Crimping Technology for Europe and North America

The term crimping means to press, make an impression, fold or deform by folding. In electrical work, crimping is the mechanical compression of a sleeve around a conductor to make a firm mechanical contact between the conductor and the connector. Crimps have to a large extent replaced soldered connections, and have proven extremely suitable over the years in which they have been in use. They are only permitted, however, if they satisfy the applicable DIN, SAE or customer requirements. To do this, the conductor, contact, crimping tool and tool setting must all be coordinated.

This means:

• The conductors and connectors must match in terms of capacity values. The stripping length and positioning of the conductors in the connector should comply with the requirements of the specific connectors.
• Conductors and connectors must be inserted into the correct crimp profile, and be positioned correctly. For some crimp connections, there are locators that make precise positioning simple. Control markings make it possible to check some crimp inserts after the crimp has been made and confirm whether or not the crimp has the correct profile.
• Crimping pressure should be applied evenly over the crimp profile. This is best achieved by means of a parallel crimping motion. Crimping pliers are generally adjusted for a defined crimping pressure or crimp dimension. The fact that this is also applied completely to the contact is ensured by a locking device. That means that the pliers cannot be opened until the crimping has been properly completed.

In Europe, criteria for the quality of the crimp contact to DIN standards (DIN IEC 60352-2, IEC 512, DIN EN 60999-1) include crimp width, crimp height and the pull-out force which is required to pull the conductor out of the sleeves or to tear it off (The pull-out force is defined in a standard relative to the cross-section of the conductor and represents a minimum value which must be satisfied by the correct dimensions of the crimp sleeve and the correct compression of the conductor.). In North America, the customer and/or the terminal manufacturer specify the crimp specifications for quality acceptance. Automotive solder-less crimps generally conform to the SAE/USCAR-21 Crimp Performance Specification.  Other specifications such as UL Laboratories, Mil, or individual customer specifications apply to hand crimp tools. Soldered crimps are still permitted or required to ensure crimp reliability.

Crimp Tooling for Typical Terminal Manufacturers

Rennsteig can supply crimp die sets for various terminal manufacturers (Delphi, TYCO, Bosch, FCI, etc.). The linked Delphi terminal/die set cross-reference is typical. Die sets for other terminal manufacturers are available upon request or can be tooled for a specific customer.