JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #78 - January/February 2013 - 15

music instrument

Making music with carbon fibre

In June 2011, Retrac Composites Ltd. was
approached by Hurstwood Farm Piano
Studios and Simpact Engineering Ltd. to
discuss the possibility of manufacturing
a revolutionary-design carbon composite
prototype piano. The R&D project involved a
co-operation between five companies, which
would individually contribute to knowledge,
design, material manufacture and composite
component manufacture.

he companies would
embark on a journey not
only to test the boundaries of composite design, but
also to work together and be
a part of the first major piano
conceptual design change
for well over a century. This
would surely change the
whole industry, as Theodore
Steinway’s new piano did in
1886 and, a century before,
Christofore’s first instrument
with escapement-operated
percussion hammers in a
world that only knew harpsichords and clavichords.

A material of choice
Carbon fibre was chosen to
build the piano because of its
combination of properties:

low weight, high performance,
sound quality and stability.
The collaborating companies,
Simpact Engineering Ltd.,
Creactive Design Ltd.,
Retrac Composites Ltd.
and SAATI, developed
the innovative design
concept proposed by
Hurstwood Farm Piano
Studios into an engineered
solution.
The project got underway
in November 2011 with the

manufacture of hand-crafted
patterns. Split mould tools
were manufactured from the
patterns to form the larger
sections of the piano’s design.
With moulds manufactured
and materials delivered,
Retrac Composites Ltd.
started the production of the
prototype components in
March 2012.

Astounding results
Here is an extract from a letter
from the customer to Retrac:
“We are really delighted with the
outcome. You have demonstrated
the very best that earns British
engineering its reputation; you
should be rightly proud of a great
achievement. I and my
colleagues

know this standard is only achieved when those who do the work
are truly dedicated to its success.
There can be no question that the
team at Retrac who worked on
the piano had that dedication to
our project”.
After weeks of manufacturing
effort and well over 1000 manhours of labour to produce
the composite prototype, the
piano was finally ready to be
unveiled to the musical world
at the Cremona Mondamusica
festival in Italy (the home of
Christofore’s original piano)
in September 2012. n
More information:
www.retrac-composites.com

About Retrac Composites
Founded in 1998 and based in the UK, Retrac Composites Ltd. employs 30 people on a 1,000
sq. m facility to generate annual sales exceeding £3 million. Its sister company, Retrac Productions Ltd., founded in 1972, specializes in metal products. The two companies supply production
mould tools (metal and composite), production components (metal and composite), and design
and R&D services. Retrac Composites has worked for ten F1 teams and is recognized in the
motorsport and automotive world. The company’s other main application sector is the aerospace
market for both civilian and military projects with renowned customers such as Airbus, British
Aerospace, Contour Premium Aircraft Seating, GE Aviation, GKN Aerospace, Lockheed Martin,
QinetiQ, Shorts of Belfast and Westland.

No78 January - February 2013

/ jec composites magazine 15

http://www.retrac-composites.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #78 - January/February 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #78 - January/February 2013