately after the end of the forming process. Only the tab or lug 158 and an upper part of the connection element 150 are still visible. The change in the elements of the vice 500 is clearly visible, especially in comparison with FIG. 2a. The press insert 300 is covered by the closed receiving element 200. Above the connection element 150, a welding tool 600 is shown (e.g. based on a friction spot welding tool, a sonotrode, an electrode or a hot die). The welding tool 600 can be used to achieve a bonded connection of the strand element 100 and the connection element 150 after the forming thus further improving the quality of the connection.

[0046] In one embodiment of FIG. 3, the system 10 is arranged vertically. The receiving element 200 is mounted in a floating manner in the vertical direction on a lower tool unit 550 by means of a spring mechanism and can be moved relative to the press insert 300 in the open vice position. The receiving element 200 is designed in such a way that, in addition to the connection element 150, it also receives the strand element 100 in a separate recess/mold cavity outside the forming area by means of a die 580 and a holding device 590. The strand element 100 and the connection element 150 are inserted horizontally into the receiving element 200, whereby the connection element 150 is fixed via a clamp 400 and the strand element 100 is fixed via a separate clamping element 540 on the receiving element 200 to the receiving element 200 or on a holding device 590 as part of the receiving element 200. In addition, the die 580 for mounting and positioning the connection element 150 is shown in FIG. 3. The holding device 590 and thus the receiving element 200 can be displaced in the vertical and/or horizontal direction relative to the die 580. This allows easier mounting and positioning of the connection element 150 relative to the strand element 100. This is preferably achieved by a compensation element 510, which can be a spring, a hydraulic cylinder or a similar mechanical compensation element. The compensation element 510 is preferably arranged on the lower tool unit 550 below the die 580 and/or below the holding device 590 of the receiving element 200. In the example shown in FIG. 3 the die 580 is held by a stamp-shaped hydraulic compensation element 510 and the holding device 590 of the receiving element 200 is held as the compensation element 510 by means of a spring. Furthermore, the die 580 has a clamping hook 585 which detects the tab or lug 158 of the connection element 150 and thus serves to support the positioning of the connection element 150. Due to the conception according to FIG. 3, the receiving element 200 in this insertion position is arranged higher by the spring mechanism than the press insert 300. This has the advantage that tilting or slipping of the connection element 150 and the strand element 100 on the relatively narrow press insert 300, which otherwise protrudes from the receiving element 200 and whose width is usually 10 mm, is avoided.

[0047] The figures are merely schematic representations and serve only to explain the invention. Elements that are identical or have the same effect are consistently marked with the same reference signs.