Inventronics-Mitsubishi Marvel Unveiled (Chemlsford MA 4/1/92) Paul Sanderson and Ito Moratofu, project managers respectively for Inventronics and Mitsubishi Electric, shared the ribbon-cutting at Inventronic's Chelmsford, Ma. facility, as these two hi-tech pioneers unveiled their latest joint venture, the Digital-Ortho-Graphic Scan for pianos. Blending computer-aided-tomography and sonography technologies, the DOG-Scan is a remarkable diagnostic tool which promises to revolutionize piano manufacture, and Inventronics is making it available, at this prototype stage, to Guild members on a drive-in basis. Pianos received at the drive-in bay are strapped into a large carbon-fiber cradle which is then conveyed through the DOG-Scan. An acoustical driver couple to the soundboard floods the entire piano with a sweep of the spectrum from 22.5Hz to 8.8Khz, and in a series of tests, lasers beams read the distribution of that acoustical energy. Once this information is converted to 3-D computer graphics, any loose fasteners, faulty glue joints, and other acoustical sinks which drain and dissipate energy show up quickly. The finishing touch is a quick blast from the sonogram at 50KHz which loosens all kinds of dirt, grit, and corrosion, which can be picked up by the coin-operated car-vac in the parking lot. Paul Sanderson is well into his next project: telephone-linked voicing, to be on-line in April, '92. "The conversion of our current Accu-Tuner to a digital sampler was the easy first step. A technician at the piano can transmit its sound over telephone lines to Chris Robinson at his shop with the spectrum analyzer. Chris in turn will advise the technician on the best technique for the note in question, and can lead the technician step-by-step through the entire procedure. Using a full-size phone-bank, Chris says he can handle up to eight remote consultations simultaneously without confusion. This service is available on a 24-hour Hotline number, but Chris hopes you will book in advance for business hours."
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC