Crimping tool addresses "big three" criteria

At its core, the process of crimping electrical connectors is not complicated: however, the same cannot be said about the process of choosing a crimping tool, says Robert Poirier.

At its core, the process of crimping electrical connectors is not complicated: however, the same cannot be said about the process of choosing a crimping tool.

Luckily though, one has a direct impact on the other; the more carefully one deliberates about the choice of a crimping tool, the less complicated the crimping process becomes.

There are a plethora of criteria that should be examined in the selection of a crimping tool for the electrical connector market; speed, ergonomics, and battery life are among the most critical.

Consider the old crimping method.

The use of self-contained hydraulic tools was the prevailing approach: huge, bulky tools weighing as much as 7kg that required the user to manually pump the handle 40 to 50 times in order to produce an efficient crimp.

This process took about two to three minutes.

Depending on the number of crimps that needed to be made, this could be an extremely time-consuming process.

In terms of ergonomics, the negative impact of using such an unwieldy tool is obvious.

The brute force necessary to operate the hydraulic crimper, multiplied many times over, inevitably leads to operator "wear and tear", as well as potential repetitive-use injuries.

In an effort to facilitate the process and increase worker safety, battery-operated crimpers were introduced a number of years ago.

And although they greatly improved the crimping process, the issue of battery life reared its ugly head.

Many companies produced a battery-operated crimper, yet most of those were equipped with nickel cadmium batteries.

One of the problems with these types of batteries - the same kind used in everyday battery-operated appliances like camcorders - is a phenomenon known as voltage depression.

Essentially, this occurs when the user recharges the battery before it is completely discharged.

After doing this for several charge/discharge cycles, the battery's voltage capacity is diminished.

Consequently, the user may start out with a battery capable of providing 100 crimps per fully charged battery, recharge the battery before it is fully depleted, and bring the capacity of the battery down to perhaps 70 crimps per charge.

The more this is done, the more pronounced the voltage depression becomes.

Clearly, a battery-operated crimper demonstrates a marked improvement over the manual version in speed and reduced effort.

But just as clear is the need to ensure that the tool's battery is protected from voltage depression, thus maximising its performance.

FCI-Burndy, a leading manufacturer and provider of connector solutions to the industrial, energy, application tooling and automotive industries, has introduced a battery-actuated crimper that addresses the areas of speed, ergonomics, and battery life more effectively than any tool to date.

The newly designed Burndy Patriot Patcut 129 ACSR-18V is capable of cutting 1.29in of copper and aluminium cable, 1113 ACSR, 0.625in soft steel bolts, 0.5in standard guy strand, and 0.375in EHS guy strand.

The Patcut also incorporates a specialised latch-style cutting head that allows interference-free closure for mid-span cuts and rotates 180 degrees to allow users to get into tight areas more easily.

It should come as no surprise that FCI-Burndy has developed such a superior crimping tool.

About 10 years ago, the company was the first connector manufacturer to introduce a line of battery-operated crimping tools called Batool.

At the time, the technology was highly sophisticated, but as time went on, other manufacturers launched their own line of battery-operated crimping tools.

These tools boasted a faster crimp-cycle time, producing more crimps from fully charged batteries.

Responding to this market competition, FCI-Burndy re-examined its Batool line with an eye towards improving it.

The tool that the company produced retained a similar crimping head, but there were noteworthy changes: the batteries were different, the hydraulic pump was changed, and the tools were much faster.

In the end, the changes were so dramatic that it was decided to treat it as a completely new product line.

Thus, the Patriot line of crimping tools was born, with the PAT750-18V introduced in 2002.

Unquestionably, the major benefit of the PAT600 is speed, as it allows the user to create a perfect crimp in roughly three seconds.

The average splice may take up to 10 crimps, so there can be a substantial times savings depending on the type of installation as a result of this quick crimp time.

From an ergonomic perspective, the Patcut presents a major advantage.

The battery actuated cutter features an ergonomic design that allows one-hand operation, leaving the user with one hand free to manipulate the conductor into the proper cutting position.

What's more, the lightweight and one-handed operation greatly reduces the occurrence of worker injury, particularly from overuse.

The issue of battery life was given serious consideration in the design of the PAT750.

The end result was the adoption of nickel metal-hydride (Ni-MH) batteries.

These batteries are not subject to the same voltage depression inherent to nickel cadmium batteries.

Further, these batteries are industry standard, produced by a well-known manufacturer of tooling, batteries and chargers.

If someone needs a replacement battery or charger in a pinch, they can find it at any of the big hardware store chains.

Ultimately, these batteries are capable of approximately 1000 charge/discharge cycles per battery - more than sufficient to meet the needs of even the busiest tool operator.

Although the Patriot line is itself superior, there is another important advantage that FCI-Burndy brings to the table.

Most of the crimping tool companies are solely tooling manufacturers; conversely, FCI-Burndy also manufactures connectors, dies, and other components, which the company uses to test all its tools.

Other companies that test their tools on someone else's connector are more likely to blame the connector if there is a performance problem.

"It can't be our tool, it must be their connector you're having a problem with", is the prevailing theory.

Consequently, FCI-Burndy is able to test its dies and connectors more thoroughly and more effectively troubleshoot problems.

The applications for the PAT600 are widespread.

It can be used by a small electrical contactor or by the largest utilities in the country.

Essentially, anyone who is installing compression connectors can benefit from using this tool.

The evolution of the crimper has been one of steady improvement and enhanced performance.

The introduction of the Patriot line has sped up that process dramatically.

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