Crimping various wire terminals requires the right tool.
There are many wire connector and terminal types. Each requires a specific type of crimper to successfully terminate each connector. Although many tools can be used for multiple crimps, others require one tool for one type of terminal. As with all projects, having the right crimp tool makes all the difference.
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Coax crimpers come in two primary forms. These crimp tools are determined by the type of connector used. Compression coax crimpers press two pieces of the connector together to create an air- and water-tight seal. Standard crimpers simply compress the collar of the connector in a hexagonal pattern, joining the connector to the jacket of the coaxial cable.
Stranded Wire
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The most common crimp tool used to terminate standard wire is an American Wire Gauge (AWG) crimper. This tool sometimes features a series of notches to accommodate several wire gauges. An AWG crimper presses a tooth over an insulated metal ferrule, creating a divot that presses into the wire. This is also called cold welding and creates an air-tight connector that is often stronger than soldering.
Machine Crimpers
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Machine crimpers speed up the process of crimping large-gauge wires, such as those used in winches, bridge cables and heavy machinery. These tools are operated by placing the wire and ferrule under the crimping tooth then depressing a button that engages a compressor. These crimpers apply multiple tons of pressure at exact depths.
Pneumatic Crimp Tools
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Hand-held pneumatic crimp tools offer interchangeable die sets and are operated with a foot pedal. These offer consistent and forceful crimps to larger wires, ranging from 4 to 1/0 gauge wire. These tools increase the rate of crimp, where a die tap would normally be required. Pneumatic crimpers are also available as bench-mounted models in addition to the common hand-held variety.
RJ-45/UTP Crimpers
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Squeezing the handles on this specialized tool forces down a cap on an RJ-45 fitting. This cap compresses the individual wires to secure them in place. Used to make Ethernet and phone cables, these tools are designed to ensure that each wire in the connector stays at equal length to one another for proper data delivery.
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mechanical strength of crimped joints varies with the applied deformation.
There are many different types of crimp tools. Examples include cable tie tools, RJ45 crimp tools, hand crimp tools, and compression crimp tools. Cable tie tools are used for tightening the ties around wire and cable bundles. RJ45 crimp tools are designed to crimp and cut the wires of EZ-RJ45 connectors. These crimping tools
also work with many RJ-11, RJ-12 and RJ-45 connectors. Hand crimp tool or manual crimp tools are suitable for applications in which weight and space are important considerations. Hand crimping tools can be either manually-driven or power-driven. Compression crimp tools are used to terminate coaxial compression connectors, twisted-pair modular plugs, and jacks.
Crimp tools differ in terms of operation. For example, cable tie tools use a tension control lever to provide precise tightening. RJ45 crimp tools have a built-in cable stripper and a built-in wire cutter to make multiple cuts in one cycle. Hand crimp tools have a ratchet-mechanism hand tool and a set of jaws. These jaws, which serve as upper and lower dies, are free to open when the material is correctly crimped at the tool’s fully-closed position. Compression crimp tools use a full-cycle mechanism to assure consistent connector shut heights. They achieve maximum mechanical advantage with reasonable hand pressure, and feature connector shut heights that conform to industry standards. Because they are engineered for specific connector requirements,
compression crimp tools are designed and manufactured to meet most industry specifications. Specialty crimp
tools are also available.
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