Using the Wrong Hand Crimping Tool Can Damage Your Cable Assembly

Published: June 12, 2019

, Last updated: September 10, 2025

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If the wrong crimp tool or die set is used, the crimp will most likely be too hard or too light. A heavy-handed crimp can crush the connector. If this structure is damaged, the glass optical fiber could also be damaged. If the crimp is too light, the aramid yarns can pull away, which can decrease the maximum pull force. As a side note, you can use the connector manufacturer’s recommended manual crimp tool or an automated crimp tool, which offers repeatability and yields better process control with decreased operator fatigue.

READ THE FULL BLOG ARTICLE HERE: Proper crimping techniques are critical when terminating fiber optic connectors

Additional resources from the FOC team include:

Category Resource FOC Crimp Page
View the Glossary, Acronyms, Military Specifications for Connectors
Q&A Resource: email technical questions to AskFOC@focenter.com

Have questions about this FOC Tip?

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FOC Tips Fiber Optic Center has a team of technical experts and marketing strategists with decades of years in the field. This team contributes to the fiber, cable and specialty industries coverage through news, alerts, reports and general media information.

About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.

Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment, materials, and supplies known for helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over three decades. Material property consultation is provided by technical experts for lapping film, epoxy, adhesives, optical coatings, and optical plastics during application specific material selection. Technical process expertise is offered in several key technology areas. Specialized expertise includes cable assembly line mastery, fiber broadband field installation best practices, and technical advancements in telecom, datacom, data centers, and hyperscale. Optical cable specification development includes design and quality testing. FOC's impact reaches the network physical capabilities through fiber manufacturing process expertise from preform fabrication and shaping, fiber drawing, and coating requirements for double clad fibers used for high power fiber laser applications to solution doping, vapor phase doping, rare earth chelates and halide recipe consultation. Fiber Optic Center is the preferred choice for the world’s fiber professionals as the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

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