Abstract: A contact magazine loader for guiding the insertion of individual electrical contacts into a crimping section of a crimping tool. A magazine is adapted to be placed in removable and rotatable engagement with a hand-held crimping tool. The magazine is approximately cylindrical, has a plurality of channels evenly dispersed around the radial periphery of the magazine, and is preloadable with electrical contacts. Each preloaded electrical contact is positioned within an individual insert casing. Each insert casing is adapted to being linearly slideably received into one of the channels. As a shuttle assembly is moved into compressed configuration, an insert casing guides the preloaded electrical contact into the crimping section of the hand-held crimper. A trigger assembly allows a user, with a single movement, to cause the shuttle assembly to return to its released configuration, and to rotate the magazine to axially align a subsequent casing with the crimping section of the hand held crimper.

Abstract: A crimping tool with a quick-change crimp head for sealing and electrically crimping electrical contacts to insulated wires. The crimping tool includes a base unit with a receptacle that is configured to actuate and removably and replaceably receive the quick-change crimp head. A crimping die holder body includes a plurality of crimp-seal and continuity-crimping dies. These dies are mounted for movement in the crimping die holder body between an open configuration and a fully crimped configuration. The crimp-seal dies have arcuate die faces that define a substantially closed generally cylindrical form when the dies are in the fully crimped configuration. Actuators are mounted in the base unit. The actuators are adapted to cause the dies to move in the body. A sensor system is configured to prevent the crimping tool from unintentionally repeating a crimping operation on the electrical contact, and to verify continuity-crimp depth of indentation.

Abstract: A base unit for an insulated single and multi-strand aluminum wire crimping system includes a receptacle into which a quick-change crimp head may be slipped and locked. The crimp head includes a set of crimp-seal dies axially spaced from a set of continuity-crimping dies with both sets being mounted in a crimping die holder body. Both sets of dies perform crimping operations on the same contact-wire assembly. The crimp seal dies form the contact into a substantially smooth unbroken generally cylindrical wall hermetically sealed to the outside of the insulation on the core of the wire. The continuity-crimping dies crimp a wall of the contact into electrical contact with the core of the wire by indenting the wall into the wire. Ring cams drive the dies. These ring cams have internal cam profiles. The ring cams engage cam followers that are associated with the respective dies. The contact is received in the die holder body in a contact holder. The contact holder is quickly changeable.

Abstract: A portable, lightweight, handheld, battery powered wire stripper which has an automated adjustable stripping cycle. Various components are assembled into a lightweight frame so as to define a generally axially extending wire stripping channel for receiving a free end of an insulating wire from which a slug of insulation of an adjustable predetermined length is to be semi-stripped. Sensors and controls are provided so that the insertion of the free end of a wire into the channel triggers the commencement of an automatic stripping cycle. During the cycle the wire is clamped in position in the channel and two edged blades are snapped into the insulation by electrical solenoids to form a slug of insulation. The edged blades are left in the closed position and the slug is stripped by moving the closed blades axially towards the free end of the wire. An electrical motor driving a lead screw is used to generate the substantial force which is required to semi-strip the slug from the wire.