Although TME is primarily known as an international distributor of electronic components and subassemblies for industrial automation, you will also find a wide range of mechanical elements and tools in our catalogue. These are products designed for use by professionals, which means they are durable, precise and designed for specific tasks and type of work.
Below, you can find a sample of our range of tools. These are products by KNIPEX – a well-known German manufacturer of tools for electricians and electronic technicians, essential equipment for workshops, maintenance shops and even manufacturing workstations. The supplier’s products are known for their functionality and good value for money.
Cutting pliers
One of the basic tools in any professional’s (as well as DIY hobbyist’s) electrical equipment are pliers, especially cutting pliers. Although they perform a basic function, many different variants are available – each one adapted to specific applications, because in some cases a particular shape of the tool may prove indispensable.
Insulated pliers
All types of pliers have handles that are mostly made of dielectric material. Nevertheless, a separate category of products are tools designed to work with electrical installations. Their profiled handles have a collar that makes it difficult for your hand to slip on the uninsulated part; the products guarantee insulation of 1000V. To prevent the technician from getting tired quickly during installation, most pliers have a high leverage ratio, thanks to which they are easier to use. TME also offers extended blade variants, that make it easier to cut wires in hard-to-reach places (e.g. in a deep flush-mounted box).
KNP.7406250
Pliers designed for cutting wires with a diameter of up to 4.6 mm.
Some products are designed to work with both solid wire and stranded conductors. Selected models (such as. 14 26 160) have precisely shaped slots, thanks to which these pliers can be used to remove insulation from conductors with the most common cross-sections (1.5mm2 and 2.5mm2). These products are made of forged, chrome-plated vanadium steel – well suited for working with typical copper wiring. Apart from the tools used exclusively for cutting, KNIPEX (through TME) also offers gripping pliers with blades – designed for working not only with cables, but also with regular wires (e.g. when installing mesh fences) with torsion-resistant gears.
End and side cutting pliers
Work with wiring is not the only type of work where cutting pliers are a good choice. They are also used, among other things, in making reinforcement for concrete structures. For these heavy duty works, a tool with a higher gear ratio and a suitable profile is used – usually these are end cutting pliers which allow the wire to be cut flush. KNIPEX offers such tools that are up to 280mm long, with phosphate-coated blades that allow both the secure gripping/twisting of the binding wire and cutting the wire to the desired length. End and diagonal cutting pliers also allow you to cut the wiring conductors as much as possible, which improves the installation safety. KNIPEX also supplies wire and cable shears – their design ensures a clean, perpendicular cut so that wire strands are not crushed and broken/tangled (inadvertent deterioration of wiring current performance through mechanical damage is one of the dangerous consequences of using poor quality tools).
KNP.9522165
Wire and cable shears – blade profile prevents crushing of wires.
Precision pliers
KNP.7962125ESD
Close-up on tapered blades with a small chamfer – for flush cutting.
A specific subgroup of pliers are precision tools, used mainly in electronics, but also in jewellery work or metalwork. Typically, these tools are equipped with opening springs. Here, we also offer equipment with front and side blades. These products have a number of distinctive features. The first group are tools with the so-called “small chamfer”, whose profile makes it possible to cut the leads of THT (through-hole) components almost flush with the PCB surface (or solder surface). Another type is the sharp-headed pliers, whose tapered profile makes it comfortable to work with dense circuits, e.g. in a service/repair workshop. Furthermore, selected items have handles made of Electrostatic Static Discharge Prevention (ESD) materials.
It is worth paying special attention here to the cutting pliers from the Electronic Super Knips® series, which make it possible to cut cables with diameters from 0.2 mm – thanks to a mechanism that makes a controlled micro-slide of the jaws when they are closed. Importantly: these tools can be used to work with fibre optic cables.
Crimpers for cable terminals and connectors
Just like in the case of cutting pliers, crimping tools have a significant influence on the comfort of work and the performance of the installation. Only a properly crimped connection will achieve the nominal electrical and mechanical properties. A loose connection results in the lack of vibration/jerk resistance, as well as increased electrical resistance (which in turn can lead to the overheating of installed components). Another consequence of using low quality crimping tools is frequent damage to the restraining sleeves, which (unnoticed) will either lead to malfunction or to irreparable damage to the connector or cable terminal. In the long run, buying a KNIPEX crimping tool is both a matter of convenience and improved safety, but also an investment that saves money.
Cable terminal crimpers
Crimp cable terminals are used to make high-current connections in industrial equipment, as well as household appliances. The most common among these are fork and ring terminals (attached with screws/nuts) and push-on terminals. Another similar solution are cable sleeves crimped on stranded conductors, thanks to which such cables can be safely fixed in clamping terminals (e.g. in overcurrent or residual current switches). The third and most diverse area of application for crimpers are contacts for power and signal connectors.
KNIPEX offers a wide range of tools for these solutions. These include basic products, with profiled handles and insulation suitable for medium voltage installations. However, the manufacturer also supplies more flexible items, such as Crimp System crimping machines that support interchangeable dies, allowing the crimping of literally 1,000 different sleeves and connectors with a single tool. In the TME catalogue ,you can also find models from the MultiCrimp® series, e.g. KNP.973302, which is available in a kit with a handy die changer magazine. Other solutions from KNIPEX include four-pin tools with infinitely adjustable clamp dimensions (including models such as KNP.975265DGA equipped with a display for monitoring the setting value).
