M2 Steel Ball Lock Pilot Punches - Round Tip, Light Duty

Ball lock locating in light-duty press tooling: Use these round-tip ball lock pilot punches to set and repeatedly register die stations in progressive dies and stamping lines where inch die tooling alignment must remain stable over repeated press cycles. The ball-lock geometry helps resist side-loading during engagement, while the round tip supports consistent centering into mating bushings.

Die alignment fixtures for job-shop production: In die test stands and alignment fixtures, the CRN-coated surface is suited for preventing rapid wear at the pilot interface, helping maintain location accuracy during short-run setups and frequent die changes.

Inch die tooling with moderate wear conditions: For light-duty applications that prioritize repeatability rather than extreme abrasive service, the M2 steel base provides balanced hardness and toughness. Select the variant with the appropriate shank diameter and point length to match your press opening and bushing engagement depth.

• Best fit for progressive dies, stamping, and die alignment fixtures
• Round tip geometry supports consistent alignment
• M2 with CRN coating improves interface wear resistance

M2 steel (AISI M2 equivalent) is a high-speed steel known for high hot hardness and strong wear performance in cutting and locating interfaces. For these punches, the surface is specified with a CRN coating to improve wear resistance at the ball-lock/pilot contact region during repeated cycles.

Heat treatment & hardness state: While the provided data does not list a specific HRC value, M2 pilot components are typically supplied in a hardened and tempered condition to balance toughness against chipping risk. The key trade-off is that higher hardness generally improves wear resistance, but can reduce toughness under misalignment or impact.

• M2: balanced hardness/toughness for light-duty inch tooling
• PS4 (if selected): an alternative supplied option; confirm hardness and coating compatibility with your tolerance/abrasion requirements
• CRN coating: enhances wear resistance at the interface without changing the base steel’s core toughness behavior

Select shank diameter first: Match the punch D (shank dia.) to your guide/bushing bore for the mating station. Your available range is 25 ~ 100 in (per provided specification), so choose the D size that fits the intended inch tooling clearance strategy.

Choose the coded length to match engagement depth: Point length and overall length options are given in coded inch ranges, including 200 ~ 500, 200 ~ 600, 200 ~ 700, and 225 ~ 700, plus variants for point length B & L such as 225 ~ 500, 225 ~ 600, 225 ~ 700, and 250 ~ 700 (fixed).

• Use the point length to control how deeply the round tip seats in the mating bushing during each stroke
• Use overall length L to ensure clearance to the die shoe and press hardware
• Consider tolerance/fit: a ball-lock pilot is sensitive to bushing bore finish and the intended running clearance; confirm that the selected D size and length do not bind under alignment error