I went all in on CAD and it was a great idea.

This is going to require a lot of explaining and writing about how learning CAD and applying it to my horn making has completely changed my work. Unfortunately I don’t have that much time right now so I’ll just leave you a few tidbits and I’ll work of getting some more written later.

Bottom line is I now have a complete digital copy of my horn. I can use it to verify lengths and layout, and even generate custom tools that I can use to make it quicker and more accurately. In the future, I hope to use the digital tools I’ve developed to shorted my design and iteration time for new models to a fraction of what it is currently.

Here is a rendering of the horn that I created from the digital file. Working digitally, I was able to test a few different layouts and a few different valve placements to find the one that worked the best. I was able to optimize the wrap for my favorite case (the MB-3) and I even found a few places where some clever geometry allowed me to make more flowing, organic looking branches. I am now in the process of pulling each part out of the model, analyzing it, putting it through a springback calculator, and creating a custom bending jig that will reduce the amount of strain each part goes through. It will result in an even cleaner, more resonant horn!