What Is a Crimping Tool?
A crimping tool is used to join wires and crimp terminals.
A crimping tool is roughly classified into manual one-hand tools, manual two-hand tools, manual hydraulic tools, and electric hydraulic tools.
The types of terminals and their dimensions vary depending on the electrical equipment, and the crimping tool must be capable of handling these diverse terminals.
The range of use (nominal terminal dimensions) is generally 14mm² or less for manual one-hand tools, 100mm² or less for manual two-hand tools, and 150mm² or less for manual hydraulic tools.
Uses of Crimping Tools
Crimping tools are mainly used to join terminals to wires for electrical equipment, indoor wiring, and electrical components.
Crimping tools are equipped with dies of various sizes, and crimping is performed at the die position that matches the nominal size of the terminal.
The cross-sectional area of the wire to be crimped should be within the range that will allow the crimping of the terminals to be used. If the conjugation falls out of the range, it may cause wire breakage or other accidents. To ensure stable crimping of the joint, it is recommended that the crimp be made with the wire core approximately 1mm from the terminal.
Some manual tools, such as one-hand crimping tools, feature a structure that prevents the handle from opening until the crimping is completed. This is achieved through a forming confirmation function (ratchet function), ensuring that the user can always confirm the completion of the crimping process.
How to Select Crimping Tools
The points to consider when selecting crimping tools are as follows:
- How to select the appropriate tool
For example, crimping a terminal with insulation with a bare terminal tool may cause the insulation to tear, exposing the metal part of the terminal and causing a short circuit. In addition, it is important to select the crimping tools that best suit the application, as crimping tools for electrical equipment may be different from those for electrical equipment used in electric cars.
For those used in the field, such as electricians’ tools, it is important that they are easy to operate. Another key point is to have a forming check function (ratchet function) so that the connecting terminal cannot be detached from the tool unless the distance between the dies is within the proper crimping connection range.
The reliability of the tool is also important in the selection process.
Important points in evaluating reliability are that the size is stamped on the terminal after crimping, making it possible to trace the process, and that the crimp forming height is controlled during manufacturing through crimp forming tests. It is also important when selecting a tool that the connection performance satisfies the value specified in the connection performance test.