Solar PV cable assembly: the equipment list
PV string cables are 4 or 6 mm² double-insulated, cross-linked wire cut to lengths from one to tens of metres, with a connector contact crimped on each end. Two things make the job different from ordinary harness work: the insulation is tough and does not strip like PVC, and the leads are long. Combiner and inverter cables add a third — lugs on 16–95 mm² that need real force. Here is the line in process order.
| Step | Equipment | Why it's needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cut long leads | Long-lead cutting and stripping machine | AWG 10–28 wire cut and stripped at lengths up to 99,999 mm — 4 mm² string leads and extension cables in one program; 6 mm² is confirmed on your sample |
| 2. Strip cross-linked insulation | Stripping machine with set cutter depth | 0.5–25 mm² without a blade change at 2,000 pcs/h; cutter diameter set as a number so the strands stay whole |
| 3. Crimp connector contacts | Pneumatic crimping tool with interchangeable dies | Pin and socket contacts for PV connectors, 0.25–6 mm², 1,200 pcs/h, with the die matched to your contact |
| 4. Combiner and inverter lugs | Hydraulic hexagonal lug crimping machine | 13 tons, hexagonal die, lugs to 75 mm² without a die change |
| 5. Coil for shipment | Meter-counting coil winding and tying machine | Ø1–8 mm wire measured, coiled and tied — extension cables boxed by length |
| 6. Label and test | Label print-and-wrap machine; pull tester | Length and polarity labels at 1,000–1,800 pcs/h; first-piece pull test after every die change |
Watch the machines on this line running real wire
Close-ups of the heads listed above, 10–30 seconds each, on wire like yours. If one answers your question, send 2–3 metres of your own and we run it on that head, on video, before you order.
More clips on these questions:Will it nick the strands? · How short can it strip — and does the length repeat? · Will the die match my terminal? · Prove the crimp: cross-section and pull
Two problems: the insulation and the length
PV wire insulation is cross-linked polyolefin or EVA, double layer, UV-stabilised — it resists exactly the kind of cut a two-sided V-blade makes, so a machine set for PVC either leaves a skin or takes copper. The heads that work set the cutter diameter as a number: the WM-1216C strips 0.5–25 mm² with no blade change at 2,000 pcs/h, the WM-1219 covers 0.04–20 mm² and starts when the wire touches the guide, and for cut-and-strip in one machine the WM-194 runs 0.3–25 mm² at 4,000–5,000 pcs/h on eight drive wheels. Length is the other problem: string leads and extension cables run metres, not centimetres, and a machine with a short cut range makes you cut by hand. The WM-191 programs lengths to 99,999 mm on AWG 10–28, which covers 4 mm² PV wire outright — 6 mm² sits at the top of that range and is confirmed on your sample; for battery and inverter cable to 150 mm², the WM-1222 cuts to length at 1,800 pcs/h.
Connector contacts crimp to the connector maker's profile
PV connector contacts are specified by their maker with a crimp profile and a pull force — the die has to match the contact, not the wire. The WM-3238 is a 2 kg pneumatic tool with interchangeable dies for 0.25–6 mm² at 1,200 pcs/h, which is the band PV contacts live in; the WM-3239 is the electric bench version to 10 mm² for sites without compressed air. Send us your contacts and we fit and prove the die on video. For the DC side of the combiner box and the inverter, lugs on 16–95 mm² need hydraulic force: the WM-3218 crimps to 75 mm² at 13 tons with a change-free hexagonal die, the WM-3234 reaches 120 mm² at 30 tons. The first crimp after any die change goes on the WM-820 pull tester, and the value is recorded.
PV cable equipment — common questions
What equipment does a PV cable assembly line need?
A long-lead cutting and stripping machine for string and extension cables, a stripping machine that handles cross-linked double insulation without nicking strands, a crimping tool with dies matched to your connector contacts, a hydraulic lug crimper for combiner and inverter cables, a meter-counting coiler to pack cables by length, a label printer, and a pull tester for die-change verification.
Why does PV wire not strip cleanly on our PVC machine?
Cross-linked polyolefin and EVA insulation is tougher and does not part the way PVC does under a two-sided blade, so the machine either leaves a skin or scores copper. Machines that set cutter diameter as a number — the WM-1216C, WM-1219 or WM-194 — cut to the insulation, not past it. Send 2–3 metres of your actual PV wire and we strip it on camera; the frame that matters is the strand bundle as the slug comes off.
Can your machines crimp MC4-type connector contacts?
The WM-3238 pneumatic tool and WM-3239 electric bench crimper cover the 0.25–6 mm² and 0.25–10 mm² bands with interchangeable dies. The die must match your contact's crimp profile, so we fit it to the contacts you send, crimp them, pull-test them and send the video before you order. We do not claim a die fits a connector we have not seen.
How long a lead can be cut automatically?
The WM-191 programs cut lengths up to 99,999 mm on AWG 10–28 wire and strips both ends in the same cycle. 4 mm² PV wire is inside that range; 6 mm² is at its upper edge, so we run your reel before quoting it. For heavier inverter and battery cable to 150 mm², the WM-1222 cuts to length at 1,800 pcs/h; stripping is then done on a separate head.
What should an inquiry include?
Wire size and insulation type (a datasheet or the marking on the jacket), your connector contact part numbers, lug sizes for the DC side, the length list you cut most, and cables per shift. Then courier a reel of the PV wire and a bag of contacts — we cut, strip and crimp them on camera before you order.
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