What Is Millimeter per Minute (mm/min)?
Millimeter per minute is a unit that shows speed. It tells you how many millimeters something moves or changes in exactly one minute. It is often used when things move slowly and need to be very accurate, like in 3D printing, cutting machines, or dripping liquids in labs.
Definition
One millimeter per minute is the speed of an object that moves 1 millimeter in 1 minute at a steady rate.
In simple words, if a machine head, tool, or liquid level changes its position by 1 millimeter during a time of 1 minute, its speed is 1 mm/min.
Mathematically:
- Speed in mm/min = distance in millimeters ÷ time in minutes
History / Origin
The unit millimeter per minute comes from two metric units:
- Millimeter is a small length unit in the metric system. It is one thousandth of a meter. The metric system was created in France at the end of the 1700s and later grew into the modern International System of Units, called SI.
- Minute is a time unit that has been used for a very long time. One minute is 60 seconds. It comes from old ways of dividing an hour into smaller parts.
When engineers and scientists needed to describe slow and steady movements more clearly than meters per second, they started to combine these units and use millimeter per minute. This became common in areas like machining, 3D printing, electronics manufacturing, and careful chemical dosing, where very small and slow motions are important.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The standard way to write millimeter per minute is:
- mm/min
Parts of the symbol:
- mm means millimeter
- / means per
- min means minute
You may see it written in different styles, such as:
- mm min-1
- millimeters per minute
These all mean the same thing, but mm/min is the most common form.
Current Use Around the World
Millimeter per minute is used worldwide, especially in places that follow the metric system. Common fields include:
- Machining and metalworking to set feed rates for drills, cutters, and milling machines.
- 3D printing and CNC machines to control how fast the print head or tool moves for good quality.
- Medical and lab equipment to control slow flows of liquids, such as in pumps, drips, or chemical dosing.
- Manufacturing for slow conveyor belts or moving parts that must be very accurate.
- Materials testing to set how fast a sample is stretched or compressed in machines.
Because it is a metric based unit, mm/min fits well with other SI units and is easy to convert to millimeters per second, centimeters per minute, or meters per second.
Example Conversions
Here are some common conversions using millimeter per minute.
Basic conversion rules
- 1 minute = 60 seconds
- 1 meter = 1000 millimeters
- 1 centimeter = 10 millimeters
Convert mm/min to mm/s
To change millimeter per minute to millimeter per second, divide by 60:
- Speed in mm/s = Speed in mm/min ÷ 60
Example:
- 600 mm/min ÷ 60 = 10 mm/s
Convert mm/min to m/min
To change millimeter per minute to meter per minute, divide by 1000:
- Speed in m/min = Speed in mm/min ÷ 1000
Example:
- 2500 mm/min ÷ 1000 = 2.5 m/min
Convert mm/min to cm/min
To change millimeter per minute to centimeter per minute, divide by 10:
- Speed in cm/min = Speed in mm/min ÷ 10
Example:
- 500 mm/min ÷ 10 = 50 cm/min
Convert mm/min to m/s
First change millimeters to meters, then minutes to seconds:
- Speed in m/s = Speed in mm/min ÷ 1000 ÷ 60
- Speed in m/s = Speed in mm/min ÷ 60000
Example:
- 3000 mm/min ÷ 60000 = 0.05 m/s
Convert mm/s to mm/min
To go from millimeter per second to millimeter per minute, multiply by 60:
- Speed in mm/min = Speed in mm/s × 60
Example:
- 2 mm/s × 60 = 120 mm/min
Quick reference table
| Speed | In mm/s | In cm/min | In m/min |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 mm/min | 1 mm/s | 6 cm/min | 0.06 m/min |
| 600 mm/min | 10 mm/s | 60 cm/min | 0.6 m/min |
| 3000 mm/min | 50 mm/s | 300 cm/min | 3 m/min |
Related Units
Millimeter per minute is closely related to other speed units that use length per time. Some common related units are:
- Millimeter per second (mm/s) faster time base, used a lot in physics and engineering.
- Centimeter per minute (cm/min) uses centimeters instead of millimeters.
- Meter per minute (m/min) used for things like belt speeds and longer travel distances.
- Meter per second (m/s) the standard SI speed unit for many science uses.
- Kilometer per hour (km/h) common for cars and travel, but not usually for tiny precise motions.
- Inch per minute (in/min) used in some countries and in machining where inch based units are still common.
- Foot per minute (ft/min) another non metric speed unit.
All these units can be converted into each other by using the right length and time conversions.
FAQs
What does mm/min measure?
Millimeter per minute measures how fast something moves or changes over time, using millimeters as the distance and minutes as the time. It is a speed or rate of motion.
Where is millimeter per minute commonly used?
It is common in 3D printing, CNC machining, metal cutting, lab pumps, and any system where parts move slowly and must be very accurate over small distances.
How do I convert mm/min to mm/s?
Divide by 60. For example, 120 mm/min ÷ 60 = 2 mm/s.
How do I convert mm/min to m/min?
Divide by 1000. For example, 5000 mm/min ÷ 1000 = 5 m/min.
Is mm/min an SI unit?
Millimeter and minute both come from systems used in SI and time keeping, but mm/min itself is a derived unit. It is built from SI based units and is accepted in technical work.
Why use mm/min instead of mm/s?
For very slow motions, mm/s can give tiny decimal numbers that are hard to read. Using mm/min gives whole numbers or simple decimals, which can be easier to set and understand.
How can I measure mm/min in practice?
You can measure how far something moves in millimeters and how long it takes in minutes. Then divide distance by time. Many machines show mm/min directly on their displays or settings.
What is a typical value in mm/min?
It depends on the job. A 3D printer might move at a few hundred to a few thousand mm/min. A very slow lab pump may run at less than 100 mm/min for gentle liquid flow.