If you ever wondered what people are talking about in conversations on crimping terminology when they come out with phrases like “Belmouth” or “Conductor Brush” then wonder no more.
The following guide will give you all the info you need to fully understand everything there is to know about crimping terminology.
BELLMOUTH (FLARE)
The flare that is formed on the edge of the conductor crimp acts as a funnel for the wire strands. This funnel reduces the possibility that a sharp edge on the conductor crimp will cut or nick the wire strands. As a general guideline, the conductor bellmouth needs to be approximately 1 to 2x the thickness of the terminal material *.
* Consult individual terminal specifications
BEND TEST
One way to test the insulation crimp is by bending the wire several times and then evaluating the movement of the insulation and wire strands. As a general rule, the insulation crimp should withstand the wire being bent 60 to 90 degrees in any direction, several times. Use care when working with small wire sizes so the wire at the back of the insulation crimp does not shear.
CONDUCTOR BRUSH
The conductor brush is made up of the wire strands that extend past the conductor crimp on the contact side of the terminal. This helps ensure that mechanical compression occurs over the full length of the conductor crimp. The conductor brush should not extend into the contact area.
CONDUCTOR CRIMP
This is the metallurgical compression of a terminal around the wire’s conductor. This connection creates a common electrical path with low resistance and high current carrying capabilities.
CONDUCTOR CRIMP HEIGHT
The conductor crimp height is measured from the top surface of the formed crimp to the bottom most radial surface. Do not include the extrusion points in this measurement. Measuring crimp height is a quick, non-destructive way to help ensure the correct metallurgical compression of a terminal around the wire’s conductor and is an excellent attribute for process control. The crimp height specification is typically set as a balance between electrical and mechanical performance over the complete range of wire stranding and coatings, and terminal materials and platings. Although it is possible to optimize a crimp height to individual wire strandings and terminal platings, one crimp height specification is normally created.
CUT-OFF TAB LENGTH
This is the material that protrudes outside the insulation crimp after the terminal is separated from the carrier strip. As a general rule, the cut-off tab is approximately 1.0 to 1.5x terminal material thickness *. A cut-off tab that is too long may expose a terminal outside the housing or it may fail electrical spacing requirements. In most situations, a tool is setup to provide a cut-off tab that is flush to one material thickness.
* Consult individual terminal specifications requirements
EXTRUSIONS (FLASH)
These are the small flares that form on the bottom of the conductor crimp resulting from the clearance between the punch and anvil tooling. If the anvil is worn or the terminal is over-crimped, excessive extrusion results. An uneven extrusion may also result if the punch and anvil alignment is not correct, if the feed adjustment is off, or if there is insufficient/excessive terminal
drag.
INSULATION CRIMP (STRAIN RELIEF)
This is the part of the terminal that provides both wire support for insertion into the housing andallows the terminal to withstand shock and vibration. The terminal needs to hold the wire as firmly as possible without cutting through to the conductor strands. The acceptability of an insulation crimp is subjective and depends on the application. A bend test is recommended to determine whether or not the strain relief is acceptable for each particular application.
INSULATION CRIMP HEIGHT
Molex does not specify insulation crimp heights because of the wide variety of insulation thickness, material, and hardness. Most terminals are designed to accommodate multiple wire ranges. Within the terminals range, an insulation diameter may not completely surround the wire or fully surround the diameter of the wire. This condition will still provide an acceptable insulation crimp for most applications.
• A large insulation should firmly grip at least 88% of the wire.
• A smaller insulation should firmly grip at least 50% of the wire and firmly hold the top of the wire.
To evaluate the insulation section cut the wire flush with the back of the terminal. Once the optimum setting for the application is determined it is important to document the insulation crimp height. Then, as part of the setup procedure the operator can check the crimp height.
INSULATION POSITION
This is the location of the insulation in relation to the transition area between the conductor and insulation crimps. Equal amounts of the conductor strands and insulation needs to be visible in the transition area. The insulation position ensures that the insulation is crimped along the full length of the insulation crimp, and that no insulation gets crimped under the conductor crimp. The insulation position is set by the wire stop and strip length for bench applications. For automatic wire processing applications the insulation position is set by the in/out press adjustment
All this information is fantastic at helping you to understand the terminology however we recommend that when it comes to have the best possible crimp for your assembly it is always best to talk to the experts to give you the highest quality that you deserve.
