M2 Steel Ball Lock Pilot Punches - Tapered Tip Heavy Duty In

Ball-lock pilot punches are used to provide repeatable alignment between mating mold components, especially where stable starts and consistent positioning reduce downstream forming variation.

• Automotive connector and bracket molds: Use the tapered tip to improve pilot entry and lock-in during clamp cycles. The heavy-duty construction supports repeatable locating over high shot counts, while the M2 steel body helps maintain dimensional stability.
• Medical device housings and precision enclosures: The ball-lock locating design helps ensure parting-line repeatability and reduces misalignment that can affect cavity shutoff and surface finish. The wear-focused XNM coating supports longer service intervals in production.
• Electronics and appliance assemblies: In multi-part insert or sub-assembly tooling, a stable pilot start improves synchronization during assembly, reducing the risk of lead-in damage. Inch-based sizing and selectable lengths (up to 700 coded inch ranges) help match diverse mold layouts.

This product is offered in M2 (also listed as PS4 as an alternative material option in the provided specification). Both are tool steels commonly selected for locating components that must maintain stiffness and positional accuracy under repeated cycling.

• M2 steel: Typically used in quenched and tempered tool-steel heat treatment for a balance of hardness and toughness. Expect high wear resistance suited to pilot locations where the tapered tip and ball-lock interface experience repeated micro-impacts.
• PS4 (alternative): Selected when a different hardness/toughness balance is desired for the same locating function; verify your application’s wear versus shock requirements against the supplier’s heat-treatment certification for the chosen option.
• Coating: XNM coating is specified to support wear resistance, helping reduce abrasive and frictional wear at the contact surfaces.

Hardness note: The provided data does not state an HRC value, so hardness must be confirmed for the selected heat-treated condition (e.g., quenched & tempered) to ensure the toughness-to-wear trade-off matches your cycle and load.

Select dimensions by matching the shank diameter (D) and overall point length to the corresponding pilot bore/core or bushing geometry in the mold.

• Shank diameter (D): Choose from 37 ~ 125 in as specified. Match this to the leader/pilot bore diameter so the punch can be guided without excessive clearance or binding.
• Point length / L range (coded inch): Available length options include 250 ~ 600, 250 ~ 700, 275 ~ 700, and 300 ~ 700 (some entries also indicate 275 ~ 700 and 300 ~ 700 as focused ranges).
• P dimension: Select the P = 0.083 ~ 0.999 in value to tune the effective locating engagement depth for your shutoff and alignment stack-up.

For best fit, use standard pilot clearance practices between the tapered tip and the receiving feature, accounting for thermal growth and wear. Confirm whether your CAD drawings specify fixed engagement geometry or adjustable stack tolerances, since these length ranges (and coded length variants) are configurable by size selection rather than a single fixed dimension.