Hero Summary
A customer from Ukraine bought 110pcs of punch pins for their agricultural machinery. Before working with HTX, the customer needed to change the punches every 1-2 days. After using HTX’s customized D2 high-speed punch for over a month, he replaced it once a week or longer.
Project Overview
| Product | Punch Pin |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Industry | Agricultural machinery manufacturing |
| Quantity | 3 items, 20pcs+40pcs+50pcs=110pcs |
| Material | D2 steel |
| Hardness | HRC58-60 |
| Surface Treatment | No surface treatment |
| Lead Time | 7-9 working days( except the May Day holiday) |
| Shipping Method | We used SF Express, shipping to Zhejiang Province. (We take responsibility for the shipping fees, which means that we have applied the free shipping fees for him) |
Customer Background
Agricultural Machinery Manufacturer Looking for Longer-Lasting Punch Pins.
The customer wants to customize the punch pin for their agricultural machinery manufacturing. About the punch pins, stamping is carried out from a 20X8 strip (45 (GB)).
The client has a mechanical press Yangli JE21-100D machine. After forging, he uses this strip in his machine.
The Challenge
Punch Pins Need to Be Replace Every 1-2 Days.
The customer told us their punch pins have a short service life. He told us as follows:
“Hello. Does your company design and manufacture custom stamps?”
“You should provide me with a price for the design and manufacture of the die, provide the material from which the punches will be made. “
“This is our stamp, but we change punches every 1-2days”
Engineering Review
Drawing Review
The customer provides the whole drawing for the pins. After checking with the drawing, no matter on it.
Material Discussion
“What steel can you make it from?”
On the drawings, they marked the hardness as HRC56-60. We suggested using high-speed steel material(8566 or D2) for the punches. At last, the client accepted the material recommendation for D2. As this material is wear-resistant, it offers a good cost-performance balance, and it meets the hardness requirement well.
Manufacturing Process
Precision Machining and Heat Treatment
Material Preparation ⇒ CNC / EDM / Grinding ⇒ Heat Treatment ⇒ Final Machining ⇒ Final Inspection
Quality Inspection
Every Dimension Verified Before Shipment
Following heat treatment, every critical dimension is re-measured to ensure it falls within the specified tolerances. Before shipment, our quality control team conducts a 100% inspection of every punch pin against the customer-approved drawings, verifying that dimensions and workmanship fully comply with requirements.
Hardness testing confirmed that this batch of D2 punch pins meets the customer’s requirement of HRC 56–60, with measurements taken for every unit before dispatch. This ensures that the customer can install the punch pins directly into their molds without the need for any further adjustments.
Packaging & Delivery
To prevent rust and corrosion during transit, all punch pins were coated with anti-rust oil following final inspection, labeled by category, and packed in export-grade cartons to avoid damage during handling.
As the client has a freight forwarder in China, HTX engaged SF Express to deliver the finished goods to the client’s designated warehouse in Yiwu, Zhejiang; to support the project and strengthen the long-term partnership, HTX covered the domestic shipping costs.
Despite the lengthy heat treatment process, the order was completed within nine working days and shipped on May 6, 2026.
Project Results
The custom D2 steel punch significantly improved the customer’s stamping efficiency, preventing production interruptions caused by frequent punch replacements.
Before vs. After
| Before | After |
| Punch pins require replacement approximately once a week, sometimes more often. | Replace the punches once a month or longer after using HTX customized D2 punch pins. |
| Frequent maintenance interrupted production and increased tooling costs. | Longer service life reduced downtime and improved production efficiency. |
| Previous punch performance did not meet production requirements. | Stable performance helped improve tooling reliability and lower maintenance frequency. |
Customer Feedback
The customer provided positive feedback after using the punch pins in production:
“Punch pins are very good!”
“Very good product, thanks.”
“I use 1 month. I used to replace the punches once a week, sometimes more often.”
This feedback confirmed that the material selection is very important for punching life, and the manufacturing process successfully addressed the customer’s original service life concerns.
Engineering Insights From This Project
Selecting the right tool steel is more important than simply increasing hardness.
Merely prioritizing material hardness does not guarantee a longer service life. For this specific application, D2 steel offers a superior balance of wear resistance, toughness, and dimensional stability, making it a reliable choice for stamping operations.
Early engineering consultation facilitates optimal material selection.
While the customer initially focused solely on hardness requirements, discussions regarding actual operating conditions and thorough communication with HTX engineers led to the selection of D2 steel as the ideal solution.
A comprehensive understanding of the application enables better engineering decisions.
HTX went beyond a simple review of blueprints to conduct a holistic assessment of the stamping materials, processing characteristics, dimensions, stamping equipment, and actual operating conditions. This comprehensive insight allowed for a highly targeted recommendation that significantly extended the service life of the punch.
If you want to improve the punch life and you do not know how to choose the correct material for your punch pin, contact HTX for professional suggestions.
