Ball Lock Pilot Punches - Tapered Tip, Light Duty, Inch, XNT

These light-duty ball lock pilot punches are used in injection mold tooling where precise part alignment and repeatable cavity-to-core seating are required. The tapered nose helps center the punch during initial engagement, reducing the risk of pilot misalignment during fast mold cycling.

• Automotive and industrial connector molds: Ideal for locating operations on inch-based systems, supporting stable insertion and consistent ball-lock seating for multi-cavity repeatability.
• Appliance and housings with frequent disassembly: The XNT DayTiN® surface protection supports long-running pilot performance in applications that see regular tool open/close cycles.
• General light-duty mold pilot stations: When you need controlled guidance rather than aggressive heavy-duty wear requirements, the tapered tip geometry improves alignment before functional contact.

Using M2 steel with a DayTiN®-type coating provides a practical balance of wear resistance and toughness for locating features that must stay dimensionally consistent over repeated runs.

The default material for this punch variant is M2 tool steel, a high-speed steel grade commonly selected for wear-prone mold components. Compared with more basic punch steels, M2 typically provides higher abrasion and cutting wear resistance, though toughness can be lower if hardness is pushed too far.

• Coating: XNT DayTiN® for improved surface wear resistance and stable tool performance under sliding contact during pilot engagement.
• Heat treatment (typical for M2 in tooling): Quenched & tempered to achieve a hard martensitic structure suitable for repeated location cycles.
• Wear vs. toughness trade-off: Higher hardness improves resistance to wear at the pilot tip, while tempered hardness maintains adequate toughness to avoid chipping during insertion.

Alternative material option shown: PS4. Select PS4 when you want a different base-property balance from M2 while keeping the same pilot geometry and inch-based sizing family.

Correct selection starts with matching the punch shank diameter D (0.3750"–1.0000") to your mating pilot bush or corresponding bore spec in the mold base. This product lists shank diameter options of 0.3750", 0.5000", 0.6250", 0.7500", 0.8750", and 1.0000".

• Pick the coded point length range: Standard point length & L are coded as 250–600 and 250–700 (inch-coded). A fixed family is also shown as 275–700, depending on the point-length definition in your BOM.
• Use the correct point-length variant: Options exist for B & L (250–600 / 250–700) and a separate C set (250–600 / 275–700). Confirm whether your drawing specifies B or C point length.
• Taper geometry / P dimension: The P dimension is available in 0.083 ~ 0.749 in to fit different pilot engagement depth requirements.

Maintain the intended clearance/fit between punch and guide elements; while specific tolerances are not provided here, selecting the correct D and the correct coded length band is essential for consistent ball-lock seating.