Which center? Luna, S2, or Horizon?

[petmotel]

Hey Jay,

Here you go:

Attachment 2080

This was an interesting experiment but the time involved with the print (about 24 hours) + some warpage when cooling made me quickly realize cutting from wood (CNC) rather than building up from wood filament (3D print) was the much better solution. For a cabinet about 1/2 the size of the Luna, 3D printing with wood filament could work well and as the technology improves, I have a hunch that at some point, most speaker cabinets will eventually be 3D printed.

Thanks for the photo, fascinating stuff, I think you have one of the best jobs there possibly could ever be. Also big props for your series into the port resonance issues, also absolutely fascinating stuff to the geeks whom enjoy this kind of thing.

I wonder if 3D printing of speaker cabinets does become common, if compound curves/advanced shapes would also become the norm, and what material would find favor among manufacturers.

Jay

[curtis]

Hey Jay,

This was an interesting experiment but the time involved with the print (about 24 hours) + some warpage when cooling made me quickly realize cutting from wood (CNC) rather than building up from wood filament (3D print) was the much better solution. For a cabinet about 1/2 the size of the Luna, 3D printing with wood filament could work well and as the technology improves, I have a hunch that at some point, most speaker cabinets will eventually be 3D printed.

Hey Dave...how about those 3D printers they have over at SpaceX? I think you saw the display samples I saw. A cabinet from one of those would be interesting.

[davef]

Hey Dave...how about those 3D printers they have over at SpaceX? I think you saw the display samples I saw. A cabinet from one of those would be interesting.

I actually saw those printers working, they were easily one of the highlights of the tour. Truly fascinating and the only possible method to make those specialized parts.

For anyone visiting SoCal, I highly recommend trying to arrange a tour of SpaceX in Hawthorne. You will see the future of manufacturing...

[davef]

Thanks for the photo, fascinating stuff, I think you have one of the best jobs there possibly could ever be. Also big props for your series into the port resonance issues, also absolutely fascinating stuff to the geeks whom enjoy this kind of thing.

I wonder if 3D printing of speaker cabinets does become common, if compound curves/advanced shapes would also become the norm, and what material would find favor among manufacturers.

Jay

I have found that curves are easier to get good results with compared to straight 90 degree joints. If designed properly, there are advantages to curved front baffles as they can significantly reduce diffraction effects. 3D print speed will have to dramatically increase to make this a manufacturing possibility, but I am sure it will eventually happen.

[curtis]

I actually saw those printers working....

OK....I feel short changed. I need to talk to my brother about that.

[Pogre]

Hey Jay,

Here you go:

Attachment 2080

This was an interesting experiment but the time involved with the print (about 24 hours) + some warpage when cooling made me quickly realize cutting from wood (CNC) rather than building up from wood filament (3D print) was the much better solution. For a cabinet about 1/2 the size of the Luna, 3D printing with wood filament could work well and as the technology improves, I have a hunch that at some point, most speaker cabinets will eventually be 3D printed.

That is so cool! I'm assuming the lattice design sandwiched between the layers serves as bracing for stiffness? I think your hunch is spot on. As the tech matures, costs go down and they work out the kinks, I don't see why anyone wouldn't use this tech in the future. Exciting stuff Dave, thanks for sharing!

[Pogre]

I've used both and to my surprise I do prefer the Horizon over a Sierra 2 for cc duty. Surprised because I didn't really expect to notice any differences. I'm the first to admit sighted bias tho, so it's more than conceivable there's some placebo at play, but the Horizon is such a perfect timbre match with the towers it's very difficult to tell the difference between phantom and center when sitting on axis. The center is just slightly more anchored to the screen than when in phantom, and the Horizon is definitely more dynamic than the Sierra 2.

I'm very happy with the Horizon cc and moved my Sierra 2s to surround duty. I'm just starting to dip my toes into 5.1 music mixes and am pretty blown away by what my system can accomplish now. No regrets!

[Shazb0t]

Any idea when we can expect part 5? Is it the final chapter in this story?

[elan120]

download.jpeg

[davef]

That is so cool! I'm assuming the lattice design sandwiched between the layers serves as bracing for stiffness? I think your hunch is spot on. As the tech matures, costs go down and they work out the kinks, I don't see why anyone wouldn't use this tech in the future. Exciting stuff Dave, thanks for sharing!

With 3d prints, this is called the infill. The designer typically chooses the infill percentage (100% being solid and typically never used except for the first few top and bottom layers) and also the infill pattern. Different patterns offer different structural integrities. The idea being to get the strength you need, without using too much filament (saves $$$) while also trying to speed up the print time. Obviously, the higher the infill percentage, the more filament is used and the greater the print time.

In the case of the 3D printed sample cabinets we made, I was more concerned with testing different slot port configurations so I was not too concerned with overall cabinet stiffness. I don't recall the infill percentage I ended up with, but the cabinet did come out extremely stiff. I printed the front baffle and the port configurations as separate parts so that I can easily remove the front baffle to change the port configs.