According to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimp_(joining) Wikipedia], "Crimping is joining 2 pieces of metal or other ductile material (usually a wire and a metal plate) by deforming one or both of them to hold the other. The bend or deformity is called the crimp. " <br \>Crimping is developed to replace the need a good replacement to solder terminations, it . It provides a high very good quality connection between a terminal wire and a wire terminal at a relatively comparatively low applied cost. The methods Which method to use for applying crimp terminations depend depends on the application, and volume, and . The methods range from handheld devices to fully automated systems. <ref>https://www.shearwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/qual_crimp.pdf</ref><br \>Without If we don't have a thorough good understanding of the crimping process, and all the factors that can affect it, the result may not meet expectationsbe satisfactory. <ref>https://www.mouser. com/ds/2/276/TM-638000029-588559.pdf</ref><br \>The three key elements in the crimping process are the terminal, the wire, and the tooling.

[[File:Crimp TerminalCrimpTerminals.jpg|thumb|Crimp TerminalTerminals. Image reproduced from [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kabelschuh_verschiedene_commons.jpg here]]]For most quite a number of applications, it is not economically practical impractical for connector manufacturers to design a terminal terminals to accept one a single wire size, one a single wire stranding, and one a single insulation diameter (UL type) as well as Mil Specification ( United States defense standard, often called a military standard). Most terminals accommodate many wire sizes, stranding, and a range of insulation diameters, and the terminals are designed to meet acceptable levels over this entire range.<ref name = "ref3">https://www.rbracing-rsr.com/downloads/wiring_pdfs/crimp_molex.pdf</ref>

The wire stranding and insulation type and stranding can vary widely a lot within one wire size. Wire strands can be made of copper, can be tinned, over coated, or top coated. Wire insulation materials, thickness, materials and durometers vary from application to applicationdiameters are different for different applications. <ref name = "digikey">https://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20Sheets/Molex%20PDFs/Quality%20Crimp%20Handbook.pdf</ref>

'''AWG''' - American Wire Gauge is a standardized wire gauge system used since 1857 predominantly in North America for the diameters of round, solid, nonferrous, electrically conducting wire. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge</ref>

Wires are of two types:<ref>http://www.awcwire.com/conductor-stranding</ref>* '''Solid:''' Solid conductors consist of just one a single strand of metal. They are easier It is easy to terminate these than stranded conductors. They These wires are also mechanically tough and . They are inexpensive. The However, they have a major disadvantage of solid conductors is their lack : Lack of flexibility.*'''Stranded:''' Stranded conductors are composed consist of multiple metal strands bunched together in any number of configurations. They overcome the drawback of solid conductors because they are much more flexible than solid conductors, and the . The higher the strand count, the more flexible they areis the flexibility of the wire. While this can add some increase the cost, it is essential quite necessary for any wire or cable that will need to withstand any kind of flexing, or any other movement or flexing. <br \>A finely stranded wire improves crimped joint performance. A wire composed made up of a few larger sized strands of larger size will tend to act as a solid wire in the crimp. Some There are some stranded wire crimp configurations which are not satisfactory unsatisfactory for solid wire. More deformation must are essential to be imposed in order to form wire and barrel into a solid mass. On Finer strands, on the other hand, finer strands will more readily fill the inside corners of the crimp shape and more evenly distribute the forces of the crimp. <ref name = "digikey"/>

[[File:SolidSolid2.pngjpg|frame|left|SolidElectric cable with solid copper wires. Image reproduced from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_cable here]]][[File:StrandedStranded2.pngjpg|framethumb|center|300px|StrandedWire. Image reproduced from [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stranded_lamp_wire.jpg here]]]

 == Procedure <ref name = "ref3" /> ==

[[File:Crimp1.png|thumb|150px]]* Check if any strands of the stranded wire to see if any strands have loosened and expanded spread out to be larger than the wire and the insulation together. If In case this has occurredhappened, twist the wires to the size they were before they were strippedstripping. * The cut should be nice and clean. Check the insulation to ensure that there has been a nice clean cut. Wires Don't use wires with damaged insulation should .* Ensure that the stripping tool has not cut/nicked any wire. If you see any nicked wires, you must cut and re-strip the wire before crimping. This ensure that there is no reduction in the amount of current that can be usedcarried. 

