Connectors built using ribbon-style contacts differ from pin/socket method in two important ways. The illustration provided on this slide shows a cut-away of a mating pair of ribbon contacts. First, the contacts are pre-loaded in opposing directions, allowing for increased force. The resulting springiness in the contacts makes for a more reliable mating during operation. Second, the end of the ribbon style contact is retained inside an insulator. This greatly reduces the chance for a misaligned contact tip to catch and break against the outer face of the mating connector. Known as “pin stubbing”, this is quite common in pin-and-socket interfaces.