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

These ball lock pilot punches with a tapered tip are used in injection mold tooling and the broader mold-making workflow to establish precise location between components during press-fit, assembly, and alignment operations.

In automotive connector and bracket housings, they help center guide pins or strip tooling so cavities and runner-related features remain concentric during repeated build cycles. The tapered geometry supports controlled centering for light-duty presswork, reducing the risk of lateral misalignment at start-up.

In medical device housings and other tight-tolerance parts, stable pilot alignment is essential when installing ejector or insert sub-assemblies. The XCN coating improves surface durability for repeated contact, supporting smoother operation over many actuations.

• Use for locating and pilot centering in stamping/punching and mold assembly operations.
• Choose the inch light-duty format for compatibility with common inch tool sets.
• Prefer this variant when the primary need is repeatable alignment rather than extreme cutting duty.

The primary construction is M2 high-speed steel, a tool steel commonly selected for pilot and locating features due to its balance of wear resistance and toughness. Where specified as PS4, it represents an alternative material option listed for this series; selection is typically driven by availability and desired wear/toughness balance for the duty cycle.

For M2 applications, parts are typically supplied in a hardened state suitable for precision wear surfaces. The intent of the XCN coating is to further improve surface durability under repeated sliding/contact, which helps maintain alignment and reduces point wear over time.

• Wear resistance: enhanced by M2 toughness and the XCN surface treatment for repeated use.
• Toughness trade-off: as hardness increases, chipping risk can rise; keep duty “light” as indicated for this product line.
• Heat treatment: hardened tool-steel condition for M2; coating applied to improve running performance.

Select the pilot punch size by matching the shank diameter D and the available point/length to the cavity/core or tooling register depth you need to control.

• Shank diameter (D in): choose from 0.3750 (37), 0.5000 (50), 0.6250 (62), 0.7500 (75), 0.8750 (87), or 1.0000 (100).
• Length (L, coded inch): variable options are 250–600 or 250–700 depending on the coded configuration; point-length variants include 275–700 for the fixed configuration.
• P dimension (in): use the listed range 0.083–0.749 to match the effective pilot engagement you require for centering.

To ensure proper fit, confirm that the pilot engagement depth (driven by the chosen point length and P) allows controlled centering without bottoming in the mating hole. Because these are precision locating tools, use the manufacturer’s configured length option to match register depth, and consider the mating bore tolerance for repeatable alignment.