A variety of materials with high durability are suitable for lightweight portable and wearable medical technology devices. The base and coating of the connector are generally made of metal, while the shell and strain relief device are made of medical-grade plastic or metal. Gold-plated contacts generally have the best performance in harsh environments. Although the tin material is more economical, the gold coating is the most reliable contact and performs the most plunges. In addition, the effectiveness of nickel and palladium coatings has been proven and widely used in the industry.

Connector interfaces can be unplugged and well designed for visual inspection to reduce debris accumulation. If a contaminant is found, it can be removed before it affects performance. Disinfection procedures for medical devices, especially contact with disinfection wipers, gamma radiation, ethylene gas exposure, autoclave, and Sterrad processes, also influence the selection and design of materials. Each method of disinfection produces different levels of exposure, exposures to various chemicals, reactions, and risks to the integrity of the connector. Medical technology applications typically require connectors to be fluid resistant and in most cases require IP6 or IP7 level protection.

High performance, high cost performance user-selected off-the-shelf circular connectors with lightweight medical-grade plastic shells are resistant to autoclavification and other disinfection processes.