Guitar makers are always on the hunt for a way to improve their designs — and one university professor has stumbled on a technique that has made his name in the instrument world.
Olaf Diegel is a professor of mechtronics at Massey University in New Zealand. As one of his many experiments with 3D printers, he produced a unibody guitar with such a detailed and unique design that he's now going into business with it.
3D printing is similar to normal paper printing, but rather than using ink, the print head sprays molecules of plastic and metal. Layer by layer, it can print an entire solid structure which would otherwise be impossible to manufacture using traditional techniques.
"The old style of [subtractive] manufacturing is you start with a block and cut away the material you don't need. With this you start with nothing and add material one layer at a time until the object is finished," Olaf told The Guardian. "It was so good that I decided to set up a business selling them."
The guitar is customised for every buyer, and a block of wood is added to a cavity in the body to attach the neck and pickups. The cost varies, but the price can end up at around £1,500 ($2,350). "If we want it to sound like a Gibson we use mahogany and if we want a [Fender] Strat or Telecaster sound we use maple," says Olaf.
The 3D printing process leads to other benefits on top of complex designs too. "You could throw one against the wall without worrying about it breaking," he says.
Using a 3D image program on his computer, Olaf and other 3D printing enthusiasts are producing objects which could never be made before. The only limit is their imagination — and the size of their printer. For now, Olaf is stuck making smaller guitar bodies, but he's working with other organisations to expand his operation.
In the future, 3D printing is expected to prompt a revolution in the way we buy and access products. Just as we might download an app or game today, we might download real objects — everything from mobile phones to full scale houses, according to the experts. Of course, the potential for piracy and its impact on the manufacturing world are genuine concerns, but in the meanwhile, enthusiasts like Olaf are able to bring exciting new products to their fans worldwide.
What's next for Olaf and his 3D guitars? He's working on a new design which could introduce brand new acoustic possibilities, where each string could have its own acoustic chamber. Now that really is futuristic.
