What Is The Difference In Male And Female Connectors

Puzzled by Connector Gender

You think it's easy to spot a male versus a female connector? The old adage that says "poles" are male and "holes" are female no longer seems to work. I'm not the only one with some gender confusion. I've talked to friends, colleagues and researched online. My survey suggests that the people who should know are split nearly 50-50. So, as we frequently do, we'll leave it up to our customers. Today we will solve this problem.

Understanding the Difference between Male and Female Connectors

If there is anything more confusing to the uninitiated about connectors, it is the terms "male and female" assigned to identify connectors.

In engineering, however, this difference between male and female connectors can mean a huge error in mechanical design of equipment. For process equipment, it can mean a disaster.

Connectors are meant to fit neatly and seamlessly together. Otherwise, the end result is costly for plant managers and business owners. It is extremely important to understand the difference between male and female connectors and which you need most.

The Male Connector - Not a Gender Biased Term

While it may seem humorous to call any type of connector with protrusions "male," it is a basic form of connector identification. The male connection may be attached to a cable, some type of hardware or one or more wires. For instance, a home consists of many male connectors.

A two-pronged electrical plug is one example. The male connector is designed to be inserted into another piece of equipment. Using the electrical plug as an example, if the electrical plug doesn't fit snuggly into the electrical outlet, the end result is no connection to the electrical impulse in the outlet.

Which is needed more in this case is debatable. Without the plug, the outlet is useless. Without the outlet, the plug is just a plug with two prongs.

Female Connectors

Female connectors, like male connectors, may be attached to hardware, wires or cables. This is where the similarity ends. Female connectors have small holes or openings into which a male connector can be inserted.

Using the example of the electrical outlet, note the openings in the outlet await insertion of an electrical plug.

Computers also have several female connectors that allow insertion of cables for keyboards, monitors and other computerized devices. Female connectors also vary in size as evidenced by the size of female connectors on computers that allow for insertion of the USB cable.

A female connector in industrial projects may be as small as a 3/4 inch coupler or fastener or as large as a six foot pipe. Industrial female connectors may have a series of "threads" into which the male connector is inserted and tightened.

How to Use Male and Female Connectors

In most cases, male or female connectors can be added one to the other for a multitude of uses. Children often learn to use male and female connectors with toys that snap together such as Tinker Toys. Which male and female connectors you need depend on how they will be used. You need electrical outlets and plugs for lighting and small appliances.

Why Choose Us

Amissiontech Co.,Ltd specializes in manufacturing industrial connectors and cable harnesses with design capabilities.  We, in the southern part of China,maintains a R&D center, lab and assembly workshops  with an area about 1500sqm. Equiped with modern  facilities and combined with cost/quality/delivery control-oriented Enterprise Resources Planning, we strive to be a reliable partner ,"AMSONE",  an Application focused ,Manufacturer guaranteed Solution provider by offering all-in-ONE services with no compromise in quality.

In addition to our standard connectors manufacturing, we also have rich experience in tailor-made non-standard interconnection applications request from the first idea through development up, prototyping to series production.

Our R&D team works on tooling development and design evaluation, integrating with in-house processes such as cable preparation, contacting, inner and outer molding, final assembly, testing, labeling and packing and inspection.

We are able to offer flexible manufacturing and best technical solutions for whatever type of connection you need, which also means highly available, durable, and efficient in custom designing and production! If you are looking for a reliable merchandise of cables, please contact us now!