Sheet metal punching is a common procedure in many industries, but can easily go wrong if you don’t know the proper guidelines and procedures. While some automated machines now drill through a piece of sheet metal instead of punching, TSM Houston provides CNC (plasma) punching, the “Iron Worker” and the Whitney Punch. In any punching process, one thing that you should know is the thickness of your sheet metal beforehand.

When sheet metal punching, if a punch is made too close to the edge of the metal, it can result in a bend at the edge of the material. By knowing how thick your sheet metal is, and keeping the hole at least that distance away from the edge, you can avoid such an unsightly mistake. For example, if you have a ½ inch piece of plate sheet metal, punch at least ½ inch away from the edge.

Another good reason to have this measurement when sheet metal punching, is to make sure that the diameter of your punch is equal to, or greater, than the thickness of the metal. Again, if you are using a ½ inch piece of plate sheet metal, the hole produced from the sheet metal punching must not be smaller than ½ inch in diameter.

Also, when sheet metal punching, keep in mind that there is going to be a slight taper on the opposite side from where your punch went in. The only way this can be avoided is to drill; though this can be expensive.

Whether your sheet metal punching involves thin foil or leaf sheet metal, or heavier gauges like plate sheet metal, you can save yourself a lot of time and frustration by knowing the exact thickness of the metal you are working with. For all of your industrial sheet metal punching needs, trust Texas Sheet Metal Houston (TSM Houston) to get the job done well and on time.