Method and apparatus for assembling electrical contact elements in an electrically insulative body

摘要

Electrical sockets used for mounting integrated circuits and the like are assembled by sequentially feeding electrically insulative bodies onto a track between a pair of endless belts which transmit motion to the bodies forcing them to move along a first path which extends beyond the belts. The socket bodies typically are provided with two parallel rows of contact receiving apertures which extend through the bodies from the top surface to the bottom surface thereof. A continuous carrier strip having spaced contact elements depending therefrom is directed along a second path which tangentially meets the first path so that the contact elements are sequentially received in one of the two rows of contact receiving apertures. The contact elements are securely seated by means of a seating roller and are then staked in position by one or more staking rollers after which the contact elements are severed from the carrier strip. Another carrier strip having similar spaced contact elements depending therefrom is directed along a third path which tangentially meets the first path so that the contact elements are sequentially received in the other of the two rows of contact receiving apertures. The contact elements of the other row are then in turn seated, staked and severed from the carrier strip in the same manner as in the one row. The assembled sockets are then placed in suitable storing or shipping containers for ultimate use.