Pultruded conductive plastic connector and manufacturing method employing laser processing

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In light of the above, it is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an improved high voltage connector made from a composite pultruded member having a conductive core and a nonconductive shell which is made by using a laser to cut trim and fibrillate the ends.
It is another object of the invention to provide a high voltage connector of the type described which can be made of high resistance to provide a load or transient suppression resistor for the circuit with which the connector may be used.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a high voltage connector of the type described that can be economically manufactured, with fewer manufacturing steps than conventional high voltage connectors.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a high voltage connector of the type described that can be manufactured with readily available laser equipment and process technologies.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.
In a broad aspect, this invention presents a high voltage connector that is formed of a composite pultruded member having an inner core including a plurality of high resistance electroconductive strands carried in a resin binder.
The inner core is surrounded by an outer nonconductive shell, and extends from a laser cut end of the outer shell to a contact face.
During formation of the contact using laser techniques, portions of the outer shell are removed to expose the inner core, the resin binder of the inner core may be removed, and the strands of the inner core may be fibrillated and patterned, as desired.
In one embodiment, the resistance of the strands of the inner core of the high voltage connector provide a load resistor for a circuit to which the connector may be connected.