12:3 12 Standards for contact crimping Standards for electrical terminals SEK Svensk Elstandard is appointed by the government to be responsible for all standardisation within the electrical area in Sweden. The Standards are established mainly through international and European collaborations within the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and CENELEC (Comite’ Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique). SEK represents and coordinates Swedish companies and authorities. These standards are available on the SEK website. There are also manuals that show regulations and recommendations for different types of installations. For type testing of electrical terminals, the current standard is IEC 61238-1-1, it supersedes all national standards. It has been active since 1993 and was last updated in 2018 and is thus the standard that best meets the requirements that can be imposed on today’s installations. In addition to this, there are a large number of more industry-specific standards for railways or switchgear where, in addition to the requirements of IEC 61238-1-1, there may be a need for vibration and environmental testing. SEK - Svensk elstandard, https://elstandard.se/ IEC, https://www.iec.ch/ CENELEC, https://www.cenelec.eu/ Tests against standard Many existing products for electrical terminals are older than IEC 61238-1-1, this does not mean that they have to be retested against the new standard to be acceptable, the standard they were tested against at launch applies. This is rarely a problem as they are likely to be used in installations of the same age. In newer installations with higher demands on current and temperature, it is important to choose materials tested according to current standards. Crimp results For a good crimp result, you have to ensure clean conductor surfaces, without visible oxide layers. A good cable stripper guarantees clean stripping without damage to individual strands, follow Elpress instructions for stripping lengths. Crimping tools should be checked before starting work, to avoid the risk of injury and to ensure a good result. The crimp dies are the key to a successful crimping process, whether they are hydraulically or manually operated. It very important that all tool parts are kept dry and clean and that they are regularly checked for damage. Damage and/or contamination of tool parts can lead to a deterioration in the end result and shortened tool life.
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