Why do we NOT use 3D printing?
In the development of the new G2 resin cornett we experimented with this method of manufacture. 3D printing technology is a miracle and the temptation to go down this route is incredibly powerful: after all, press a button and have several dozen identical and perfect instruments waiting the following morning! But the proof of the pudding is in the tasting as they say and the resin moulded instruments simply blow a lot better than the printed ones. It comes down to the available materials (resins v. nylons) that are available. (This is my strong opinion but I am far from alone, backed up, as I am, by similar comments and findings from colleagues, students and customers.) The G2 cornetts at Christopher Monk Instruments are moulded resin, each one cast individually in a temperature-controlled and vacuumed environment. The materials are state-of-the-art and the methods of production yield instruments of astonishing quality and consistency. Unless maltreated in some way these instruments will blow well for decades.