Crimping is a widely accepted method of establishing an electrical connection. At Bead Electronics, we’ve been manufacturing Crimp Contact Pins since 1920 using swaging technology. A type of hollow pin, our Crimp Contact Pins provide you the functionality you need while using 30-70% less material. 

What are Crimp Contact Pins? 

Crimped contacts are used to terminate multistrand wires, ensuring reliable and secure connections. The process involves pressing the wires into the contact, which can take the form of a pin or socket depending on the application. Our tubular Crimp Pins mate with connectors from TE, Molex, Amphenol and other interconnect providers. Bead's Crimp Pins can be customized to accommodate a wide range of wire sizes as well as your custom wire requirements.

Benefits of Crimp Contact Pins

• Green: Made using swaging technology, our Crimp Contact Pins use 30-70% less material - meaning less energy needed to make the material and no energy needed to process the scrap.

• Cost-effective: Not only do our Swaged parts use less material, our automated process uses less labor per pin.  Both provide a more cost effective part for our customers.

Crimp Contact Pin Applications

Bead's swaged tubular pins can be used in a wide range of wire crimp applications, including automotive for in cabin connections to  heavy equipment  like a ground pin for a trailer plug. 

Solder Contact vs Crimp Contact

An alternative to Crimp Contact Pins is using solder cups on hollow pins. These scallop-shaped features are carved into the wire end of the pin, creating a concave space or "cup" that securely holds wires in place. The main advantage of solder cups is that they facilitate the easy flow of solder, resulting in more precise and robust solder connections.

Solder cups are particularly suited for environments that may experience high temperatures, significant vibrations, or other challenging conditions. The choice between crimping and using solder cups isn't necessarily about one being superior to the other, but rather determining which is most appropriate for a given application.

Swaging vs. Stamping

There are several methods to produce pins, including swaging and stamping. 

Swaging is a unique cold-forming process that, for Bead, starts when a continuous metal strip is pulled through a precision-engineered draw die to form a seamed tube. Tube diameters are then reduced in progressive forming cavities and then separated from the tube. It is a high-speed, virtually scrapless process where metal is moved and not removed. 

Stamping involves placing a flat piece of metal into a stamping press to attain the desired shape eventually. The metal stamping process can involve various physical processes — punching, blanking, embossing, coining, bending, and flanging. While they are all different from one another, all processes use a combination of pressure and sharp tools to cut and create metal components.

Benefits of Swaging

• Scrapless
• Low tooling costs
• Quick production
• Consistent parts 

Why Choose Bead for Your Pin Needs

At Bead Electronics, our pin solutions are tailored to your specific needs. Our Crimp Contact Pins are easily customizable, from pin diameter to pin length to retention features. For pin solutions that are delivered on time, under budget and meet your unique needs, trust Bead. 

Contact us today to learn more!