Sheffield Steel: Why History Matters for Wilson Benesch

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Laying up Carbon-Fiber panels in the Wilson Benesch Clean Room.

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yearagoIreviewedthephysically impressiveandvisuallyimposing WilsonBeneschCardinalloudspeaker,anewflagshipproductfromthiswell-establishedUKcompany.ButasimpressiveastheCardinallooks,themoreyouexamineitscredentials,itsinternals,thewayit’sputtogetherandwhathasgoneintoit,themoreimpressiveitbecomes.Thisisaruinouslyexpensiveloudspeakersystem,butinstarkcontrasttosomuchofthecompetition,ratherthanstrugglingtojustifythecost,yousoonfindyourselfwonderinghowonearthWilsonBeneschcanaffordtoproducetheCardinalfortheaskingprice.Theansweris--withalittlehelpfromtheirfriends.

Butbeforewegettothat,let’sjustbrieflyrecapwhatitisthatmakestheCardinalsospecial.Foranyserioushigh-endloudspeaker,itisperformancethatmatters.Thatdependsonthedesigner’sunderstandingoftheproblemsinvolvedandinturnlookingatthephysicalelementsthatconstitutetheproduct.Theexecutionreflectsthethinkingbehindthatperformance.Successdependsontheabilitytosuccessfullytranslatethetheoreticalmodelintoaphysicalentity.NowlookattheconstructionoftheCardinalandtheunderlyingBauhauslinearityofthelogicgoverningeverymanufacturinganddesigndecisionbecomesclear,bothasafunctionofthewholeandanextensionofthecompany’sexisting,establishedapproach.Allverygoodintheory,whatdoesthatactuallymeaninpractice?

TheCardinalisafourcabinet,18-driverstereospeakersystem.Eachpairofcabinetsisconstructedentirelyfromextrudedandmachinedaluminumorcarbon-fibersandwichelementsthatinvolveaproprietaryproductionprocess.Theenclosurestandsonamassivealuminumplatethatincorporateslarge-diameterstainless-steelcouplingspikesthatcanbeadjustedfromaboveusingmassivewheels,andsitintheirownpurpose-designed,bearing-coupledfeet.Theninedriversineachcabinetareallbuiltentirelyin-house,usingwhatthecompanyclaimtobeauniqueconematerialandprocess.ThatinturnallowsWilsonBeneschtopreciselytailorthemechanicalcharacteristicsofthedrivers,matchingthemtopurposesopreciselythat,althoughthisisafour-wayacousticalsystemcapableofgenuinelywide-bandwidthandlow-colorationperformance,itselectricalcrossoverisasimplefirst-order,two-waydesign.Yetitachievesaleveloftop-to-bottomtonalanddynamiccoherencethatsets

exemplarystandardsanddeliversremarkablemusicalengagementandexpression.

Lookatapicture,factorinthedrivercountandthiswillseemlikeastrangethingtosay,butifever

aproductembodiedtheless-is-moreethos,thenthisisit.Thethinkingandconceptareincrediblystraight-line,thechoiceofmaterialsandconstructiondesignedtoeliminateeveryunnecessaryelementandundesirablesideeffectthatmightimpingeontheprocess,somuchso,infact,thatvirtuallyeveryelementinthespeaker,fromthecabinetanddriverstothespikesandterminals,ismanufacturedin-house,givingthecompanycompletecontrolofform,function,consistencyandtolerance.

NowyouunderstandwhyIdescribethematerialandtechnologicalcontentofthisspeakerasbothremarkableandaremarkablebargain.Thislevelofcontroltranslatesdirectlyintoseriousinfrastructure,investmentandassociatedcosts.Whichbringsusbacktothatquestion--justhowdoWilsonBeneschdoit?

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Cardinal loudspeaker feet in the Wilson Benesch Machine Shop.

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Good help is hard to find

Manyahi-ficompanystartswithonemanandavision.Inonesense,WilsonBeneschwasnodifferentandthatmanwasCraigMilnes,recentgraduateinfineartswithanengineeringapprenticeshipatBritishSteel.Whenthecompanywasfounded(itwillcelebrateits25thanniversarythisyear)thatfirstbigideawastoapplythethennewlyemergingcarbon-fiberandothercompositematerialstothefieldofaudio.Everysuccessfulbusinessneedsalittleluck,andWilsonBeneschhappenedtobeintherightplaceattherighttime.Ofcoursetheyhadtoseetheopportunity,anopportunitythatwastheresultnotjustofeducationbutalsoSheffield’ssocialandindustrialhistory.

