Mechanical contact retention within an electrical connector

1. A method of making an electrical connector, the method comprising the steps of:

forming an insulator housing with a plurality of through holes extending from a first surface to a second surface of the insulator housing;

locating a flowable polymeric material adjacent at least one retention region in each of the through holes;

positioning contact members within each of the through holes;

applying sufficient energy and/or pressure to the electrical connector so the flowable polymeric material flows into engagement with retention features on the contact members; and

cooling the electrical connector so the flowable polymeric material fuses to the contact members in a retention regions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the flowable polymeric material fused to the contact members substantially seals the through holes in the retention regions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the through holes in the retention regions comprise contours complementary to the retention features on the contact members.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of:

forming the insulator housing from a plurality of housing layers; and

locating at least one layer of the flowable polymeric material between at least two of the housing layers.

5. The method of claim 4 comprising locating a layer of flowable polymeric material between at least three of the housing layers adjacent the retention region so there are at least two discrete layers of the flowable polymeric material proximate the retention region.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the through holes in the plurality of housing layers adjacent the retention regions comprise shapes complementary to the retention features on the contact members.

7. The method of claim 5 comprising the step of applying pressure to the housing layers while applying the energy to flow the flowable polymeric material.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising molding the flowable polymeric material at the retention regions in the through holes.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising depositing the flowable polymeric material at the retention regions in the through holes.

10. The method of claim 1 selecting the flowable polymeric material from low melt liquid crystal polymer, an epoxy set resin, a thermoset material, or a thermoplastic material.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising:

forming the insulator housing from a first polymeric material have a first glass transition temperature and the flowable polymeric material from a second polymeric material have a second glass transition temperature, wherein the second glass transition temperature is lower than the first glass transition temperature; and

subjecting the electrical connector to sufficient energy and/or pressure so the second glass transition temperature of the flowable polymeric material is exceeded, but the first glass transition temperature is not exceeded, so that the flowable polymeric material enters a molten or rubber-like state and flows into engagement with retention features on the contact members.

12. The method of claim 1 comprising locating the retention regions near the second surface of the insulator housing so distal end portions of the contact members are maintained in a cantilevered relationship with respect to the first surface of the insulator housing.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising:

compressively engaging terminals on a first circuit member with the distal end portions of the contact members; and

elastically flexing the contact members in response to the compressive engagement to form an electrical connection between the distal end portions of the contact members and the terminals on the first circuit member.