Sounding the Trumpet for CNC Machine Tools

I'm sure Monette isn't the only one, it is interesting the niche markets for CNC applications such as for musical instrument makers...

i have been a 'trumpet technophile' and enthusiastic player and collector of brass instruments for 56 years, as well as a power plant engineer.

Mainly, CNC is used to make mouthpieces for brass instruments and is being used for valve pistons as a mass production measure, primarily as a cost cutting expedient in most brass musical instrument mass manufacturing, but not for the top line manufacturers until very recently. The bulk of the trumpet is produced using tubing drawing and sheet metal techniques still for most manufacturers.

Dave Monette is the top of the custom "boutique" trumpet makers, with customers shelling out tens of thousands of dollars and waiting more than a year to get one of his creations. And while many of Dave's trumpet designs look radically different than traditional trumpet designs, these differences are mainly to improve or customize the sound and playing character of the instruments. Monette is able to achieve unique airflow and resonance by being able to use CNC technology to create designs that otherwise would exist only in Dave's imagination, which I think ought to be the takeaway from this.

I'm a was high school (CONN) trombone player myself...

but now, I just play the piano... but I'd never consider myself a piano player.

I've seen them make brass instruments years ago, and I was surprise and understandable how labor intensive making these instruments.

I would have to say player in my case. I still perform regularly and hold a degree in performance.... just sayin'.......And specialize in buying and selling collectible instruments..... It is a compulsion!!!

My newphew is playing the trombone now... he enjoys it.

about 20 years ago, a friend of mine, after racketball, sometimes we would go out afterwards, there was this jazz club which my friend introduced me to... I never went to a jazz club. Owner was a musician. On the floor he had a stage set up with instruments, but never really had a band playing. All his patrons were musicians, and they'd go up on stage and jam.

That stage would be crowded... after my friends went up there, he started to try convince me to go up there too, which I eventually did, but the stage was so crowded and the only instrument left was a triangle... (only because my friend had the cow bell )

well, I looked out, and no one was in the audience or at the bar , not even the bartender,.... he was on stage too. I knew it's not good to have musicians as patrons, in a jazz club.

I have to admit, it was a blast.

SPeaking of CNC now that I am finally getting my little workshed together to the point its near usable one of my plans for it is to set up my Smithy 1340i lathe/mill machine with CNC control.

IfI can make that work well enough the next thing would be a to make a CNC propeller carving machine for making replicas of the old fashioned wind generators blades made in the 1930's and 40's.

Reason being all these new suposedly superior quality fiberglass and other composite material blade sets I have experimented with over the years have shown themselves to be utter crap regarding durability compared to even the most basic wooden blade made from #2 grade framing lumber stock.

Downside is have yet to decide what software to use to run it or what to use to draw up my designs either.

I had purchased a Grizzly G0722 Mill. (Which is basically a Sieg SX4 Mill)

I was going to refit it to CNC where I purchased 6 axis drivers and (4) closed looped stepper motors.

But as soon as I started using it, I'm enjoying it so much and question how much will I get out of it that I'm having doubts of refitting it especially after installing a 3 axis DRO.

So I'm putting it lower on my list, but I did configure and made the panel box bigger then needed where I could use it for controls for a plasma or possible a lathe.

But my to-do list for my projects is about 4 years long.

Just got this in one of my Engineering feeds thought I'd share it...