I meant to include links to ink-jet printing in my previous message, but didn't develop that thought.
There is a new developing fabrication technology called "3-d printing" whereby complex 3D shapes can be constructed in successive 2-D layers. These techniques generally fabricate from various plastic materials, and can create complex shapes. I'm not aware of any printers that can construct brass (and anyway, the crystalline structure would be all wrong) but if one assumes that there is significant latitude in the material used for the twisty little tubes between leadpipe and bell (not including valves, of course) then one could imagine "printing" these annoying components of a horn inexpensively and reliably reproducibly at very low cost. This might both improve horns, and lower the cost without compromising performance, reliability, or durability. Of course, any number of fabrication issues would need to be solved (e.g. connecting to brass components) but I don't se problems that are essentially unsolvable. For years plumbers have been able to connect plastic drains to steel or clay in ways that can be expected to last for many decades. Horn fabricators should be able to do the same. The best way to learn about 3D printing is to view some videos on youtube. There are a great many, featuring various devices and materials. (Some of the most delicious are early experiments _printing_ foodstuffs in 3D to form novel canapes.) Perhaps the best introduction is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7h09dTVkdw which demonstrates a commercially-available printer to create a working ball-bearing bearing out of plastic stock. (Youtuibe will show a great number of related 3D printing links.) The resolution of this technology is certainly not sufficient to build a valve, but .01 inch is definitely good enough to construct tubing segments, or even to construct the entire rectangular block of tubing that was early proposed on this thread. Cost would be a few dollars each... But it requires solving several problems including connecting these plastic [?] components to the necessarily brass components. I predict we will see 3D printer technology used to build parts of high-quality musical instruments within the next 20 years. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
