Powered crimping tool equivalent to COPALUM tool

Thanks to everyone who's responded to my last question about aluminum wiring. I thought I'd investigate the option of using a hydrolic pressing or crimping tool to add copper pigtails onto the aluminum wires. Apparently that's how aluminum wire connections are made by the utility companies.

I know there's a tool available and certified for residental wiring, called COPALUM, unfortunately the company who offers this tool has very strict rules and regulations, etc. regarding who can use it, etc. ... making it quite expensive to actually use, not to mention that no one in Canada is actually certified at the moment to use this tool.

However, electrical utilities obvioulsy have tools that they use also for such things. Hence I'm wondering if anyone could help me dig up some information on other powered crimping tools that can be used to attach copper to aluminum wire.

Thanks, Harry

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Harry Muscle
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barbarow

Newsgroups: alt.engineering.electrical, alt.building.construction, alt.home.repair, misc.consumers.house From: "barbarow" - Find messages by this author

Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 19:09:50 GMT Local: Wed, Aug 10 2005 3:09 pm Subject: Re: Powered crimping tool equivalent to COPALUM tool

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Thanks. I know about those, however, even though they are UL approved the CPSC has apparently shown in tests that they do in fact fail under normal conditions ... hence they do not approve of them. Therefore I was hoping to find a solution that both testing agencies approve of ... the only one I'm aware of is the COPALUM tool. They don't seem to have as negative a view of CO/ALR approved devices (even though they do say that they also have failed in tests). But since not everything is available as CO/ALR compatible you're back to having to use pigtails, at least for some things.

Harry

Reply to
Harry Muscle

Harry Muscle wrote: If you use crimp/compression connections the crimper has to be one that the manufacurer says can be used.

My experience is that solid wire does not work in a crimp (#14-#10 range) - partly because too much torque can be applied from the wire the crimp connection. Looking at a panduit catalog I didn't see any limitation on solid wire. Make sure crimp connectors are listed for solid wire if that is what you have (small gauge stranded aluminum wire probably does not exist).

My suggestion would be to use copper/aluminum rated wire nuts; crimp in small wire sounds like a pain. In general I look for wire nuts with a 'live spring' - the spring deforms over the wires making a tighter connection.

In the trivia department, in compression connections on larger wire, the sleeve is compressed so tight there is a cold weld between the sleeve and wire.

Bud--

(link doesn't work)

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Bud

Apparently the COPALUM tool I mentioned in the original post does in fact create a cold weld to the aluminum and copper. Which means the equivalent tool I'm trying to find would also have to be able to create enough pressure to do the same ... am I correct in assuming that that rules out hand operated crimping tools and only leaves powered ones?

Thanks, Harry

P.S. According to some of the information available on the COPALUM tool, it creates 10,000 pounds of pressure.

Reply to
Harry Muscle

Small lugs and connector pin crimping tools, such as those by AMP and Amphenol for signal cables (e.g. 18 AWG and smaller) also create 'coldweld' crimps, using just hand tools. But for anything larger such as 12AWG and larger, I think you'd pretty much have to use something with a lot of mechanical advantage such as hydraulic.

daestrom

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daestrom

john weaver had written this in response to

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: Harry Email me at snipped-for-privacy@tycoelectronics.com if you have any questions on Copalum or termination methodology

All, you should all know that in this business, you do get what you pay for. Cheap connectors are cheap connectors. Been in this industry for long enough to see the tricks people play.

Thanks John

daestrom wrote:

------------------------------------- John Weaver Sr. Product Engineer Tyco Electronics

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john weaver

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