M2 Steel Ball Lock Pilot Punches - Round Tip

Ball lock pilot punches are used to establish repeatable alignment between upper and lower dies in inch-based progressive and transfer tooling. In heavy-duty stamping, the ball-lock mechanism maintains stable indexing during repeated punch cycles, helping reduce misalignment-related wear and scrap.

• Automotive connector and terminal stamping molds: Use the round tip geometry to guide controlled entry and accurate locating at the start of each stroke, which is critical for fine-hole and multi-station part families.
• Progressive blanking and piercing: Select this M2 steel variant for enhanced wear resistance when pilots cycle through high volumes and when punch-to-die clearance is tightly managed.
• Indexing in multi-cavity die sets: Match pilot length to die stack-up so the ball lock engages consistently, improving positional repeatability across the production run.

This series uses M2 steel as the primary option, with an alternate material listed as PS4. M2 is a high-speed steel class known for strong wear resistance under repeated cutting/impact conditions; in pilot punch service, that translates into steadier locating performance over long production runs.

• Heat treatment (typical for M2 pilots): supplied in a hard, work-ready condition; expected to be quenched and tempered to balance hardness and toughness.
• Hardness / trade-off: higher hardness improves edge and wear life, while tempering maintains toughness to reduce chipping risk during alignment loading.

Because PS4 is offered as a variable material, compare hardness and wear expectations against your press duty and alignment forces; choose the grade that best matches your target tool life and resistance to abrasive wear.

Proper sizing ensures the pilot can enter smoothly, engage the ball-lock reliably, and maintain alignment through the die stack. Use the shank diameter D (in) to match the intended pilot bore/guide interface; selectable sizes span 37 ~ 125 (in the provided coding/units range).

• Pick the correct length: the standard point length and total length L are offered in multiple coded inch ranges: 250 ~ 600, 250 ~ 700, 275 ~ 700, and 300 ~ 700.
• When your design uses point-length callouts: confirm the available B / point-length ranges match your ball-lock engagement requirement (the dataset repeats B & L options across the same coded ranges).
• Check P dimension: with P = 0.061 ~ 0.999, verify this positional feature against your cavity/core and guide geometry.

For best fit, align both D and the selected L (or B/L) to the die housing thickness so the pilot loads without bottoming and maintains clearance tolerance throughout press cycles.