Portable, hand-held, battery operated, hydraulic tools are provided with a tool frame, a force sensor, and a location detector. A piston actuated by a hydraulic system within the tool frame applies force to the working head to perform a task, such as to apply a crimp to an electrical connector. The tool determines the maximum force applied to the crimp and records that maximum force along with the geographic location of the tool when the crimp was formed. The maximum force provides an indication of the quality of the crimp and the recorded location allows a potentially defective crimp to be located.

An assembly comprises a compression member configured to receive a force input from a compression tool and a frame including a cradle at one end, an end fitting at the other, and at least one structural member linking the cradle to the end fitting. The cradle is configured to engage one end of the connector and receives the prepared end of the coaxial cable. The end fitting is configured to detachably connect the frame to the compression tool and includes an aperture for receiving the force input from the compression tool. The structural member defines at least one surface configured to guide the compression member along the axis in response to the force input. The compression member imposes an axial force on the other end of the connector and is guided along the axis by the guide surface of the frame.

Systems and methods for evaluating a crimping application. A power tool includes a pair of jaws configured to crimp a workpiece, a piston cylinder configured to actuate at least one of the pair of jaws, and a pressure sensor configured to provide pressure signals associated with a crimping application. The power tool also includes an electronic processor connected to the pressure sensor. The electronic processor is configured to monitor, while performing the crimping application, a pressure applied by the piston cylinder, construct a pressure curve indicative of a change in the pressure applied during the crimping application, process the pressure curve into a vector indicative of one or more features, evaluate the crimping application based on the vector, and provide an output indicative of the evaluation.

A wire terminating apparatus and method which allows for determining the quality of a wire termination. The method includes terminating the wire, monitoring the thermal properties of the termination with one or more thermal sensors and comparing the monitored thermal properties to stored thermal properties to determine if the termination is defective. If the termination is defective, the termination is discarded. The apparatus includes a wire termination zone. A thermal sensor is mounted on the wire terminating apparatus proximate the wire termination zone. The thermal sensor monitors the thermal properties of the termination to determine if the termination is defective.

The invention relates to a manually operated pliers tool, which may especially be crimping pliers. According to the invention, the pliers tool is equipped with an electronics construction unit. The electronics construction unit is realized separately from a mechanical pliers part and arranged in a pliers head part of the mechanical pliers part, which is arranged between hand levers and pliers jaws. The electronics construction unit is attached to this pliers head part. The electronics construction unit extends at least on two opposite sides of the pliers head part, sandwiching the pliers head part, and comprises a connector, where the connector extends through or around the pliers head part between the two opposite sides of the pliers head part.

An automated wire kitting system for assembling wire leads for a wired connector comprises a terminal delivery system configured to obtain a target terminal from a plurality of different types of terminals for wire leads and a crimp press comprising a plurality of dies and being configured to obtain a wire having an exposed portion where the wire's insulation has been removed, receive the target terminal from the terminal delivery system, engage a target die of the plurality of dies corresponding to a type of the target terminal, and crimp the target terminal onto the exposed portion of the wire using the target die of the plurality of dies to assemble a wire lead.

Pressure gauges according to this invention provide pressure measurement on all brands of crimping tools, including 6-Ton D3 tools. In particular, this design eliminates the need to remove the tool crimp head to measure the pressure of the crimping tool. Additionally, this design eliminates the need to install additional dedicated fixtures on the crimping tool to measure the ram pressure. This design incorporates a self-centering profile to avoid side-loading when mounting the pressure gauge in the crimping tool. The dial indicator on pressure gauges of this invention captures and holds the maximum pressure reading with the use of a simple manual lever. The lever can be easily reset for the next pressure reading. Pressure gauges according to various embodiments of this invention include dual piston pressure sensors. Additionally, pressure measurement is accomplished with a simple hydro mechanical manometer display.

Portable, hand-held, battery operated, hydraulic tools are provided with a tool frame, a force sensor, and a location detector. A piston actuated by a hydraulic system within the tool frame applies force to the working head to perform a task, such as to apply a crimp to an electrical connector. The tool determines the maximum force applied to the crimp and records that maximum force along with the geographic location of the tool when the crimp was formed. The maximum force provides an indication of the quality of the crimp and the recorded location allows a potentially defective crimp to be located.

A terminal crimping machine includes a termination tool having crimp tooling defining a crimping zone that receives the terminal and the wire. The crimp tooling is actuated during a crimp stroke to crimp the terminal to the wire. The terminal crimping machine includes a wire clamp holding the wire near the crimping zone. The wire clamp releases the wire prior to completion of the crimp to allow extrusion of the wire during the crimping process. Optionally, the wire clamp may release the wire prior to bottom dead center of the crimp stroke. The wire clamp may release the wire after the terminal partially retains the wire.

A method aligns a crimping cassette crimping tool in a cable processing apparatus having a tensioning device for applying tension to a mounting part relative to a crimping device attachment surface. The crimping cassette includes the crimping tool having cooperating stationary and movable tool parts for crimping and a holding device that attaches to the mounting part fixed to the stationary tool part and has a position allowing a spatially-limited adjustment movement of the stationary tool part. The method includes releasing the tensioning device; inserting the stationary tool part into a tensioning device area; moving the moveable tool part towards the stationary tool part slightly before it touches the stationary tool part; moving the moveable tool part towards the stationary tool part until a pressing force between the tool parts is reached or exceeded and an alignment occurs between the tool parts; and applying tension with the tensioning device.