 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2018-08-07 22:16
Currently having a Low C bass clarinet extension printed now.
Personally I find the normal FDM printers that most people have to be very poorly suited to making instrument parts. Even when I had access to a brand new Ultimaker 3 I still had problems with warping and dimensions. There is at least one company making 3D printed barrels and bells, but I've seen reports of at least one breaking so personally I'm skeptical. Not saying this is a bad product, I've also heard that they play quite well.
The 3D printing technology I'm most confident in is called mulitjet fusion. It uses Nylon powder and a binder to make parts that are both as strong as molded plastic and also have a high density (SG =1.01). Of course it's more expensive. A clarinet joint will cost around $100 each to print if you use an outside service. I'm waiting to see how my bass clarinet extensions come out before I have any more instruments made. For my next project I'm thinking of having a Tarogato printed as I've always wanted a "modern" one but don't want to spend $5000.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-08-07 22:45
The is already a company selling 3D printed barrels (don't remember the name). But I'm pretty sure they have to do finishing to smooth out the "bumpiness" of the process. I have also seen a printed mouthpiece used mostly as a model that actually could do some basic playing.
The bottom line would be whether the overall material would be suitable for a clarinet. I've long given up on the debate over wood vs non-wood, but the instrument still needs to be inert enough to not resonate when certain notes would cause a sympathetic vibration.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2018-08-07 22:57
Attachment: Grandpa and baby mouthpieces.jpg (376k)
Funny - my son sent me a present. I burst out laughing and every clarinet player I have shown this to has also been WOW'd.
It is for a Triple Octo-Contra Bass clarinet - and for fun, it is sitting next to a baby Ab Piccolo Clarinet mouthpiece.
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2018-08-07 23:29
I'm not sure about an entire clarinet, but I experimented with creating/printing a 3d barrel to fit an old hard rubber clarinet I have.
I didn't have to do any "cleanup" work on the barrel, and it has been remarkably strong so far. The resulting measurements seemed to be as accurate as my measuring devices are capable.
I was very skeptical when I started the process, but very impressed by the result.
You can see a photo of the resulting barrel, and my statements about it at the bottom of this thread http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=462701&t=462285
The cost to have it printed and shipped was roughly $25.
Fuzzy
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2018-08-08 00:31
I've played around with it. Here in Los Angeles there are a lot of 3D companies making small parts to concepts cars. Here's the problem I've run into with mouthpieces and barrels. The materials shrink too much and for the mouthpieces there is the toxic exposure issue. So a lot of rubber and plastic is toxic, either when making a barrel and a mouthpiece of when your mouth touches the mouthpiece.
So I've messed with dental materials and most of these can't be 3D molded, cracks and other problems, including too much shrinking.
So what is the future? It will happen. But often making a mold is less expensive if you plan to make 1000's and 1000's. 3D can be slower, but it has its place for making one of a kind and to see if something will actually work. The machines are expensive and very accurate, so as time goes on and chemist find non toxic materials it could be the future. Expensive to make a mouthpiece in just a minute or so. There are 3D printers available for much less which will make a mouthpiece in a day and very affordable. But we have issues with materials, shrinking, then putting on facings, all of that.
As for making the whole clarinet it can already be done. Keys, everything. But it will cost a lot.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Pereira3D
Date: 2018-08-08 04:41
I’m founder of the company making the 3D printed barrels, bells, and ligatures. I’d like to shed some light on some of the points brought up.
To answer the OP’s question, it’s absolutely possible, but most likely not for the entirety of the instrument. For instance, the key work poses a major issue because the material will begin to melt if exposed to a flame, making repairs/pad installation a problem. However, it’s certainly a possibility for manufacturing an instrument’s body.
From my 4 years with the company, I’ve only had one report of a broken barrel from a reviewer (the curious clarinetist) that did a write-up on two old models (the one that broke was a skinny hourglass model), well before 3D Wood was even introduced. Since then, the infill was changed to make them more dense and the introduction of 3D Wood has been a game-changer. I’ve even tossed products from the last 2 years off a 3-story building onto tarmac and never had anything more than a scuff.
With printing, you have to keep track of a couple factors. Warping can be an issue with certain materials as it exits a very hot nozzle and enters a significantly cooler atmosphere, but it is virtually nonexistent with other materials. If you’ve been using ABS or ABS-based materials, among some others, maybe you ought to try PLA-based filaments instead. If your nozzle height/first layer extrusion settings aren’t quite “zoned in,” you can also create warping issues with that alone. Also, you need to document the shrinkage factor with different materials and account for this in the 3D model. Once you account for this, the printer reliably prints accurate and repeatable models. In regards to toxicity of materials, there are FDA approved filaments available. Again, I don’t recommend ABS for this either. However, there are certain types of PLA (which is plant- and corn-derived, by the way) and PETG materials that are certainly more suitable.
Ryan Pereira
Pereira 3D Clarinet Services
www.Pereira3D.com
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Author: jordan.1210
Date: 2018-08-08 09:44
I 3D printed a low C extension for my bass clarinet and have printed mouthpieces for several instruments and a longer barrel for my Bb and longer neck for my bass. I've even printed some reeds that play reasonably well for practicing or playing around. Being an engineer and a musician, it is kinda fun to combine my interests, especially when something I design and model works pretty well, like my low C extension. I use a FDM printer with PLA if anyone was interested. In the future I'd like to try printing a bunch of other things and maybe even a whole clarinet. I definitely think it's possible. (Maybe a piccolo clarinet :P) I've also printed quite a few ocarinas that play reasonably well.
Post Edited (2018-08-08 09:46)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2018-08-09 01:05
Attachment: IMG_5563.JPG (1267k)
https://imgur.com/a/mmpTsMF
My 3D printed extensions came in the mail today! The print quality is orders of magnitude better than anything I've ever seen with fused deposition modeling. Surface texture is a bit rough but no rougher that the insides of some saxophone and bass clarinet necks I've seen so it should be no issue. Tone holes look beautiful and level which is most important. Now all that's left is the keywork.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2018-08-09 18:25
Nice and interesting work, Jordan. My concern would be torsion in those long keys. Any trouble with that?
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Author: jordan.1210
Date: 2018-08-10 11:55
I haven't had much issue with torsion for my 3D printed keywork. I have a much bigger problem with flexing for longer rods (something that I used for my Bb clarinet low Eb extension). My low C extension isn't perfect, and there's still room for improvement, the C# and C are a little muffled sounding, which I assume is due to air leaking since my keys close directly on the hole (no pad is used yet. I have a key designed to use a pad but I haven't gotten around to implementing it)
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Author: smummert
Date: 2019-09-19 19:57
Do you have more information on the 3D printed extension? I'm looking at extending a bass and was wondering. Thanks
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The Clarinet Pages
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