It is known to manufacture connectors, such as plugs and receptacles, with bodies of thermoplastic material molded about terminal elements attached to the metallic cores of insulated conductors. The cores are typically formed of multiple strands of copper wire with the stripped end of the conductor attached to the wire-receiving end of the terminal element, for example, by crimping. The terminal elements with the conductors extending therefrom are held by a jig so that the insulative body can be molded about the spaced terminal elements.
Occasionally the attachment of the terminal element to the core, which is typically accomplished by automated equipment, is improper in that there is a loose strand of the core free of the wire-receiving end of the terminal element. After completion of molding the body, this loose strand might contact another core or terminal element, or a loose strand of an adjacent core, resulting in a short. To prevent a connector with an internal short from reaching the consumer, a continuity test is performed after manufacture and shorted connectors scrapped.
One proposed method of forming an electrical connector involves forming the terminal elements with a bridging portion to hold them in spaced relationship. After the terminal elements are connected to the stranded cores of the conductors, the arrangement is placed in a mold with movable shearing members moving in the mold cavity to sever the bridging portion. After the movable shearing members are withdrawn from the cavity, insulating material is introduced into the cavity to form the connector body. For further information concerning this method, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,618.