3. The Physics of “Holding Still”: Why Scribe Can’t Be Handheld
This is the most critical operational difference that sales brochures often hide. You cannot hold a Scribe marker in your hands.
The Recoil Problem
Imagine trying to carve a line into steel with a knife. You have to push hard.
Scribe Force: To drag the pin through steel, the machine exerts massive lateral (side-to-side) force.
The Reaction: If the part isn’t clamped down, the machine will push the part across the table. If you held the machine, it would jerk out of your hands.
Requirement: Scribe markers generally require a heavy-duty column stand and a strong fixture/clamp to hold the VIN plate or chassis rigid.
The Dot Peen Advantage
Peen Force: The force is vertical (up and down). There is very little side-to-side drag.
The Result: You can hold a Dot Peen marker (like the HeatSign HS-PE Series) against a truck frame with just your hands. The recoil is absorbed by the mass of the device or a simple magnet.
Decision Point: If you cannot bring the part to the machine (e.g., the chassis is already assembled on the vehicle), you generally must use Portable Dot Peen. Scribe is too powerful to be portable.