Tapered Bar Locks are primarily used to prevent core shift during injection melt. All tapered bar locks typically use a non-locking taper greater than 7 degrees, with most locks using a 10-degree taper per side.

The long rectangular bar with large locking contact does not provide early alignment for protection of cores and the mold must be completely closed to provide an accurate location. Before installing bar locks you must also consider thermal expansion. A 10° F difference at 24 inches will cause a .0015 interference. Depending on the temperature and size of the mold, interference can even be larger. Tapered bar locks should always be installed parallel to the expansion. This puts limits on the flexibility of installation location.