Abstract:
The progressive die tooling component carrier is adapted to serve as a hinge connection between the components that it connects. The carrier allows for the reeling of a series of components for storage and transportation without causing the warping or bending of the components. Preferably, the hinge connection is achieved by providing the carrier with a compression, a perforation, or both a compression and a perforation. The carrier is designed to further minimize the scrap resulting from the removal of the carrier from the adjoining components.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This is a continuation-in-part application of Petitioner&#39;s earlier application Ser. No. 09/507,974 filed Feb. 22, 2000, entitled PROGRESSIVE DIE TOOLING COMPONENT CARRIER. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a progressive die tooling component carrier which provides a hinge connection between adjacent components for storage and transportation prior to separation and implementation.  
         DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
         [0003]    Progressive die tooling is used to produce high volume precision components for manufacturing purposes. Progressive die tooling components are used in a number of industries, but are used primarily in mass production. In progressive die tooling, the components to be manufactured can be connected directly to each other in series, but more commonly, such components are connected by a carrier, described below. If, for instance, a series of metal components were to be produced for progressive die tooling, the raw material employed in the process would comprise a strip of metal. The metal would be stamped to provide a series of desired components. The components would ordinarily be connected by a small amount of the metal strip, known as a carrier. The carrier would be removed from the components by a punch or similar tool prior to the implementation of the component.  
           [0004]    The design of the carrier is determined by the design of the tooling, the associated component, and the application of the component. To minimize the amount of waste that is produced when the carrier is separated from the component, the carrier is usually joined to the base features of consecutive components.  
           [0005]    Prior art progressive die tooling component carriers have customarily comprised a solid piece of metal having the same thickness as the component. In instances where minimization of scrap material has been important, the prior art progressive die tooling component carriers have had a shortened length or width. A carrier with a shortened length prevents reeling of the integrated components because of the rigidity of its connection with the components. Reeling of components having carriers of shortened length can result in bent or warped components, which is undesirable. Similarly, carriers with shortened widths allow for the twisting, or relative rotation, of adjacent components. The twisting of the components makes precision automated work difficult.  
           [0006]    Other prior art progressive die tooling component carriers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,608, teach the use of a pair of rectangular carrier arms. The carrier arms are positioned in parallel spaced relation to one another, connecting the adjacent components to one another. This type of carrier becomes problematic when the adjacent components are subjected to a twisting motion. The twisting motion forces one end of each carrier arm upward and the opposite end downward forming a pair of hinges in each of the carrier arms as the components are wound around a reel. Each of the hinges will tend to bend along different axes, thus creating an additional force on the carriers that makes them more likely to fracture as the reeled components are unreeled prior to assembly. Moreover, the formation of multiple hinges in each of the carriers will alter the uniform distance between the components, making precision positioning of the components more difficult.  
           [0007]    The difficulty in forming a single hinge in such prior art carriers is further compounded by the inability to accurately determine the point at which each carrier will bend. The components are far more likely to become entangled as they are wound onto a reel when each of the carriers is hinged at a different point. Consistently locating the hinge point of each carrier will greatly reduce the occurrence of tangled components as well as multiple axes hinging.  
           [0008]    Accordingly, what is needed is a progressive die tooling component carrier that enables a strip of formed components to be easily wound onto a reel, resists twisting of the components relative to one another, and reduces the scrap formed when the carrier is separated from the components.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The progressive die tooling component carrier of this invention is adapted to create and accurately locate a single hinge between the components that it connects. Therefore, the carrier of the present invention allows for the reeling of a series of components for storage and transportation without causing the reeled components to tangle, warp or bend.  
           [0010]    In one embodiment of the present invention, a hinge connection is achieved between adjacent components by providing a compression in the carrier. In another embodiment, the hinge connection is achieved by forming a shaped perforation in the carrier. The compression and the perforation methods are combinable into yet another embodiment. Each of these different embodiments provides the additional benefit of reducing the amount of waste material produced when the carrier is separated from the components.  
