There are various types of pliers, one of which is crimping pliers. Crimping pliers or crimping tools is one of the special cutting tools for cable. This plier is used for installing the electrical network.
Crimping Pliers Functions
Crimping plier is a plier that has the function for cutting, peeling, and clamping UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) and STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) cables, and it can connecting cable to Rj11 and Rj45 connectors.
In automotive, a crimping plier is used to cut, flatten, or peel the insulator layer on vehicle electricity. To peel, you can adjust it with the size of the cable diameter, the size ranges from 0.75 until 6mm; it depends on the type and brand of the plier.
The head of the crimping plier has two different parts, it is called head for the top part and body for the bottom part.
The head part has a function for connecting the UTP cable with the connector head. The head part will hold the brass wire so that the cable’s fiber can be arranged neatly according to the installation color in the connector.
Meanwhile, the body part of the crimping plier has its own function. The body of the crimping plier is usually used to cut and peel a thick and hard electric cable.
The Types of Crimping Pliers
This plier is pretty important, especially for a technician or those usually handling networks, because it can be said that this tool has a complete function. On the market, crimping plier has two types, as follow.
2 in 1 Crimping Plier
2 in 1 crimping plier is a crimping plier that has 2 functions in 1 tool. Those two functions usually are to clamp and cut the cable.
3 in 1 Crimping Plier
3 in 1 crimping plier is a crimping plier that has 3 functions in 1 tool. Those three functions are to cit, peel, and clamp.
Parts of Crimping Plier
The crimping plier has several parts. You can see the picture below to see the detail.
1. Crimping Hole
A crimping hole is the main part of the crimping plier, it is in the form of a hole that has a function to place the to be implanted connector to the cable.
When the plier is used to crim, this tool will push the pin so that the tip of the pin will penetrate the skin of the cable, so it causes the tip of the copper pin to stick to the cable wire. In the picture above, there are 3 crimping holes, such as:
- Crimping hole to install RJ50 6 Pin connector.
- Crimping hole to install RJ48 8 Pin connector.
- Crimping hole to install RJ12 4 Pin connector.
Generally, a crimping plier is used to install an RJ45 connector, depending on the crimping pliers’ type.
2. Crimper
Crimper is a part to clamp and implant cable on the connector. Crimper will work when the plier handle is pressed, insert the cable and connector on the crimping hole first.
3. Wire Stripper
The wire stripper is a part of a crimping plier that has the function to peel the shield/protective skin on a UTP/STP cable. Usually, it is located beside the wire cutter or in the form of separate stripping scissors. On 2 in 1 crimping plier, the wire stripper is made separately.
4. Wire Cutter
The wire cutter is a part of a crimping plier in the form of a small knife that has a function to cut the cable. The blade of the wire cutter can be replaced if it is dull by opening the retaining bolt on the back.
5. Anti-slip Handle
Anti-slip handle is part of the crimping plier handle equipped with anti-slip rubber, so it becomes safer when using the plier.
6. Ratchet Labor
This part is the safety iron when used to peel or cut the cable. This part is only available in types or brands of certain crimping pliers.
Problems on Crimping Plier
There are several problems that can emerge on crimping plier, such as:
- The blade of the wire cutter is dull or not sharp. That thing can happen because of the age factor of the old crimping plier.
- The wire cutter does not fit or is not precise. The wire cutter that does not fit causes the cable pad to slip, and it is hard to do the cutting process.
- Corroded wire cutter. Corroded wire cutter can happen because the stainless steel coating is peel off, so the rust appears, or it can be because of the age factor of the crimping plier.
- The crimper part is not precise. The crimper part that does not precise cause the crim result to not fit, so the cable can easily be separated from the connector. Sometimes, it also needs bigger pressure, so the tip of the pin can stick on the brass wire. The bigger pressure can cause the connector to be broken or cracked.
Correct handling and proper storage of crimping pliers can minimize problems that can occur on your crimping pliers. Always take care of your crimping pliers to make them durable and long-lasting.