Ball Lock Pilot Punches - Tapered Tip, Heavy Duty, Inch, XNA

These heavy-duty ball-lock pilot punches are used in injection mold and stamping tooling wherever a repeatable “start” location is critical for part forming, molding, and downstream assembly. The tapered tip geometry helps guide the punch into the mating bushing or cavity entry, improving alignment consistency during high-cycle operation.

• Automotive connector and bracket molds: Use the inch heavy-duty configuration to maintain stable part location while producing thin-wall features that are sensitive to pilot drift. The M2-based, durable build supports dimensional stability under repeated starts.
• Industrial appliance housing and cover molds: The ball-lock locating approach reduces misalignment between core/cavity and secondary operations, helping prevent cosmetic and functional defects at assembly interfaces.
• Medical device component forming (non-sterile housings): Apply where tight initial positioning improves repeatability of forming steps and reduces scrap caused by poor lock-in during setup.

The XNM coating option is specifically suited for these use cases because it targets wear reduction at the pilot interface, helping extend tooling life in production environments.

This variant is built from M2 steel, a high-speed steel commonly used for tooling requiring hardness and wear resistance. The provided data also lists PS4 as an available alternative; PS4 selection is typically considered when you want a different balance of machinability and wear performance versus M2 for pilot-related surfaces.

• Wear resistance: M2 supports strong resistance at the locating interface, especially when combined with the XNM coating to reduce surface wear over repeated lock-in cycles.
• Toughness trade-off: Higher hardness improves dimensional stability and edge retention, but can increase sensitivity to impact if the tooling experiences deflection or abnormal loads.
• Heat treatment state: The product description specifies M2 steel construction, and the intended performance is achieved via standard toolroom hardening and tempering for M2 to deliver the required hardness for durable locating.

Where production duty favors maximum wear life, the M2 + XNM coating pairing is the most directly aligned configuration based on the provided specifications.

Select the pilot punch by matching the shank diameter (D) and point/overall length to your mold’s pilot bushing or locating hole geometry. The available D range is 37 ~ 125 in (as coded in the catalog system), so choose the diameter that fits your mating bore without forcing.

• Choose the length set: The standard point length & L options are 250 ~ 600, 250 ~ 700, 275 ~ 700, and 300 ~ 700 (coded inch). Confirm the selected range matches the required insertion depth for reliable lock-in.
• Verify coded point length: Options for B and C are also given across 250 ~ 600, 250 ~ 700, 275 ~ 700, and 300 ~ 700, indicating configurable point-length families depending on your cavity/core spacing.
• Tolerance/fit: For ball-lock locating, aim for stable clearance between the punch and mating bushing to prevent binding at start while ensuring the ball-lock can fully seat; avoid oversized D choices that could increase friction and wear.

Where your mold requires a specific lead-in profile, use the provided length family (B/C or standard) that best reproduces the required guide length.