

CRIMP PROCESS MONITOR MANUAL
Test methods have varied from weights and fish scales, to portable manual testers, to benchtop, motorized digital instruments. Pull force testing-measuring the tensile strength of a wire-to-terminal crimp-has been a quality measurement since the advent of pressing a wire to a terminal for electrical assembly. Putting Pull Force Testing Into Perspective Exposure to liability from nonconforming products can be reduced by following a repeatable process. The stakes are never higher than they are today. Then monitor the process to ensure ongoing conformity to the validated process Create a process where validation of process parameters is required before machines are released for production.

Process parameters do not change over time and should be stored in a central database. Connect your bench and automated crimp machines into a network. Lock down the validation and monitoring process. It can even be a process variation itself. Left unchecked, this bias can be a problem in improving process quality. After a long period of time, operators and setup people can form their own bias towards quality. Measure wire crimp height and pull force and confirm they meet the manufacturer’s specs. Check wire position in the crimp to ensure insulation is not in the wire crimp, the bell mouth and brush positions are correct. Take a batch of processed wires and fan them out. It’s also a good idea to take visual and physical measurements. If it can’t detect a known error, you know you have work to do. To determine if the thresholds for crimp defect detection are acceptable, test the CFM with sample errors, such as missing strands. The terminal-to-wire match is one factor head room can influence the sensitivity of a CFM. Several factors can affect a CFM’s ability to keep an eye on your crimping process. Set them too narrow, and you could scrap otherwise good parts. Set the tolerances too wide, and you’ll run the risk of producing nonconforming crimps. It can only go by the tolerance thresholds you input. Such outcomes can be costly, in both monetary and non-monetary ways.īy itself, a crimp-force monitor (CFM) will not solve your crimping problems nor will it guarantee nonconforming crimps. However, assuming that everything is working merely because you implemented a new monitoring process can lead to unacceptable outcomes, including rework, customer returns and product recalls. Ensuring that your preproduction validation process continues into production will effectively reduce the chances of nonconforming assemblies leaving your production facility.
