this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025
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I have to say that I do this professionally. There is no reason at all to specify tolerances like that. You very much should use at least centimeters with the +/- in decimals. This is the whole point of the metric system. And it aggravates me. We are not stupid as manufacturers. It is very simple division. I am American and have to deal with German and Japanese tolerances quite literally every day. Sure, there are different required ISO tolerances based on millimeters, but as far as prints go? Every company usually specifies their own tolerances. Complying with ISO mostly means that you understand what they require overall. It is my professional opinion that not using the breadth of the metric system is absolutely absurd.
Every professional that deals with stuff that needs around 1mm precision uses mm. Metal roofing, gutters, any machining, etc. It is to prevent ambiguity. I used to build roofs and for like wooden beams we used meters and cm, but that was because a couple mm here and there rarely ever mattered. All in all using mm is usually the best choice.
I've been a machinist for over 20 years. Just no. You get specs from the customer, and yeah the tolerances are usually in mm. However, listing dimensions in thousands of mm makes no sense. The tolerances are always specified. If it wasn't for NDA, I could show you a print from Siemens Medical that shows this.
Sure. I'm not a professional machinist. I have worked on roofs and all sheet metal things are in mm. I have even worked for a company that makes those metal things and as a customer for another one. I also was by far the best at technical drawing in school, not to brag. And all the schematics for things I have seen are in mm, for example https://www.iclarified.com/images/news/48931/228250/228250-1280.png . Disclaimer, all the schematics that are not in, ugh, inches (or architecture).
Sure, if I made something for someone they can give me dimensions in Smoots for all I care. But I would transform it into mm, and would never buy tools that don't use mm.
For context, I am not in an english speaking country nor Myanmar.
Edit: Actually I have seen house schematics in mm as well. I thing they now give out in m, but use mm internally (depending on architecture firm).
I think you've missed my point here. Something that is 6,300 mm long should be listed as 6.3 meters. Doing otherwise completely eliminates the purpose of a pure decimal system. People don't even use the system properly, completely omitting things like decimeters.
When I asked the boss, who has been in the business for a couple generations, why it says here 4000 instead of 4m, he said what I am telling you. So you don't mix up measurements.
I guess that's my whole issue here. People don't use the system "properly."
You're right. People don't use the system properly, but that's how a lot of people do it is what I was saying. I can see how that would grind your gears (pun somewhat intended) as a machinist, since specs and tolerances are especially important in your line of work as I understand it