Hand crimping makes sense on some special projects (i.e. low-volume prototyping), but more manufacturers should consider advanced tooling to deliver consistent crimps at volume. If you insist on hand crimping in a manufacturing setting, then you’ll want to insist on doing it right.
Keep reading for our cable hand crimping best practices, as well as a breakdown of tooling options, when hand crimping makes sense, when it doesn’t and why.
What makes a good hand crimp
Repairing a harness in your Chevy and assembling custom cable in a manufacturing setting are two very different propositions. In a manufacturing setting, processes need repeatability, and connections need dependability and fidelity to the cable design.
To produce trustworthy connections by hand or machine, you should first understand how to recognize the difference between good and bad crimps.
In a good crimp, both insulation and wire are visible in the terminal window. All strands of wire extend past the wire crimp but not beyond the terminal stop. The terminal is not bent and hasn’t been damaged at all by the crimp tool.
What do bad crimps look like?
The most common hand crimped connection failures come from wire being inserted either too far into the terminal or not far enough.
If you don’t insert the wire far enough, the wire brush may not produce a trustworthy connection. If you insert the wire too far, you’ll smash insulation into the wire crimp and compromise the connection’s conductivity.
If you see wire strands outside the crimp, or not all strands extend past the crimp section, then the connection will fail. With training, anyone can learn to recognize these crimp failures quickly.
Hand crimp tooling
The ubiquitous crimping tools found at every hardware store are built for versatility and utility for hobbyists, but we don’t recommend their use in manufacturing.
Whenever possible, use a terminal’s designated tooling to produce crimp connections. Every unique terminal series will have hand tools and applicators designed to crimp with precision and consistency.
Hand tools aren’t designed for production, only prototyping and field repair. Opt for applicators for in-house manufacturing. The speed and consistency are worth it.
Cable hand crimping challenges
The two factors that are most difficult to get right when hand crimping are crimp height and wire position within the terminal.
Crimp height measures crimp tightness. Loose crimps signal insecure connections, and tight crimps can damage wire.
Hand tools for crimping don’t have crimp height adjustment capabilities. But automated tooling allows operators to set a precise crimp height, which the machine replicates exactly every time.
The terminal window helps operators see whether wire is positioned the proper length into a terminal, but consistency by hand still proves tough. An automated tool makes consistent wire position easy.
Small components exacerbate all these challenges when working by hand, and we strongly discourage hand crimping 26 AWG wire and smaller.
What advanced tooling doesn’t solve
Without proper training, an applicator will only increase the speed at which you perform bad crimps. Consistent output requires expertise, in addition to right-fit tooling.
Read about a customer who outsourced cable production to stop hand crimping and start turning time into money.
Before upgrading your tooling, consider the training cost on new equipment and make sure you’re willing to develop expertise in house. Often a more elegant solution is finding a right-fit cable manufacturing partner.
Need a supplier to take crimping off your hands?
Sure, there’s a right way to crimp connections by hand. But sometimes the best practice is to eliminate the process from your facility. Partner with Multi-Tek, and you’ll reap the benefits of advanced tooling without the cost of equipment, training, maintenance and storage.
Reach out, and we’ll let you know whether your project would make sense on our plate. We specialize in orders over 100 units with a need for precision and consistency.