Thecitywas,quiteliterally,theblast-furnaceandcrucibleofBritain’sindustrialrevolution,theheartofthesteelindustryandamajorcoalfieldtoboot.Butbythelate1980sthefighttodismantletheminers’unionsandtheindustrythatwentwiththemalongwiththecollapseofUKsteelproductionhadleftSheffieldapost-industrialwasteland,withhorrendouslevelsofunemploymentandsocialdeprivation.Regenerationwas

needed,andthegovernmentmadeavailablegrantstopromotenewhigh-techmanufacturinginitiatives.WilsonBeneschwerequicktoseize

theopportunity,andtheirfirstproduct,aturntablewithacarbon-fibersuspendedsub-chassis,appearedin

1990.Therest,astheysay,ishistory,buttheinitialimpetusprovidedbygrantfundinghasneverbeenforgotten,andasthehigh-technologymanufacturingfieldhasexpandedinSheffield,WilsonBeneschhavebecomeanintegralpartofthesector,benefitingfromfurtherresearchgrantsandmoreimportantly,anexpandingnetworkofpartnerswhenitcomestomanufacturinginnovation.

Althoughthemainoffices,machineshopandcarbon-fibermanufacturingfacilityarelocatedintheoldBatchelor’sSoupfactory,thecompanyhasrecentlyopenedanewdevelopment,listeninganddemonstrationfacilityattheAdvancedManufacturingPark(AMP),jewelinthecrownofSheffield’scutting-edgeindustrialdevelopment,formalizingalong-termassociationthathasmademajorcontributionstothecompany’sevolutionandprogress.OnceyouunderstandtheAMP,youcanstarttoappreciatethehowsandwhysofaproductliketheCardinal.

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An aerial view of the Advanced Manufacturing Park, showing existing and future buildings, around half of which are already finished.

BuiltonwhatwasonceaslagheapfortheOrgreaveColliery,theAMPisboththepinnacleofandalivingmetaphorforSheffield’sregeneration.Anultra-modern100-acreindustrialpark,thesitecontainsanumberofindividuallyownedandjoint-venturefacilities.AswellasahugeRolls-Roycemanufacturingplanttherearehigh-techcastingandnuclearmanufacturingresearchfacilities.ButthebuildingthatreallyinterestsushereistheAdvancedManufacturingResearchCenter(AMRC),ajointBoeing/SheffieldUniversityinitiativethatinvolvesmultiplepartnersandorganizationswithaninterestinadvancedmaterialstechnologyofthetypewidelyusedinaerospace,defenseandthelikesofFormula1.Theydon’tdevelopthosematerialsattheAMRC;whattheydoisworkouthowtoworkwiththem,developingnewtechniquesandapplications.

Timeforanexample.ThemassivecylinderyouseeinthepictureisonepartoftheinletelementofaRolls-RoyceTrentjetengine--usedinawholehostofairliners,includingtheAirbus330,340and380andtheBoeing777and787.Itisroughlytwo-feethighandnearlythreeindiameter--anditismachinedfromasingleblockoftitanium,amaterialthatisincrediblydifficult,costlyandtime-consumingto

workwith.Machiningsomethingthiscomplexfromamalleablemateriallikealuminumwouldbeachallenge;workingwiththenotoriouslydifficultandtemperamentaltitanium,itbecomesamajorpotentialcostandconsistencyvariableinmanufacturing.

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Inside the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center - not your average CNC shop!

The inlet manifold for a Rolls Royce Trent jet engine - that’s around 36” in diameter and milled from solid titanium!

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Therealproblemofaproductlikethisisthesheercomplexity.Eachofthoselong,curvedgroovesrunningdownthesideofthecylinderweretaking54minutestocut--andthereare23ofthem.Thatisalmostadayofmachiningtimejustforthosegrooves,andthat’sontopofalltheotherworkrequiredtoturnacubicblockofmetalintosomethingthispreciseandintricate.

Traditionalmachiningtechniquesrelyontheoperatortogaugethedepthandspeedofthecut.Resonancedevelopingintheworkorthetoolcanprovecatastrophic,destroyingboththeworkandthetoolbititself--withdireimplicationsforthecostofmanufacturing.Tomakemattersworse,suchfailuresalwaysseemtooccuronthelaststageofmachining,meaningthatyouloseallthetimeandeffortalreadyinvestedinthatpiece.

EngineersattheAMRCwerechallengedbyRolls-Roycetoimprovethereliabilityandspeedofthemanufacturingprocess--andreducethecosts.TodothattheyworkedwiththeRolls-Royceengineerstoexamineeveryaspectoftheexistingprocess,andtheyidentifiedtheonsetofresonanceasthecriticalfactor.Bydrawingontheinputandexperienceofotherpartnercompaniestheywereabletomaptheresonantcharacteristicsoftheworkanddefinethecriticaldepthsandspeedsofcutthatgeneratedresonantpeaks,thusallowingthemachinetoavoidthosedangerousareas.Now,ratherlikeacyclist

increasingspeedtoescapewobbleonabike,themachinistnolongerhastobackofffromthefirstonsetofresonancebutcan

workatahigherspeedandwithadeepercut--solongastheyknowwhatcutratestoavoid.

