Centre punches

Centre punches: what you need to know

Centre punches are designed for making indentations to mark the centre of holes that you are planning to make, for instance, with a drill. These are metal rods with a round cross-section and a sharp tapered tip. Most often they are made from compound steel or carbon steel. They prevent the drill from slipping and help to perform the task carefully.

What are types of centre punches?

• Manual centre punch. Robust and reliable items with the length varying from 80 to 150 mm and the diameter being from 10 to 15 mm. They are used together with a hammer. You should estimate the necessary effort to be applied considering the material of the processed surface.
• Automatic centre punch. They allow to do the work faster. The working part of the punch is driven by compressed air supplied by an air compressor or spring-actuated mechanism. Some models allow to adjust the impact force. The advantages of these devices include the possibility to make marking with one hand without any other additional tools.

There are also items of a special design for fulfilling specific tasks. For example, centre finders for punching spherical components, and special compasses for making holes along the circumference around a certain point.

Tips on using centre punches

Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. When working with soft or fragile materials as well as with car parts that require a high level of precision, it is better to use automatic models. When using manual punches for the operations with thin workpieces, it is desirable not to apply too much force as this might lead to the deformation of the material.

It is necessary to mark the required point with a pencil prior to making an indentation. The centre punch should be held at a right angle to the processed surface which should be supported with a solid base.

These tools should be sharpened from time to time. This is done with a machine equipped with a grinding wheel. When doing this, it is important to control the sharpening angle, for example, with a protractor. The acuter it is, the more precise the markings are.

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