F-SPRING CONTACT
FASTON
TERMINAL
Improving Connector Reliability and Safety
APPLIANCES /// F-SPRING CONTACT FASTON TERMINAL
F-SPRING CONTACT FASTON TERMINAL
Improving Connector Reliability and Safety
TE CONNECTIVITY’S NEW F-SPRING
CONTACT FASTON TERMINAL
MEETS THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND
SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR MANY
APPLICATIONS IN A WIDE VARIETY
OF INDUSTRIES AND MARKETS.
Quick disconnects have been used by several different industries for more than 70 years. Billions of
these terminals are in service today. Their applications range from appliances to automotive wire
harnesses, and include high-temperature designs, electric motors and power supplies controls. These
terminals continue to be the standard for wiring electrical components since they remain unsurpassed in
meeting the basic mechanical and electrical requirements of many applications.
The reason for this product’s longevity is quite simple: appliance, automotive, lighting and many other
industries need interconnect systems that are reliable and cost effective. Their popularity illustrates the
intrinsic reliability of crimp connections.
Listening to the Industry
Manufacturers using interconnect systems are focused on innovation in terms of quality upgrading and
new product introductions. Regulations and standards are important drivers of innovation and also influence the materials used in manufacturing.
The demands for safer, more environmentally friendly products has resulted in consumers showing a
willingness to pay for energy efficiency, with eco-labeling enabling them to choose “greener” products.
At the same time, governments are encouraging functional incentives such as ENERGY STAR (U.S.), the
EU Energy Labeling Directive (European Union), and the Energy Rating Label (Australia).
APPLIANCES /// F-SPRING CONTACT FASTON TERMINAL
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Improving Connector Reliability and Safety
In addition to a broad range of environmental directives,
product design is affected by provisions aimed at a user
safety. There are several regulations to prevent work-place
injuries and improve ergonomics that affect basic product
development. As a result, design has become a significant
element to meet these requirements, in that a good design
will lead to a safe design.
Figure 1. Straight and flag versions with same mating
area geometry
Reducing manufacturing costs while improving quality is
another priority for manufacturers. In addition to costs from
production or remedying failures, a significant factor is the
cost of design.
A key element for improving product quality and manufacturability is mistake-proofing the initial design. A difficult-to-assemble product is more likely to be produced incorrectly. For
Figure 2. Leaf-spring rolls, tab guidance features and
this reason it is mandatory to find and correct defects caused
locking dimple shown.
by errors as close to the source as possible, since costs increase as a product or item flows through the manufacturing
process. The benefits of mistake-proofing not only helps with
production, it can also help improve user operation, maintenance and servicing.
For all of these reasons, establishing safe manufacturing
processes and improving product reliability helps increase
market share by forging better customer relationships.
Figure 3. Flared lead-in and milled surface with its low
friction make for easier tab insertion.
The F-Spring Contact FASTON Terminal
TE Connectivity’s (TE) new F-spring contact FASTON terminal offers a combination of low insertion
force (LIF) and high performance to help meet the latest market trends and consumer requirements
(Figure 1). F-spring terminals offer significant benefits and advantages compared to more traditional
contacts.
Energy Efficient
Thanks to its steel nickel material the F-spring contact can be used in many applications with a wide
range of temperatures. Good performance against corrosion is another advantage as well as better mechanical resistance and improved capability of dynamic energy absorption.
In addition, the lower weight vs. traditional copper alloys will bring to manufacturers the benefit of
handling lighter harnesses. This contributes to meeting the target of realizing lightweight products for
higher efficiency improvement.
Low Insertion Force (LIF)
The F-spring is an LIF contact, due to its leaf-spring rolls (A) on the top and bottom surface (Figure 2).
The LIF feature results in easy insertion when mated with the tabs, according to UL310 and IEC61210
standards. Because the insertion force is below 35N, minimal effort is required by the operator during
the assembly process. This design capability is highly advantageous since it helps improve user performance and product reliability.
Leaf-spring rolls in the mating area eliminate the typical profiled-edge contact. The F-spring contact’s
flared lead-in and milled surface contribute to LIF (Figure 3). This design helps ease the assembly pro-
APPLIANCES /// F-SPRING CONTACT FASTON TERMINAL
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Improving Connector Reliability and Safety
cess – especially when mating tabs are located in difficult-to-reach areas.
Mistake-proof, Reliable Connections
To improve reliability and minimize mistakes during assembly, the F-spring contact FASTON terminal’s
leaf-spring rolls provide high normal force in the contact areas. At the same time, they also exhibit good
wiping action during contact engagement.
Another mistake-proofing feature is a locking dimple (C) on a cantilevered surface that functions as
safety device to keep the contacts in position and to prevent unintentional disconnection. When mated
with the tab, an audible “click” helps the operator to confirm a proper connection.
In addition, tab guidance features (D) center the tab in the mating area to provide additional mechanical
and electrical contact points. These features provide the following important reliability benefits:
u maintain mechanically stable contacts in the mated position
u extend the life of interconnections
u provide ruggedness and durability
Current Ratings
The F-spring contact FASTON system offers a complete range of wire-termination capabilities. The
straight version addresses wire sizes ranging from 24 to 10 AWG, and the flag version from 20 to 12
AWG. Contacts crimped onto the smallest 24 AWG wires can be used with current ratings up to 3A,
and the maximum 20A capability for 10 AWG wire applications. The F-Spring product’s high number of
contact points provide higher stability than similar products on the market.
Application Tooling
TE helps provide design consistency and tooling standardization to the interconnect market. The major
benefit for designers is flexibility that comes with the choice of feeding options. High-speed termination
tooling is available with TE’s OCEAN applicators for crimp connections, which are designed to exceed
customer requirements for performance and cost competitiveness. TE can also support on crimping
prototypes (in small volumes).
Summary
TE’s F-spring contact FASTON terminal addresses market, government and consumer demands for
interconnects that are reliable, safe and energy efficient. Key features include better retention, insertion,
and contact-stability benefits compared with similar solutions on the market. They also offer a wide
temperature range and a small profile. These features make FASTON terminals suitable for many different quick-disconnect applications, including large and small appliances, power tools, electric motors, air
conditioning, lighting, automotive, and high-temperature designs.
The ergonomic features of the terminals can help manufacturers provide safe and efficient assembly,
which in turn results in end-product reliability and customer satisfaction.
For further information go to http://www.te.com/f-spring or contact a TE representative/field
application engineer to discuss your design requirements.
APPLIANCES /// F-SPRING CONTACT FASTON TERMINAL
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Improving Connector Reliability and Safety
TE Connectivity, TE, TE connectivity (logo) and FASTON are trademarks of TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies.
Other products, logos and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. While TE
has made every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of the information in this document, TE does not guarantee
that it is error-free, nor does TE make any other representation, warranty or guarantee that the information is accurate,
correct, reliable or current. TE reserves the right to make any adjustments to the information contained herein at
any time without notice. TE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES REGARDING THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. In no event will TE be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or
consequential damages arising from or related to recipient’s use of the information. It is the sole responsibility of
recipient of this information to verify the results of this information using their engineering and product environment.
Recipient assumes any and all risks associated with the use of the information.
www.te.com
© 2015 TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies. All Rights Reserved.
1-1773857-3 APP CS 03/2015-2
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