Patent ID: 7320171

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a fuse element including the following sequential steps: providing a hollow body, which is constituted by a tubular wall surrounding an internal space and has two opposing open end faces, introducing a fusible conductive element into the internal space of the hollow body such that the fusible conductive clement extends substantially from one end face to the other, passing two end sections of a conductor of the fusible conductive element out of the internal space through the end faces around the wall of the hollow body such that they are disposed externally at a respective adhesive point on the outer surface of the hollow body, applying a conductive adhesive at least to the two adhesive points on the outer surface of the hollow body such that a respective portion of the end sections of the conductor of the fusible conductive element is also wetted, positioning two contact caps with a respective base and adjoining side walls on the hollow body such that the bases of the two contact caps at least partially close the internal space at the end faces and the side walls overlap a respective section of the outer surface of the wall of the hollow body, the sections enclosing the two adhesive points and so that an air gap is left between the outer surface of the wall of the hollow body and at least one of the side walls of the contact caps for providing fluid communication between the internal space of the hollow body and an environment surrounding the hollow body, said step of applying the adhesive to the outer surface of the hollow body and the following step of positioning contact caps are carried out so that the adhesive is distributed between the contact cap and the hollow body such that substantially no adhesive gets onto the end faces of the hollow body and into the internal space, setting the adhesive, whereby the end sections of the conductor of the fusible conductive element are secured outside the internal space in a gap-shaped space defined between the outer surface and side wall such that the surfaces adjoining the internal space are maintained substantially free of organic materials.