[[File:Crimp2.png|thumb|150px]]#Ensure that you have the hand correct crimp tool . Check if it is designed to crimp the for your specifications of size wire and the proper terminal shown on by looking in the Hand Crimp Tool Specification sheet.#Place If the above check is passed, place the terminal in the tool. #If you are using a locator, lift the locator and insert the terminal in the proper nest with the barrel up and against the locator bar. Release the locator blade to hold the terminal in position.

 == Importance of Proper Crimping <ref name = "digikey"/> ==

The mechanical connection is refers to the crimping of the terminal to the conductor. It must be so secure enough that it does not to vibrate loose or to be pulled off through normal use. <br \>The electrical characteristics are just as equally important. The major concern is the amount of electrical resistance caused by the mechanical joint which crimp is a major concern, because it determines the crimped joint’s ability of the crimp joint to conduct current.

One indication of the importance of proper crimping is evidenced in a study for the Space Shuttle Program that traced 28% of all defects to improperly assembled wiring and connectors.<ref name = "digikey"/>

== Tips for Crimping <ref name = "instructable">http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-A-Quality-Crimped-Joint/</ref>==

Depending on your application, you You may or may not have a choice on the say in deciding which wire to use, depending on your application. Firstly do not use Avoid solid cored wire, and if you want a reliable job definitely avoid solid wire.!

This The wire size may be listed in a number of several ways, the most common being . AWG (American Wire Gauge)(e.g. 16 AWG), Cross is the most common. Otherways are listing the cross sectional area in square mm millimeters (e.g. 1 sq mm) or strand and diameter count (e.g. 32/0.2). <br \>If you are buying a new wire, the its size will be listed on the reel or packet. <br \>Many These days, many wires are now have this information printed into in the insulation with this information , and repeated along the length. Insulation If you use standard wires, then insulation diameter should not give you a significant issue. In other cases, it is important very crucial for the most reliable crimps as it affects how the rear of the crimp grips the wire, however as long as you use standard wires, then this should not give you a significant issue.

[[File:Crimp3.jpg|thumb]]The terminal must have sufficient cross section size and conductive material that it is as good as an electrical conductor <br \>Now you know what The surfaces of the terminal and wire size you havethat are pressed into contact must be clean. They should be free of heavy, you will also need to work out what you need to connect to. There are manynon-conductive films such as oxides, many variations of crimpsulfides, but there are a handful of very common ones.and similar substances

'''Pre-Insulated Terminals <ref name = "instructable"/>''' <br \>If you are using pre-insulated terminals have a heat sleeve to grip the wire insulation.All terminals are sold with a defined wire size range- this should be listed on the packet, but if not and you are using pre-insulated parts you can tell the wire size by looking at the colour of the sleevecolor.

There are other colours around, but you are unlikely not likely to come across these unless you are doing industrial, aerospace or military work.

=== Step 4: The Crimping Process ===[[File:Crimp4.png|thumb|150px]][[File:Crimp5.png|thumb|150px]][[File:Crimp6.png|thumb|150px]][[File:Crimp7.png|thumb|150px]][[File:Crimp8.png|thumb|150px]][[File:Crimp9.png|thumb|150px]]==== Step 1 ====Take the wire you want to crimp and strip off about 4 mm from the end. You basically want to strip off enough insulation so that the exposed wire rests in the wire channel (the smaller second one) and the insulation rests in the insulation channel (the larger first one). <br \>The wire should fit into the channels like the illustration shows.  ==== Step 2 ====On many tools there will be two different "levels" on the tooth of the tool. This makes sure that the insulation channel has a big crimp than the wire channel, since the stripped wire has a smaller diameter than the insulation. <br \>The larger side of the crimp ‘tooth’ should be where the insulation channel fits. Sorry for the blurry picture, but you can make it out, the pin is sitting in the groove with the ‘tabs’ facing into the groove. It is placed so that when the crimp tool is squeezed the tabs bend inwards and create a "heart" shape. ==== Step 3 ===If you apply light pressure to the tool at are done reading this point the crimp pin will slide up into the groove and be held in place. <br \>At this point page, you can put the striped end of the wire through the hole that is made by the crimp tool and the insulation channel as shown in the picture. <br \>Do your best go back to make sure the insulation channel only covers the insulation and the wire channel covers only the wire. Apply firm pressure to the tool and it should perfectly bend the crimp tabs inwards so that they "bite" into the wire and insulation and form a solid contact.  ==== Step 4 ====It should look something like this. You can see in the picture how the wire channel tabs bend inwards and bite into the insulation[[Mechanical Subsystem]].