What Is a Bare Crimp Terminal?
A crimp terminal is a component that connects an electrical wire to an electrical device.
Mechanical pressure is applied by passing the end of the electrical wire through the crimp to connect the crimp terminal firmly to the wire. Connection to electrical equipment is made by screwing the terminal connection part of the crimp terminal to the terminal board.
Bare crimp terminals are a type of crimp terminal that does not have an insulation coating. Compared to crimp terminals with insulation coating, bare crimp terminals have the advantage of being less expensive and shorter working hours. However, they also have the disadvantage of having to be insulated after installation, depending on where they are installed.
Uses of Bare Crimp Terminals
Connecting electrical wires to electrical equipment is often done by soldering, which requires a certain degree of soldering skill. In contrast, the connection with crimp terminals has the advantage of being relatively simple.
In addition, soldering is done in a designated place, such as a workshop, whereas connection work using crimp terminals can be done anywhere. Because they can be used on-site, they are often used for wiring on switchboards.
Among crimp terminals, bare crimp terminals are generally used to connect single electrical wires.
Principle of Bare Crimp Terminals
There are many varieties of bare crimp terminals, depending on the combination of wire and screw, and they have a unified name such as “R2-4”.
The first letter indicates the shape of the terminal connection: “R” for round terminals (R-type) and “Y” for open terminals (Y-type); the first of the two numbers indicates the cross-sectional area of the wire (mm2) and the second number indicates the screw diameter (mm).
There is a range of wire sizes that can actually be used in relation to the cross-sectional area of the wire in the product name. If the wire is smaller than the range, the wire may fall out. If the wire is larger than the range, it will not fit into the crimp terminal and cannot be crimped.
There are special tools for connecting crimp terminals and wires, depending on the type of crimp terminal. When crimping bare crimp terminals, be sure to use a tool dedicated to bare crimp terminals.
Crimping tools come in several sizes. After selecting the appropriate size for the terminal, set the bare crimp terminal on the end of the tool, insert the wire with the end sheath removed into the crimp section, and grip the tool firmly to complete the crimp.