What Is a Crimper?
A crimper is a tool used to crimp the ends of wires.
They are mainly used in electrical construction and electronic work. In general, crimper is sometimes referred to as electrician’s pliers.
Electrical workers sometimes distinguish between crimping pliers, which only have the function of crimping cables, and electrician’s pliers, which have the function of cutting cables and stripping coatings.
Uses of Crimpers
Crimpers are tools used for handling electric cables. They are rarely seen in daily life. They are used for crimping ring sleeves and bare terminals.
For ring sleeves, two wires to be connected are placed in a ring sleeve and crimped by applying strong force with crimper pliers.
Principle of Crimpers
Crimpers consist of a die, a ratchet mechanism, and a handle.
1. Die
The die is the tip of the crimping tool that tightens the crimp terminal. The shape varies slightly depending on the application. Usually, several dies are attached to one pair of crimpers, which can be selected according to the wire diameter. Powered crimpers are limited to crimping 22mm-diameter terminals, so for larger diameters, hydraulic or electric crimping machines should be used.
2. Ratchet Mechanism
The ratchet mechanism prevents the handle from returning during tightening.
3. Handle
The handle is the part that holds the crimp during crimping. Rubber is attached to the handle to prevent slipping. The handles are color-coded according to the application to prevent errors. Red is for bare crimp terminals, yellow is for ring sleeves, and light blue is for insulation-covered terminals.
Types of Crimpers
There are different types of crimpers depending on the application.
1. Crimpers for Ring Sleeves
These tools are used for crimping ring sleeves. Many products are sold in sets of three types: small, medium, and large.
2. Crimpers for Bare Crimp Terminals
This tool is used to crimp bare crimp terminals. There are various types sold according to standards so that crimping can be performed according to wire diameter. Handles are colored red.
3. Crimpers for Insulated Terminals
The tip of the die is characterized by its long oval shape. The color of the insulation coating defines the standard, and red, blue, yellow, and other types of coated terminals are often used. The handle portion is color-coded in blue.
4. Crimpers for Bar Terminals
These tools are used for crimping bar terminals. Although an electric wire is composed of multiple strands, it can be combined into a single conductor using a bar terminal. A crimping tool with a structure in which the bar terminal is passed through the hole and crimped evenly from the surroundings. The color of the handle is not fixed and varies depending on the product.
How to Select Crimpers
The following points should be considered when selecting crimpers:
1. Intended Use
Crimpers must be selected according to the intended use. If crimpers are used that are not suitable for the intended crimping, the joint may come off or the wire may be broken.
2. Grips/Handles
Since strong force is required to crimp cables, the performance of the grip is important.
3. Function
Crimpers can be difficult for beginners. As a supplementary function, a type that allows temporary holding before crimping and a type that allows checking whether crimping was done correctly by marking after crimping is available.
4. Comparison With Electric Pliers
Electric pliers have a cable cutter function and a sheathing function in addition to crimping, so if you need a versatile tool or can afford the cost, electric pliers can be considered.