           [0011]    It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a progressive die tooling component carrier that provides a hinge connection between the components to which it is connected.  
           [0012]    It is a further object of this invention to provide a progressive die tooling component carrier that allows for the reeling of a series of components without causing the tangling, warping or bending of the components.  
           [0013]    It is yet another object of the invention to provide a progressive die tooling component carrier that results in the minimization of waste material produced when the carrier is severed from the component to which it is attached.  
           [0014]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a progressive die tooling component carrier that substantially prevents relative rotation of the components about their longitudinal axes.  
           [0015]    It is yet another object of the invention to provide a progressive die tooling component carrier that is shaped to prevent the formation of multiple hinges between pairs of adjacent components.  
           [0016]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a progressive die tooling component carrier that forms a hinge at a predetermined location along the length of the carrier.  
           [0017]    These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those familiar with the art. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a series of components joined by prior art progressive die tooling component carriers;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1B is a side sectional view of the same;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2A is an isometric view of a series of components joined by the progressive die tooling component carriers of this invention employing a perforation;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2B is a side sectional view of the same;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3A is an isometric view of a series of components joined by progressive die tooling component carriers of this invention employing a compression;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3B is a side sectional view of the same;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4A is an isometric view of a series of components joined by progressive die tooling component carriers of this invention employing both a perforation and a compression;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4B is a side sectional view of the same. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]    The numeral  2  indicates prior art progressive die tooling components having prior art progressive die tooling component carriers  3  therebetween. Although the progressive die tooling components  2  shown are electrical terminals, the structure of this invention may be used with any progressive die tooling components. As seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the prior art carriers have a length (L 1 ), width (W 1 ), and thickness (H 1 ). The thickness (H 1 ) of the prior art progressive die tooling component carriers  3  is equivalent to the thickness of the prior art progressive die tooling components  2  as shown in FIG. 1B.  
         [0027]    The prior art progressive die tooling component carriers  3  have several shortcomings. It is often desirable to reel the progressive die tooling components  2  for transportation or storage. The prior art progressive die tooling component carriers  3 , as shown in FIG. 1A, occasionally have a width (W 1 ) that is greater than the width (W 2 ) of the component  2 . The reeling of the prior art progressive die tooling components  2  places stress on the components orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the components. The integrated components  2  and prior art carriers  3  tend to deflect or bend at their weakest points. As shown in FIG. 1A, the weakest point in the integrated carriers and components would likely be the point indicated by numeral  4 . If, however, the width (W 1 ) of the prior art progressive die tooling component carrier  3  were made smaller than the width (W 2 ) of the component, the components  2  would be subject to twisting or relative rotation about the longitudinal access of the components. Such rotation is undesirable in precision tooling.  
         [0028]    Furthermore, the length (L 1 ) or the width (W 1 ) of the prior art carriers  3  has often been minimized to reduce the amount of waste material in a die tooling operation. Although the reduction of waste is an important goal, as previously stated, reduction of the width (W 1 ) of the prior art carriers  3  results in the potential twisting of the components  2 . In addition, reduction of the length (L 1 ) of the prior art carriers  3  results in greater stress on the components  2  at their weakest points  4  when the components are reeled for transportation or storage.  
         [0029]    The numeral  10  refers generally to an embodiment of the progressive die tooling component carrier of this invention. As shown in FIG. 2A, the carrier  10  has a length (L 3 ) and a width (W 3 ). The carrier  10  is shaped to also include a perforation  12 . The width (W 3 ) of the carrier  10  is sufficient to prevent the twisting of the components  14  relative to one another. Preferably, the carrier arms  16 A and  16 B have a combined width at their narrowest points (W A +W B ) that is less than the width (W 4 ) of the component  14  at its narrowest point  18 .  
         [0030]    In use, the carrier  10  is separated from the components  14  in conventional fashion, usually by a punch. It is preferred that the carrier be completely separated from the adjoining components. Leaving small portions of the carrier attached to the components will result in an uneven component edge. The uneven edge will often render the component incompatible with glass or ceramic substrates. The uneven edge causes stress points on the substrate when the solder used to connect the component to the substrate cools.  
