halfholing

Halfholing is a term used in various technical communities to describe a hole that is not fully penetrative or is only partially completed. There is no universally accepted definition, and the meaning can vary by discipline.

In machining and fabrication, halfholing commonly refers to drilling a hole to a specified depth so that it terminates within the material rather than passing completely through. This creates a blind hole, which can be important for anchoring fasteners, inserting sleeves or studs, or avoiding damage to opposite faces or internal features. Depth control is typically achieved with depth stops, reamers, or step drilling to achieve the desired partial penetration.

In sheet metal and related fabrication contexts, halfholing may describe a perforation or opening that does not reach the far surface, used to preserve structural integrity on the backside or to avoid distortion.

In more specialized fields such as photonics or materials science, the term has appeared to describe geometric features where material is removed or modified only halfway through a layer, with the aim of tuning wave propagation, mechanical properties, or anisotropy. Such usage tends to be highly domain-specific and not standardized.

Because halfholing lacks a single, widely adopted definition, readers should consult field-specific documentation or standards when encountering the term. Related concepts include blind holes and through holes, which describe fully penetrative or non-penetrative openings in more precise terms.