KNP.975265DGA
Four-pin crimping tool with digital operating parameter control.
Some of the crimpers listed here are available in kits that include a case, additional accessories and crimping sleeves – to find out more about these products, read the descriptions below.
Crimping tools for coaxial and communication connectors
Crimp connectors are used primarily in the areas that require coaxial cables (antennas, measuring instruments) and telecommunications. The most popular connectors that can be crimped on the cable are SMA, BNC, and F-type connectors, popular in TV installations – and telephone RJ10 and Ethernet RJ45 (Western type) connectors. In both categories, we offer pre-calibrated KNIPEX crimping tools. All models have a forced locking mechanism (which can be released). The coaxial connector crimping tool range includes a two-handed option, that is recommended to professional technicians (e.g. those who make complex antennae installations). Also noteworthy is the fact that KNIPEX crimpers for RJ connectors are equipped with a cutter and a wire stripping knife (with depth and distance limiter), so they will be the only tool needed for the work at hand.
Parts, accessories and other items
KNP.974990
An example positioner. This model is dedicated to HTS/Harting connectors.
The KNIPEX tool systems are extremely extensive – this is especially true for crimping tools, which have to be adapted to a wide range of purposes with different parameters (shape, size). Consequently, compatible accessories include in particular dies (jaws) with special profiles and positioners (facilitating, among other things, correct, repeatable mounting of contacts in a specific type of connectors). TME offers a wide range of these accessories, specifying compatible pliers and their applications – when looking for a specific solution, it will be most convenient to use our search engine or catalogue filters.
Wire stripping tools
During the removal of the outer coating from the cable and during the stripping of the insulation from individual conductors, mechanical damage to the cable may occur. Insulation stripping is therefore not only tedious (especially for complex works) but also requires precision. Fortunately, the KNIPEX brand also comes to the rescue here. It is worth noting that the German supplier offers both universal solutions with a wide range of parameters and the simplest and “traditional” products (e.g. sleeve strippers for round cables of a specific diameter), which will fully meet the needs of installers working with various specific types of cabling.
Specialist wire strippers
The KNIPEX range of wire strippers is very diverse. It includes popular solutions such as slotted pliers or end pliers with a screw-adjustable hole, but also more modern tools. These certainly include semi-automatic and finely adjustable tools supporting a large range of cross-sections (e.g. from 0.08mm2 to 16mm2 for KNP.1252195), which have a cassette for spare blades. It is also worth noting the 1212xx series tools, which use two pairs of knives (shaping and supporting). Their structure facilitates the removal of sheaths made of hard or ductile materials that are difficult to process, including Kapton, silicone and Teflon derivatives (PTFE). A specific area of application for wire strippers are cables (power, telecommunication) with a large cross-section.
KNP.1280100
Handy, compact wire stripper with a locking mechanism, gauge and diameter setting function.
For handling such cables, KNIPEX manufactures a special tool to facilitate making circular and longitudinal cuts. The KNP.1640 model, with an adjustable cutting depth (up to 5mm) has been designed to work with cables with a diameter of more than 25mm
Parts & consumables
KNP.124931
Thanks to their replaceable jaws, KNIPEX tools can be used for many years.
It is the normal course of things that all insulation strippers require periodic blade replacement. As KNIPEX products are highly standardised, users can easily find the right replacement parts in the TME product range. These include entire jaw sets, but also gripping tips and length limiters (due to their function, these components are made of soft material and will wear out from extensive usage).
Tool kits & accessories
When stocking your workshop, service or “field” technicians, consider purchasing a tool kit. In the case of KNIPEX, these are specialised kits that come with a case/container and in some cases also a selection of related consumables (e.g. sleeves or cable terminals). Below, we present two types of kits – however, we recommend that you get acquainted with a full offer of manufacturer’s products in our catalogue, where you can find more extensive tool kits.
Photovoltaic installation toolkits
Photovoltaics is no longer a novelty that is just gaining popularity – it has already found its way into the midst of standard installations in industry and households. This is why KNIPEX manufactures toolkits designed to work with solar energy systems – these products are intended for both specialised installers and electricians wishing to modernize their equipment. The handy padded carrying case contains three basic tools: wire shears (for wires with a cross-section of up to 50mm2), an insulation stripper (suitable for typical cables, e.g. Radox) and a crimper with a set of dies that are suitable for most photovoltaic connectors (MC3, MC4, H4, Tyco, Sun Con etc.).
KNP.979103
Tool kit for installation and repair of photovoltaic systems.
Kits with crimpers and cable terminals
KNP.979021
Crimper in set with insulated terminals and connectors.
The crimper kits are delivered in cases with compartments and a foam-lined tool cavity. Compatible consumables are included, i.e. insulated connectors and insulated collar cable sleeves or terminals (ring, fork or push-on ones – depending on the option selected). The kits use the TANOS MINI-Systainer® system, which allows the boxes to be stacked in a tower and individual containers to be opened without separation.
