Attempting to Poke Yoke a wire crimping process...need help

[marcusja2002]

Hopefully this is an acceptable place to put this question.

We are currently manually crimping Delphi terminals onto 18 gauge wires. We are finding that this method is inconsistent from operator to operator.

I'm trying to find information on cheaper automated wire crimper / strippers. I went to Digikey and they only sell units they say are only compatable with Molex style terminals. Are they feeding me a line and you can actually crimp a Delphi terminal with a Molex machine?

Hopefully someone here is familiar enough with electronics can point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ScottK]

Aren't the terminals in a Dephi connector compatible with Molex terminals? Molex is a supplier to Dephi...

 

[marcusja2002]

That is what I thought, as Molex has both the plastic cone style connectors and the flat metal ends that are crimped around a wire. I would think it would work regardless, but the sales rep at Digikey indicated on Molex terminals work with the molex machine.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0638017200/2272583?utm_adgroup=Crimpers%2C%20Applicators%2C%20Presses&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_Product_Tools&utm_term=&utm_content=Crimpers%2C%20Applicators%2C%20Presses&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoevJoqO-9gIV82xvBB32swr9EAQYASABEgLcPvD_BwE

for 12034047 Delphi terminal

This was their reply

Per your inquiry the datasheet for the Molex part you provided 0638017200_APPLICATION_TOOLIN.pdf (molex.com) has some links on information for this press. Please note this press is meant to be used with molex specific parts. I would suggest reaching out to a distributor who carries Delphi products for this question as they will be more familliar with the applications.

Technical Reference#T4398906

 

[Tidge]

Here is a late note, just some personal experience.

A million years ago when I was hand-assembling wire harnesses, I did find that (hand) tools for individual crimps from one manufacturer worked as well (or better) than the name-brand tools for the connector family.

As far as operator-to-operator variability: Assuming that everything about the design is correct (e.g. thickness of insulation, length of strip, nature of the wire, correct crimp) crimping is NOT an intuitive process. I found that I had to walk otherwise experienced technicians through the process... and force them to RTFM, even if it was only a single page, to use crimp tools correctly. Every demonstration ended with me tugging quite hard on the final assembly and individual wires in the cable... if you watch the faces of the assemblers when you do this you can get a good sense of how confident they feel about the quality of their work.