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Comparison of standard inch and standard metric mold base sizes, which shows the sizes moldmakers want in inch are available in a metric size that is a close match. Table courtesy of Frost Technical Concepts. taBLe 1 Width of Standard Standard Inch sizes Mold Base 8 9.975 Standard Metric sizes in mm 218 Inch equivalent 8.583 11.88 13.38 246 296 9.685 11.65 I also thought if a European company presented a substantial mold package to a major U.S. mold shop���with the stipulation that it be designed and built to metric standards���it would most likely not be turned down. However, I wondered how comfortable this European company would be with a shop that never used metric standards before, but then claimed it was all tooled up and ready to go. Planning and Promoting the move With all of this information, I developed a plan to actively promote to moldmakers, with whom I was familiar, the switch to the metric standard: educate the industry on (1) the simplicity of the metric standard, (2) the economic advantages of working with the global standard, and (3) address the fear of change. The first group to target was designers addressing the need to understand the standard metric sizes for mold bases, etc. and then move on to pocket and bore sizes, and pitch spacing. Once this was complete, we could work on manufacturing for which we needed to require some metric tools (a 0-25mm micrometer vs a 0 -1���). Then switch the readouts on the machines to mm. Educating management on the metric advantages was next. I also enlisted the help of a former colleague who also believed in the metric standard and actually conducted training in this realm. He conducted research on the subject of metric in U.S. and discovered that the biggest resistance was fear of change. [An interesting side note, this colleague discovered a book, ���The Measure of All Things��� by Ken Alder, on the origins of the metric system and its introduction to America, which points out that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were in France while the metric system was being formulated.] The economic crisis of 2009 put many plans on hold, including our think metric project. However, as I moved on I remained committed to the effort because I was convinced that it was important for American mold manufacturers to understand the value of working in metric. At this time, I was basically a consultant holding open discussions with several moldmakers. After several meetings, we reached general agreement on the fact that converting the numbers is easy; shop personnel have easy access to a calculator to convert the metric dimensions to inches before making the part; and, most CNC (all of which are built to metric standards) have a software toggle that can 10.88 14.88 15.88 17.88 19.5 23.75 346 396 446 496 546 596 13.62 15.59 17.56 19.53 21.5 23.46 switch the display and input from inches to metric. The first month will be challenging, and the next two months will be uncomfortable, but then you will wonder why you didn���t make the change sooner. Breaking Down the Roadblocks So what are the roadblocks? The answer lies with management. For the metric switch to be successful, management needs to commit to a direction; overcome the fear that mistakes will happen, which will cost the company money; and, recognize the potential market in Europe and other metric countries. At the end of my discussion on metric at this company, the owner stated that he didn���t have an issue with the change, because they were already doing some work in metric, but ���if we are going to do this, we need to get the metric gauge blocks and other tools we need, to ensure this happens quickly and accurately.��� Summary So maybe it���s time your shop considered making the metric change, and see for yourself how it can open new doors of opportunity, improve efficiency, simplify inventory and increase purchasing power. Next month we will hear stories of some mold manufacturers and then review the steps to making the metric switch. contributor David Frost is manager of Frost Technical Concepts, a company he started to help bring unique, new ideas using leading-edge technology to clients he works with in the plastics industry. After earning a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering and completing the course work for a Masters Degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Dave went on to gain more than 20 years of experience in the plastics industry. FoR moRe inFoRmation: Frost technical concepts, LLc. / (413) 329-8630 dave@frosttechnical.com / frosttechnical.com moldmakingtechnology.com 43