CASE STUDY
Roland’s solution
o anyone in the music business, the name Marshall is certain to be familiar thanks to the high reputation built up by its guitar amplifiers that have been in regular use worldwide for the past 50 years. Around 18 months ago Marshall Amplification acquired Natal Drums with the intention of continuing development and production of this product family.
Designed in the UK, the prototyping of these products is now entrusted to a Roland MDX-540 rapid prototyping machine at Marshall Amplification. The investment in this machine ensures that final production models will retain the engineering, sound qualities and aesthetics expected in premium ranges of equipment.
Meticulous design
The creation of new amplifiers and drums require meticulous design and construction techniques to ensure acoustic correctness, with every component tested thoroughly before the final manufacturing begins. Marshall Amplification’s products are surprisingly complex to the untrained eye, with each drum containing as many as 60 separate parts, all of which need prototyping before the finished element is ready for general production.
Already the owner of a Roland VersaCAMM SP-540i wide-format inkjet printer, utilised in Marshall’s design department, Drawing Office
helps make more music T
Manager Andy Golding was
pleasantly surprised to discover that the company also manufactured 3D prototyping and milling
equipment. Aware that his existing unit was due for replacement, Golding decided that the Roland MDX-540 machine was ideal for the type of work needed to be output.
At Marshall Amplification a tough, compact and versatile 3D milling machine is vital as the parts being worked cover a huge range of substrates, from foam through to aluminium. Similarly, computer-driven multi-axis capabilities are essential, with the third, or Z axis, being an essential element for machining a variety of depths to critical levels of accuracy.
The right solution
Although Marshall Amplification had been accustomed to working with specialist milling equipment, Golding was impressed with the capabilities of the Roland MDX-540. The machine comes complete with its own software, but its flexibility across file formats is so good that the company can continue with its existing Autodesk Inventor 3D CAD program to produce mechanical designs and prototypes. “Every prototype we make must perform as
though it is the finished product, and this is
particularly important when so many machined elements are used in our amplification and drum products,” explains Andy Golding.
“Although we had considered other technologies, such as a 3D printer, the fact that the Roland MDX-540 offered all the features needed to machine intricate parts made it the right solution for Marshall Amplification.
“It’s a very clever machine and, once we’d received initial training from Roland’s 3D Premier Consultant, Patrick Thorn, the system has literally been working non-stop. Operation is straightforward via the unit’s hand-held controller and virtual control panel, and the safety features are second to none. Roland has thought of everything with this machine, and it’s turned out to be an essential investment for us.” Marshall Amplification was founded by drum specialist Jim Marshall during the early sixties in London. Following demand from guitarists who tended to accompany drummers visiting his shop to try out kit, he set out to design and build amplifiers that met the quality criteria they needed and which wasn’t available elsewhere.
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www.rolanddg.co.uk
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SCREEN PROCESS AND DIGITAL IMAGING l January/February 2012
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