Indicating the Center of a Hole for Proper CNC Machining

There are multiple ways to find the center of the hole on your part, including the use of different indicators and strategies. Jason dives into the many potential ways you can indicate a hole. One of the nice things about indicating is that you can account for the entire bore while setting the zero. If you have a hole that has been damaged or is slightly out of round, you can see that from the indicator in real time and adjust easily.

While there are several different ways to correctly indicate a hole, the main process stays the same. Place the indicator in the spindle of your CNC machine, jog the machine close to the inside edge of your hole, and find three points. Then, indicate a fourth point for verification.

Once everything is set up, there’s lots of back and forth to line up the indicator, as you have to consistently move it until all three points have contact between the part and indicator. Keep in mind that quick movements or shifts in direction can cause the indicator tip to break, so proceed with caution. There are many ways that an indicator can be used; finding the center of a hole during your machining process is just one of them.

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