Patent ID: 9698554
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: C22C,H01R,Y10T

Claim:
1. A female terminal fabrication method comprising: a first step of punching a copper alloy plate so as to form a blank which corresponds to a quadrangular prism-shaped box portion into which a tab of a male terminal is fitted, wherein the copper alloy plate is obtained by being continuously and repeatedly bent before an age heat treatment is applied thereto, wherein the copper alloy plate has a proof stress of 700 MPa or larger and a width of 10 mm or larger in which no crack is produced therein when bent 180 degrees about a bending axis which is at right angles to a rolling direction of the copper alloy plate; and a second step of bending the blank into the quadrangular prism-shaped box portion, wherein the second step has a step of forming notches in the blank before the blank is bent, and wherein the notches are formed to a depth ranging from ¼ to ½ of a thickness of the copper alloy plate in positions corresponding to inner sides of bent portions which are formed when the blank is bent.