Contact Insertion Process June 2001

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Handy & Harman Precious Metals Fabrication Group (PMFG) offers a new patent-pending process for in-die high speed fabrication of electrical contacts. The process, called Consert (for contact insertion) was developed by Pylon Tool Corporation (Northbrook, IL) using specially shaped precious metal clad wire Consert tape, exclusively manufactured by Handy & Harman PMFG's Contact Tape Division.

The Consert process is a hybrid of the contact welding and rivet staking processes. The ease of handling and the higher production rates associated with welding contact tape has reportedly been combined with the lower capital cost/tool cost process of rivet staking to produce a contact fabricating system capable of high speed with lower capital investment.

According to John Schmitt, Handy & Harman PMFG's business director: "Consert can offer up to 10 times the speed of manual staking, or two to three times the production speed of typical contact rivet insertion equipment, coupled with the ability to use common electrical contact alloys, clad to a base metal substrate. These features can reduce overall manufacturing expenses."

Handy & Harman Precious Metals Fabrication Group (PMFG)