A Blog on Crimping Termonlogy
If you ever wondered what people are talking about in conversations on crimping terminology when they come out with phrases like “Belmouth” or “Conductor Brush” then wonder no more.
The following guide will give you all the info you need to fully understand everything there is to know about crimping terminology.
BELLMOUTH (FLARE)
The flare that is formed on the edge of the conductor crimp acts as a funnel for the wire strands. This funnel reduces the possibility that a sharp edge on the conductor crimp will cut or nick the wire strands. As a general guideline, the conductor bellmouth needs to be approximately 1 to 2x the thickness of the terminal material *.
* Consult individual terminal specifications
BEND TEST
One way to test the insulation crimp is by bending the wire several times and then evaluating the movement of the insulation and wire strands. As a general rule, the insulation crimp should withstand the wire being bent 60 to 90 degrees in any direction, several times. Use care when working with small wire sizes so the wire at the back of the insulation crimp does not shear.
CONDUCTOR BRUSH
The conductor brush is made up of the wire strands that extend past the conductor crimp on the contact side of the terminal. This helps ensure that mechanical compression occurs over the full length of the conductor crimp. The conductor brush should not extend into the contact area.
CONDUCTOR CRIMP
This is the metallurgical compression of a terminal around the wire’s conductor. This connection creates a common electrical path with low resistance and high current carrying capabilities.
CONDUCTOR CRIMP HEIGHT
The conductor crimp height is measured from the top surface of the formed crimp to the bottom most radial surface. Do not include the extrusion points in this measurement. Measuring crimp height is a quick, non-destructive way to help ensure the correct metallurgical compression of a terminal around the wire’s conductor and is an excellent attribute for process control. The crimp height specification is typically set as a balance between electrical and mechanical performance over the complete range of wire stranding and coatings, and terminal materials and platings. Although it is possible to optimize a crimp height to individual wire strandings and terminal platings, one crimp height specification is normally created.
CUT-OFF TAB LENGTH
This is the material that protrudes outside the insulation crimp after the terminal is separated from the carrier strip. As a general rule, the cut-off tab is approximately 1.0 to 1.5x terminal material thickness *. A cut-off tab that is too long may expose a terminal outside the housing or it may fail electrical spacing requirements. In most situations, a tool is setup to provide a cut-off tab that is flush to one material thickness.
* Consult individual terminal specifications requirements
EXTRUSIONS (FLASH)
These are the small flares that form on the bottom of the conductor crimp resulting from the clearance between the punch and anvil tooling. If the anvil is worn or the terminal is over-crimped, excessive extrusion results. An uneven extrusion may also result if the punch and anvil alignment is not correct, if the feed adjustment is off, or if there is insufficient/excessive terminal
drag.
INSULATION CRIMP (STRAIN RELIEF)
This is the part of the terminal that provides both wire support for insertion into the housing andallows the terminal to withstand shock and vibration. The terminal needs to hold the wire as firmly as possible without cutting through to the conductor strands. The acceptability of an insulation crimp is subjective and depends on the application. A bend test is recommended to determine whether or not the strain relief is acceptable for each particular application.
INSULATION CRIMP HEIGHT
Molex does not specify insulation crimp heights because of the wide variety of insulation thickness, material, and hardness. Most terminals are designed to accommodate multiple wire ranges. Within the terminals range, an insulation diameter may not completely surround the wire or fully surround the diameter of the wire. This condition will still provide an acceptable insulation crimp for most applications.
• A large insulation should firmly grip at least 88% of the wire.
• A smaller insulation should firmly grip at least 50% of the wire and firmly hold the top of the wire.
To evaluate the insulation section cut the wire flush with the back of the terminal. Once the optimum setting for the application is determined it is important to document the insulation crimp height. Then, as part of the setup procedure the operator can check the crimp height.
INSULATION POSITION
This is the location of the insulation in relation to the transition area between the conductor and insulation crimps. Equal amounts of the conductor strands and insulation needs to be visible in the transition area. The insulation position ensures that the insulation is crimped along the full length of the insulation crimp, and that no insulation gets crimped under the conductor crimp. The insulation position is set by the wire stop and strip length for bench applications. For automatic wire processing applications the insulation position is set by the in/out press adjustment
All this information is fantastic at helping you to understand the terminology however we recommend that when it comes to have the best possible crimp for your assembly it is always best to talk to the experts to give you the highest quality that you deserve.
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