If you’re a professional electrician who values the quality of your work, you likely use electrical terminals to ensure a safer and more reliable connection between cables and devices. However, many electricians are unsure of how to correctly crimp ring terminals (also known as tubular terminals).
One of the advantages of using ring terminals is that they prevent wear and fraying of individual wires, a common concern among electricians.
Before we continue with the article, check out this excellent video below:
Characteristics of Ring Terminals
Ring terminals are composed of an insulated part and a conductive part. The insulating material used is flame-retardant nylon, while the conductive material is electrolytic copper, the same found in common power cables. Despite their small size, ring terminals can operate over a wide temperature range, ranging from -55 degrees to +105 degrees.
However, it’s important to be careful when choosing electrical terminals, as some models on the market have insulating parts made of polypropylene, which is not compatible with the Brazilian standard for mm2 and doesn’t support the same temperature range as flame-retardant nylon ring terminals.
There are three types of tubular ring terminals:
Single terminals, ranging from 0.5 to 150mm2.
Long terminals, ranging from 0.5 to 35mm2.
Double terminals, ranging from 0.5 to 16mm2. Double terminals are especially useful for connections where two cables need to be connected from the same point, such as connecting two cables to the same circuit breaker or creating a branch for a dual socket outlet.
Universal Pliers vs. Crimping Pliers
When it comes to crimping ring terminals, it’s important to avoid using the cutting part of universal pliers, as this can damage the terminal. While some manufacturers offer universal pliers with a specific part for crimping terminals, these pliers do not guarantee the optimal compression for tubular terminals.
The best way to crimp ring terminals is to use pliers specially designed for this purpose. Some recommended options include:
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