Wire Processing Machine Sample Trial and Acceptance Checklist

A useful machine trial links your material, a defined setup and measured finished parts. The purpose is to find out whether the machine produces acceptable work repeatedly, with a realistic amount of handling. A successful cycle on a different wire can show the mechanism but cannot answer that question for your production.

We recommend agreeing the following record before running the trial. It is a planning checklist; limits and sample counts come from your drawing, application risk and agreed acceptance plan.

Send one clearly identified material package

Item	Information to include
Wire or cable	Part reference, lot, conductor size and construction, insulation, outside diameter and reel format
Finished part	Drawing revision, cut length, strip lengths, tolerances and end orientation
Assembly components	Exact terminals, housings, seals, sleeves or labels used in the requested operation
Current problem	Rejected sample or close-up, where the defect occurs and the present processing method
Production requirement	Batch sizes, part mix, shift time, accepted output target and available operators
Acceptance method	What is measured, how it is measured, the limit and who approves the result

Label each sample group so that visually similar wires cannot be mixed. If you send an approved finished sample, identify it separately from failed parts. We can use the failed parts to target the process problem while keeping the drawing as the acceptance reference.

Agree enough material for the actual trial

A few metres may establish whether a short end strip is feasible. That quantity cannot support hundreds of long cut pieces plus setup losses and destructive inspection.

For cut-to-length work, calculate a starting quantity as trial piece count × blank length, then add the agreed setup allowance and material for destructive tests or repeat runs. For example, 100 pieces at 300 mm require 30 m before those allowances. This calculation is a sample-planning example, not a standard trial size.

Include the combinations most likely to change the setup: the shortest required strip, different insulation, a large reel, or a second terminal with different tooling. Select those cases from your real production mix instead of trying to test every catalogue extreme at once.

Make pass and fail measurable

Replace “looks good” with a short acceptance record. Depending on the operation, it may include:

• Cut length and strip length, with the measuring method and tolerance.
• Remaining strands, conductor damage, jacket marks and insulation residue.
• Terminal position, crimp height and required pull-force or cross-section results.
• Housing cavity position, seating checks and specified electrical tests.
• Coil or wrap geometry, handling damage and the required downstream fit.

Use the actual component application specification for termination limits. For example, Molex explains where to find crimp height, strip length and pull-force requirements in its application-tooling documentation. For choosing complementary inspections, see our crimp quality-method comparison.

Ask the video and the measurements to tell the same story

Request a clear view of the incoming material, processing head, operator tasks and finished part. Record machine and tooling configuration, recipe settings and material references in the trial record. Link close-up measurements to identifiable sample numbers.

Use a continuous timed segment for the output check. An edited close-up is useful for understanding an operation, but its running time does not establish production capacity. Record jams, manual rework, scrap clearing and replenishment during the timed interval.

Count accepted output and changeover separately

Calculate accepted output as accepted finished pieces ÷ elapsed trial time. For illustration, 180 accepted pieces in 30 minutes is an observed rate of 360 pcs/h for that trial. It is not evidence that the same rate will hold through every material, shift or product change.

Record total pieces, accepted pieces, rejects and rework without silently adding reworked pieces to first-pass acceptance. State whether setup and breaks were excluded. For a high-mix workshop, also time the switch from one approved job to the next, including tooling changes and first-piece inspection.

Turn the result into an agreed delivery configuration

Keep the accepted sample references, settings, inspection results and required tooling together. Identify any difference between the tested configuration and the quoted machine. Agree the delivery acceptance check and repeat the relevant checks after installation on your own utilities and material.

Our wire cutting and stripping machines, crimping equipment and inspection systems cover different parts of this workflow. Send your material details and the result you need; we will agree the trial scope and show your material running before you order.