Developed to replace the need to solder terminations, crimping technology provides a high-quality connection between a terminal and a wire at a relatively low applied cost. Crimp pull testers are devices used to determine the mechanical strength of a crimp termination. Pull testing is done with a Tester device that clamps the wire, pulls at a set speed, and measures force using a load cell. A pull tester also can be as simple as hanging fixed weights on the wire for a minimum of one minute.
Tensile strength of materials is measured with universal testing machines (UTM), compared with the standard force and elongation data. Following are the two types of Crimp Pull Testers are used as industry standards:
Motorized Tensile Wire Crimp Pull Testers are used to test a crimp contact’s or terminal’s tensile strength, according to UL, ISO, SAE, MIL, and ASTM tensile test requirements. The testers typically have the range of 2.5 lbf to 250 lbf and include digital data logging capability for exporting test data to a PC via USB or RS-232 protocols. Following is the step-wise procedure to be followed for a Crimp pull test.
The standards lay out procedures to determine the pull-out force of terminal and wire connections, although specific standards do not specify to capture the elongation. The following are standard procedures followed while performing Crimp pull tests:
All electrical equipment needs to be calibrated to ensure that the performance is restored to design standards. For Crimp Pull Testers following the OEM Standards, calibration is done every 12 months from the date of first use. This is further reduced based on the frequency of operations to ensure functions are error-free. The following procedure should be used while periodically calibrating the crimp pull testers using the calibration kit:
Though usage of Crimp pull testers seems straightforward, the equipment needs to be calibrated and maintained following OEM operation guidelines. To comply with international standards, an annual calibration process should support the repeatability and accuracy of crimp pull testers.
Calibration of Crimp pull testers also determines the offset values and the deviation from the actual reading. These readings are used as correction factors and evaluate if the crimp tester is fit for use.
e2b calibration offers industry-leading ISO-certified crimp pull tester calibration services. Our labs are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited and operated by a team of qualified calibration experts to test and calibrate your pull testers. Our verifiable services are unmatched in the industry. We are registered with ANAB. We are also ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 certified. We have the NIST Traceable Wide scope of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. Contact e2b calibration for all your equipment calibration needs.