Male to Male Thread Adapters And Reducers.

What are Male to Male Thread Adapters And Reducers?

Male to male thread adapters, also known as male to male screw adapters or adapter studs, are part of Accu's thread adapters and reducers range, joining two female threads that don't match, such as a tapped hole and a component with a threaded socket. Each male to male hex thread adapter is a short double-ended stud with a different external thread at each end and a thin hexagonal collar in the middle, so it looks like a grub screw with a nut fixed halfway along its length. The collar gives a spanner something to grip and both parts a shoulder to seat against, so the joint pulls up tight and square without either component being modified.

Imperial threads are cut to class 2A and metric threads to class 6g, the general-purpose classes for external unified and ISO metric threads, so each end engages properly with standard tapped holes and nuts from any supplier. That puts them to work in vibration monitoring, test and measurement, laboratory equipment and machine building, wherever a sensor, mount or accessory made to one thread standard has to meet a housing tapped to another.

How Male to Male Thread Adapters Work.

One end is threaded into the first tapped hole until the hex collar seats against the face, then tightened with a spanner on the collar. The second component screws down onto the stud that is left standing until it meets the other face of the collar, so the collar acts as a shoulder for both parts. That shoulder sets a fixed, repeatable gap between them equal to the collar's thickness and puts the clamping load through flat faces rather than through the threads alone. Because nothing is bonded or retapped, a male to male screw adapter unscrews again and both components go back to their original threads.

Take a US-made accelerometer with a 10-32 UNF tapped base that has to be fitted to a pump bearing housing tapped M6 at a European plant. A 10-32 UNF to M6 (1 mm Coarse) male to male thread adapter in Stainless Steel - Marine (A4) screws into the housing until its 5/16" hex collar seats on the spot face. The accelerometer then threads down onto the 10-32 UNF end against the collar's top face. Stud mounting like this gives the stiffest coupling between sensor and machine, which is what keeps high-frequency vibration readings trustworthy. Without the adapter, the choice is retapping the housing to an imperial thread or falling back on a magnetic or adhesive mount, both of which narrow the usable frequency range.

Materials Male to Male Thread Adapters Are Made From

Accu's range of male to male thread adapters is machined from engineering metals selected for accurate external thread form, corrosion resistance and, where it matters, low mass:

• Aluminium: The lightest option at roughly a third of the weight of the equivalent stainless adapter, with natural corrosion resistance that suits lightweight fixtures and assemblies where added mass affects the result.
• Stainless Steel - (303): A free-machining austenitic stainless steel to SS 303 / ASTM A582 that cuts clean, accurate external threads and resists corrosion in indoor, laboratory and general industrial conditions.
• Stainless Steel - Marine (A4): Specified to SS 316 / ASTM A276, this molybdenum-bearing grade gives the highest corrosion resistance in the range, standing up to salt water, washdown and cleaning chemicals.

Every adapter in the range is supplied in a Natural, uncoated finish.

Sizes & Types of Male to Male Thread Adapters Available

Accu's range of male to male thread adapters spans more than 200 thread pairings across imperial and metric standards:

• Male Thread Specification (A): 2-56 UNC to 1/2-28 UNEF and M2.5 to M12 (1.75 mm Coarse).
• Male Thread Specification (B): 4-40 UNC to 1/2-13 UNC and M3 (0.35 mm Fine) to M12 (1.75 mm Coarse).
• Thread Specification: UNC, UNF or UNEF paired with metric coarse, fine or extra fine; imperial to imperial; metric to metric.
• Thread Type: Imperial to Imperial, Imperial to Metric, Metric to Imperial and Metric to Metric.
• Thread Class: 2A / 2A, 2A / 6 g, 6 g / 2A and 6 g / 6 g.
• Socket Size (J): 3/16" to 3/4" and 6.4 mm to 19 mm.
• Nut Thickness (T): 1/8" to 3/8" and 3.2 mm to 9.5 mm.

Not every pairing comes in every material. Aluminium starts at 8-36 UNF and M5, so the smallest sizes, down to 2-56 UNC and M2.5, are stainless only. Imperial to imperial adapters and the metric to imperial run are made in Stainless Steel - (303) only, and the largest threads in every direction are the 1/2" imperial sizes and M12.

If you're unsure which threads you're working with, Accu's guide on how to measure a screw will help you identify the size and pitch, and for a pairing outside the standard range, Accu's custom manufacture service can produce one to your specification. Where the two parts need to sit further apart than a collar allows, browse Accu's range of double-ended threaded rods, a longer alternative for spanning the gap between two components.

FAQ

Q: What is a thread adaptor?

A: A thread adaptor is a machined part with a different thread at each end, used to join two threaded components whose size, pitch or standard don't match. It comes in three forms depending on the threads being joined: male to male for two tapped holes, female to female for two studs or bolts and male to female for converting a tapped hole while keeping it a hole. Adaptor and adapter are interchangeable spellings for the same part.

Q: What is a male to male connector?

A: In threaded fasteners, a male to male connector is a double-ended stud that joins two female threads, and when the threads at each end differ it is called a male to male thread connector or thread adapter. The hex collar is what sets it apart from a plain stud, giving a spanner something to tighten against and a shoulder for both parts to seat on. Same-thread versions in 4-40 UNC, 6-32 UNC, 8-32 UNC and 10-32 UNF are also available in Stainless Steel - (303) for joining two identical threads.

Q: Which end of a male to male thread adapter goes in first?

A: Fit the end that goes into the fixed or heavier component first and tighten it against the collar with a spanner, then screw the second part onto the remaining stud. If the adapter must stay put when that second part is removed, apply a medium-strength, removable thread-locking compound to the first end only.

Bespoke Male to Male Thread Adapters And Reducers Manufacture.

High precision, bespoke manufacture of Male to Male Thread Adapters And Reducers to customer specification. State of the art facilities specialising in both small batch prototyping and large scale manufacture.