A crimping tool is a device with the basic functionality of joining two pieces of metal. This is done by deforming one or both pieces to ensure they latch on to each other. The join is also called a crimp hence the name crimper. One of the popular applications of this tool is fixing a connector at the end of a cable. This can be an RJ-45 connector to Cat 5 cable.
There are many types of crimping tools and the best place to procure one from is an online store that is specially designed for electricians. Such stores tend to stock many useful tools like environmental testers, crimpers, etc.
This article goes on to describe the importance of a wire crimping tool and is a must-read for electricians involved in fixing common network issues.
Types of Crimping Tools
There are many types of crimping tools and they can differentiate by their shape and size as well as application.
Manual Crimper: The manual crimpers as the name suggest is a crimping tool that is not powered and used solely by your hand. Depending on the applications, you need to apply the correct pressure by squeezing the handle in the right way. These are relatively harder to use since it requires more effort on the part of an electrician. However, this is a very efficient tool and is very useful if you do not use it very frequently or use it on very few cables.
Ratchet Crimper: This type of crimper is made using ratchets and hence allows one to exert more pressure during the crimping process. It is easier to implement as compared to manual crimper. Since it allows you to apply extra pressure, it takes lesser effort on your part when crimping. This is the optimal device to have during a network installation process where there are likely to be many cables for the crimping process and might need to use it very frequently.
Coaxial Crimper: The coaxial crimp tool is adjustable as per type of cable that requires to be crimped. The thickness of a cable is very important during the crimping process. Such crimpers will have different hex sizes and hence making it possible to use for many different types of cables. This may include cables varying in size or thickness.
Modular Crimp Tool: This type of crimp tool has a modular design and has been specially designed to use for Ethernet, phone lines, and many others. Hence it is the optimal one to use for the RJ-45 connector, RJ-11, RJ-12, and RJ-22 connectors. The modular crimp tool also consists of a stripping tool then there is usually no need to buy an additional tool.
HDMI Crimper: A HDMI Crimping tool is a professional-grade tool that has been specially designed for the purpose of repair work. It can fix a broken HDMI cable which is life-saving since it is very hard to replace an HDMI cable that has been broken.
How does it work?
The process of crimping is very simple. It is first necessary to place each wire into the connector and once all the wires are in a jack, the wires are placed into a crimping tool along with the connector. The crimping tool is then squeezed tightly to ensure it punctures a plastic connector and connects the wires. It is vital to get this entire process right, which includes arranging the wires in the right order and crimping it in the right way to ensure wires are held by the connector. It is critical to get it right since the cable is responsible for the transmission of data.
