Insulation Displacement Terminal/Wire Compatibility for Automotive Applications

Insulation Displacement Connection (IDC) technology requires adequate normal force between the wire and the insulation displacement terminal be maintained to assure reliable mechanical and electrical performance of the ‘crimp’ is achieved. Tin-plated stranded wire is most commonly used for IDC technology, but is relatively expensive for Automotive applications. Accordingly, the compatibility between standard automotive wire and IDC technology has been studied and compared. The results indicate comparable performance characteristics can be achieved using either Compressed Core wire (CAVS) or the traditional Tin-plated wire. As a result, considering the cost factor, it can be concluded that CAVS wire is the most suitable choice for IDC technology in automotive applications.