NEW PROCESS FOR MASS TERMINATIONS

摘要

This paper presents a new process for mass terminating contacts that utilizes recent developments in ultrasonic crimping technology. The connector industry has employed ultrasonic energy for decades to effectively weld plastic components. More recently, metal to metal welding with ultrasonic energy has been utilized to produce individual wire terminations. The Sonicrimp® Process described herein is a mass termination technique that uses ultrasonic energy to crimp multiple contacts to wires simultaneously.rnThe Sonicrimp process insures contacts and conductors are aligned, compressed and secured between specially designed plastic components that form a crimp barrel around each interface. The use of plastic as a crimp medium is unique to the interconnect industry and requires a thorough study to evaluate its effectiveness over time and in various environments.rnThis paper provides an overview of the patented Sonicrimp process and a preliminary study of the characteristics of a finished termination. A comprehensive look at a single termination reveals an excellentrninterface between the joined wire and contact. The normal forces remain high and no deterioration in electrical performance occurs during the test period, while subject to vibration and thermal stresses. Preliminary results indicate the Sonicrimp process is a viable technique for cable terminations used in microelectronics, telecommunications, computers, and a variety of other industries. Furthermore, Sonicrimp technology is being expanded into higher density applications and has been used to terminate to thin film, printed circuit boards, flex print, and custom contact configurations.