Insulation Piercing Connector – Working Principle & Types

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How Do IPCs Actually Work?

• On the top, the shear head bolt and nut tightly secure the connector assembly, ensuring it remains fastened for a reliable long-lasting connection.
• The upper body’s entire section serves as a guiding path to pierce the XLPE or PVC insulation of the conductor. It makes sure the desired current flows from main line to the tap line.
• These green and pink waterproof sealing bands create a moisture-resistant barrier right at the piercing point, preventing water ingress that could compromise the connection.
• The connecting blades also known as busbars are the sharp, metallic tips that actually pierce through the cable’s insulation to make metal-to-metal contact with the inner conductive wires, for a for the smooth flow of electricity.
• The lower body portion provides stability for the connecting blade tips.
• At the bottom, there is a bolt that gets tightened to clamp the connector securely onto the cable, eliminating any potential loosening over time.
• Lastly, the end cap covers the termination point after the connector is installed.

Key Applications

These connectors replace the junction box and T-connection box in traditional wiring methods. Both of these boxes required cutting into the main insulated cable, stripping wire insulation and joining conductors together, which was a more labour-intensive process as compared to using Insulation Piercing Connectors.

Whereas in the case of IPCs, there is no need to cut off the main cable during construction, branches can be made at any position of the cable, and no special treatment is required for wires and clips, making the operation simple and fast.

Compared with the conventional wiring method, the procedures of stripping the insulating layer, rinsing tin, crimping the terminals, and insulating wrapping are also eliminated, which reduces the environmental pollution that was unavoidable in the conventional method.

Hence, you will find these connectors installed in places like:

• Low-voltage insulated wire T connection
• Building power distribution system T connection
• Street light distribution system and common cable field branch
• Underground grid insulated cable connection
• Branch connection of insulated cables (In 1kV distribution system)
• Overhead Low Voltage Insulated Cable Connection

Types Of IPCs

There are different types of Insulation Piercing Connectors for different applications, let’s focus on the major ones used in Aerial Bundled Cable:

1. IPCs used in Street Light Connections:

These IPCs are generally used to tap the main AB Cable and connect it to a service line those powers streetlights or other applications.

2. The Multi-Tap Connection Type:

Also known as multiport connectors or satellite connectors, these IPCs are used to tap the main AB Cable and bring power to households. It is called Multiport because a one-tap connection from the main line can be used to bring connections to multiple households.

3. Distribution Box  Charging Connection:

These IPCs are used to tap the main AB Cable Line to charge Low Voltage Distribution Boxes, which are further connected to different applications such as residential connections and street lights.

4. Jumper Connection Type:

These IPCs connect cables of the same size. They allow making T-shaped connections where the cable bends at a 90-degree angle.

I hope you now have a clear understanding of Insulation Piercing Connectors; it’s working and available types. There are more types, however, these 4 are among the prominent ones. At Axis, we manufacture more than 50,000 IPCs daily, our accessories have been used in various rural electrification projects in India, Africa and many other countries.