Electrical connector clinching means

摘要

A clinching plate for supporting a circuit board to be loaded with electrical connectors by means of a robot or a pick-and-place machine, comprises a plurality of clinching units set in openings in the plate. The units comprise pairs of slides having clinching ears for clinching a pair of posts at each end of each connector to the board to hold the connectors in place while the board is transported to a soldering station. One clinching unit is provided for each connector and each unit is operated by means of an individual drive cylinder under the control of the microprocessor of the mother machine.