What is a crimping tool?
A crimper tool, or crimping tool is a device used to join or connect two metal or plastic parts by applying pressure to one end of a terminal or connector, generally used in electrical and telecommunications applications. The joining process is called "crimping" and involves deforming the terminal or connector in such a way that it fits securely around a cable or wire, establishing a reliable electrical or mechanical connection.
The crimping tools are designed to work with a variety of connectors and terminals, such as RJ45 connectors for network cables, quick connect terminals, coaxial connectors, battery cable terminals, among others. These tools are common in structured cabling installations, telecommunications networks, electrical power systems and other applications where a secure and durable connection is required.
There are different types of crimping tools depending on the type of connector or terminal to be used, and they are usually designed for specific applications. Generally, crimpers have two handles or handles that you squeeze to apply pressure to perform the crimp, and they often have release mechanisms to release the terminal or connector after joining.
Regarding the way of applying force, there are different types of crimping tools:
Manual crimping tools are the most common and affordable. They are what we normally know as crimping pliers or crimping pliers. They require the operator to manually apply force to perform the crimp.
They have handles that the user squeezes to compress the terminal or connector around the cable. Many crimping pliers include a ratchet. The ratchet has several important functions:
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- Pressure Adjustment: The ratchet allows you to adjust the amount of pressure applied to the terminal during crimping. This is essential to ensure that the terminal is securely fastened without damaging the cable or connector.
- Intermediate Hold: The ratchet allows pressure to be held in place once a certain amount of force has been applied. This makes the crimping process easier as the operator can release the tool once the ratchet retains pressure, without needing to apply constant pressure.
- Controlled Release: The ratchet also allows pressure to be released in a controlled manner after completing the crimp. This prevents damage to the terminals or excessive pressure. All clamps or crimping pliers with a ratchet function include a release lever to unlock this function if necessary.
They are suitable for low to medium production crimping applications and are portable and easy to transport.
They are used in electrical installation work, network wiring, battery terminal connections, etc.
They come in a variety of designs and sizes depending on specific crimping needs.
Electric crimping tools or electric crimping pliers are motorized tools that use an electric motor to apply crimping force automatically.
These tools are more efficient in terms of time and effort, since the operator does not have to apply force manually.
They are ideal for high-volume crimping and mass production applications, where speed and precision are crucial.
They typically have electronically controlled pressure settings and can be programmable for specific tasks.
They are common in the manufacturing industry and on production lines. Pneumatic Crimpers:
Pneumatic crimpers use compressed air to apply crimping force in a controlled manner.
They are similar in concept to electric ones, but instead of an electric motor, they use a compressed air system to perform the crimping.
They offer high crimping force and are suitable for high production applications and demanding crimping tasks.
They tend to be more durable and stronger compared to manual and electric crimpers.
They are used in the automotive industry, in the manufacturing of electrical components and in other industrial environments.
Choosing between a manual, electric or pneumatic crimper will depend on your specific crimping needs, production volume, required precision and available budget. Each type of crimper has its advantages and disadvantages, so it is important to select the one that best suits your particular application.
What types exist?
Depending on the type of connector and cable, there are different types of crimping tools.
- RJ9, RJ11, RJ12, RJ45 connector crimpers: The former are used in modular connectors in telephone applications and other telecommunication cables and the RJ45 ones in computer network and telecommunications installations.
Pre-insulated electrical terminal crimpers: Used to connect pre-insulated electrical terminals or connectors to cables, such as eyelet terminals, spade terminals, ring terminals, faston terminals, solid ferrules, etc. They generally have three different openings in the colors red, blue and yellow. Each of them for a different range of cable sizes.
Red: 0.5..1.5mm²
Blue: 1.5..2.5mm²
Yellow: 4..6mm²
They are essential in electrical installations.
- Non-pre-insulated terminal crimpers: There are different varieties or sizes depending on the terminal. They are designed for bare copper or brass terminals, such as eyelet, fork, ring, faston terminals, but also specific or standard terminals for mini-fit, du-pont, molex, photovoltaic connectors, etc.
- Hollow ferrule crimpers: For this type of terminal there are tools that automatically adapt to the size of the ferrule, there are others with different recesses or sizes depending on the size of the terminal, but given that they are used so widely there are times when The functions of crimping hollow ferrules are integrated into other tools such as electrician's scissors or cable strippers.
- Coaxial crimpers: They are designed to connect coaxial terminals or connectors to coaxial cables. They are used in cable television, security systems and satellite communication applications. As an example, BNC, N, SMA, UHF, TNC, etc. connectors.
- Multiple crimpers: In most cases the crimper heads are interchangeable. Although this does not mean that they are compatible with each other. However, in some cases sets are supplied consisting of a single tool and an assortment of heads that can be exchanged. Even some manufacturers, such as Knipex in its 9743200 model, use the same heads for their hand-held, electric or pneumatic model. In this case, there is also the possibility of incorporating crimping aids in the same tool, such as terminal positioners, which help or greatly facilitate the work.
