a surgical obturator comprising an elongate shaft extending along an axis between a proximal end and a distal end , and a bladeless tip disposed at the distal end of the shaft having a conical surface forming proximally into an outer surface , the outer surface extending distally to a blunt point and having a pair of side sections . the side sections extend from the blunt point radially outwardly with progressive positions proximally along the axis . the conical surface facilitates insertion of the obturator with a reduced penetration force and minimizes tenting of the body wall . the conical surface further facilitates separation of different layers of the body wall and provides proper alignment of the tip between the layers . the surgical obturator may be constructed from a disposable or reusable material such as a metal or an autoclavable polymer . while certain embodiments have been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the following claims .