         [0031]    The carrier  10 , once separated, constitutes waste. It is preferred that the perforation  12  extends across the length (L 3 ) of the carrier  10  so that the perforation  12  exposes a portion of the component edge. This will help minimize waste in at least two different ways. First, the perforated carrier will comprise less material than a non-perforated carrier. Second, the carrier will be broken into two or more smaller pieces as it is removed from the adjoining carriers, allowing for easier removal by conventional vacuum methods.  
         [0032]    The carriers  10  shown in FIG. 2A are ideally suited for reeling of the components for storage and transportation. Unlike prior art carriers, the carrier  10  will tend to bend or deflect at a single predetermined line indicated at  2 B, which intersects the carrier arms  16 A and  16 B at the points of narrowest width, W A  and W B . Changing the shape of perforation  12 , or its location in carrier  10 , so that the narrowest width portions W A  and W B  are moved to different locations along the length of carrier  10 , will selectively change the location of the carrier hinge. By bending the carrier at the line  2 B, the base  19  of the components  14  are maintained in a substantially flat condition. Accordingly, a single hinge with a single axis is selectively located and maintained in carrier  10  throughout a reeling operation. Prior art carriers using parallel carrier arms of uniform width will tend to twist and form two different hinges in the carrier with different axes, putting a greater stress on the carrier and rendering precision work with such a carrier difficult at best.  
         [0033]    Although perforation  12  can be formed in virtually any shape, it is preferred that perforation  12  at least be shaped to provide carrier arms  16 A and  16 B with curved inner edges, extending at least partially along the length of carrier  10 . The curved inner edges will provide the requisite narrow width portions W A  and W B . They will also tend to provide greater structural integrity to the hinge formed in the carrier  10  than edges having an angular shape.  
         [0034]    A second embodiment of the carrier of this invention is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B and is indicated by numeral  20 . The carrier  20  has been shaped to have a compression  22  extending across the width (W 5 ) thereof. The compression  22  is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the components  24  and reduces the thickness (H 2 ) of the carrier  20  relative to the thickness (H 1 ) of the components  24 . It is contemplated that the reduced thickness of the carrier  20  could be achieved by the removal of material by known means or by compression. Although the width (W 5 ) of the carrier  20  is greater than that of the narrowest part of the component  26 , the carrier  20  will provide a single hinge connection between components  24 . Accordingly, only one hinge axis can be formed along the length of the carrier. The compression  22  provides a natural bending point at the line indicated by line  3 B. In use, the components  24  may be reeled and the base  28  of each component  24  will be maintained in a substantially flat condition.  
         [0035]    Due to compression  22 , the carrier  20  may have a length (L 5 ) that is comparatively short, but that provides the desired hinge connection. The shortened length (L 5 ) results in less material that needs to be separated from the components  24 , minimizing waste.  
         [0036]    A third embodiment of the carrier  30  of this invention is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The carrier  30  has a length (L 6 ), an overall width (W 6 ), a perforation  32 , and a compression  34 . The carrier  30  employs the benefits of carriers  10  and  20  previously described. The perforation  32  provides a natural hinge connection between components  36  and also minimizes waste material. As shown in FIG. 4B, the compression  34  has a thickness (H 3 ) that is less than the thickness (H 1 ) of the base portion  38  of the component  36 . The compression  34  extends across the width (W 6 ) of the carrier  30  and also provides a hinge connection between components  36 . Like the previously described carriers  10  and  20 , the carrier  30  allows for the reeling of components  36  while maintaining the base portion  38  of the components in a substantially flat condition. The carrier  30  also consists of less material than prior art carriers, minimizing waste caused by separation of the carrier  30  from the components  36 .  
         [0037]    In the drawings and in the specification, there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention; and although specific items are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and proportion of parts, as well as substitute of equivalents, are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims.  
         [0038]    Thus, it can be seen that the invention achieves at least all of the stated objectives.