Industrial Crimp Quality Handbook
Doc No: TM-640160065
Release Date: 00-00-02
UNCONTROLLED COPY
Page 4 of 27
Revision: C
Revision Date: 12-23-09
SECTION 2
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Purpose
This handbook provides general guidelines and procedures for understanding and achieving acceptable crimp
terminations. A glossary in Section 3 lists common terms and definitions. Section 4 lists the tools that are
necessary to take accurate measurements and evaluate the crimp's acceptability.
For open barrel only, the tooling setup is critical in determining the quality of the finished crimp. The attributes that
need to be considered include crimp height, conductor brush, bell mouth, cut-off tab and strip length and insulation
position. Variability in one or more of these attributes can reduce the measured pull force. It can be difficult to
establish acceptable variability limits because the attributes all interact with one another.
For example, a track adjustment for bell mouth also will change the cut-off tab length and the insulation wire
position while strip length and wire locations affect the conductor brush and insulation position. Adjusting the
insulation crimp height may result in a slight change to the conductor crimp height measurement. It may be
necessary for the setup person to make multiple adjustments to establishing an optimal setup.
The order in which a setup is done may help reduce the number of repetitions required for an optimum setup.
This handbook is structured so that parts, or all, of its contents can be used as a procedural guide for ISO
requirements.
Scope
This handbook is intended for Molex customers who are crimping Molex open and closed barrel crimp
terminals and are using Molex tooling.
The handbook's contents may slightly differ from other connector manufacturers' or individual company guidelines
and procedures.
This handbook provides a basic overview of what to look for in an acceptable crimp. It is not intended to replace
individual product and/or tooling specifications.
Individual terminals or applications may have special requirements. Tooling limitations also may not permit an
attribute to be adjusted to meet optimum requirements.