Inthiscase,thedifferencewasbetweenacutdepthof2mmand50mm--andatotaltimetomachineeachgrooveof90secondsinsteadof54minutes!Notjustthat,thereliabilityoftheprocessimprovedanditcouldbecarriedoutontheexistingmachinery,sononewinvestmentwasrequired.It’sanexamplethatunderlinestheAMRC’sroleasbothaninnovatorandaninformationexchange--apowerfulcombination.

ButtheAMRCisnotonlyconcernedwithimprovingmachiningtechniques.Majorresearchisgoingintothecreationofmetal-matrixtechnologies,thatcombinecarbon-fiberorcompositeelementswithtitaniumorsteelparts,aswellasnewandmoreconsistentwaystoformandemploycarbon-fibercomponents.Butlet’snotforgetthattheraison d’êtredrivingthisfacilityisnotjusttoimproveordiversifytheapplicationsoftechnology,itisalsotolookatimprovingthedesignandmanufacturingprocessitself.

Toreallyunderstandtheimplicationsofthat,it’snecessarytostepnextdoortotheNuclearAMRC,wherethereisanadvanced3Dvirtual-realitydesignsuite--afacilitythatcannotonlyrenderaproductdesign“real,”butcandismantleitorreassembleitbeforeyourveryeyes,whilstalsoallowingyoutoreachoutandgrabelementsinthedesign,offeringthemup,repositioningthem,checkinginstallationoraccess.Morecommonlyusedtocheckaccessandclearancesforconstructionormaintenanceonthingslikejetengines(“Areweactuallygoingtobeabletogetthatthree-footpipethroughtheaccesshatchandintopositionifandwhenweneedtoreplaceit?”)itbringsawholenewperspectivetothestructuraldesignofsomethinglikealoudspeaker.So,whenitcomestointegratinganewmidrangechamberintoanexistingcabinet,ratherthanhavingtoprototypeitfirst,justtofindoutwhetheritwillfit--andcanbefitted--theentireprocesscanbetrialedinadvance,inavirtualworld,makingsuchdevelopmentsquicker,farmorepreciseandmuchmorecost-efficient.Indeed,itisquitepossibletoprototypeanentireproduct,assembleit,walkarounditandappreciatehowitlooksandhowdifferentfinishesmightaffectitsappearance,

Carbon Filament Winding - a bit like basket weaving with carbon tape...

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allwithoutmakingasinglepart.Youcanevenincorporategas-dynamicsoftwaretolookatitsmechanicalandsonicbehavior--andtheimpactofanychangesyoumakeinthedesign.

Thinking big, thinking small

AccesstothefacilitiesandexpertiseattheAMPgivesWilsonBeneschaphenomenaladvantageinthedevelopmentofnewproductsandprocesses.Buttherealbeautyofthearrangementisitsmutuallybeneficial

nature,sothemajorplayerswhopartnerinandjointlyfundthefacilitygettobenefitfromthespecialistmanufacturingandengineeringknowledgethatcomesthroughthemanysmallercompaniesthatarealsoinvolved.Foryears,carbonfiberhasbeenahigh-techmaterialthathasbeenworkedonanalmostcottage-industrybasis.Byinvolvingtheartisancraftsmenresponsibleforshort-runspecialistproductsusedinthelikesofFormula1andtheaudioindustry,large-scalemanufacturingcanlearnanddevelopnewtechniquesculminating,forexample,intheprocessthat“knits”thecarbon-fiberfuselagefortheBoeing787Dreamliner.It’sthissymbioticrelationshipthatallowsatinycompanylikeWilsonBeneschtositatthesametable

asBoeingandRolls-Royce,withaccesstohardwareandexpertisethatarebeyondmostofourwildestdreams.

It’sathemethatextendsbeyondmachiningandcompositestechnology,withSheffieldUniversityinparticularhavingahugeinterestinandassociationwithadvancedmanufacturingtechnology.Wehaveallbecomefamiliarwith3Dprinting.Moreaccuratelyreferredtoasadditive manufacturing,itembracesawholeraftoftechnologiesthatbuildcomponentslayerbylayerandtheUniversityisactivelyengaged

inthetaskofusingofthesetechnologiesandhelpingcompaniesinapplyingthem.Thegreatbenefitofadditivemanufacturingistheabilityitgivesdesignerstoworkwithotherwiseimpossibleshapesorstructures,allowingthecreationofintricatelybracedcomponentsorsub-assemblies.Imagineatonearmthatisbothaone-piececonstructionandtaperedandcross-braceddownitsentirelengthandyou’llstarttogetthepicture.Sucharigid,lightweightstructureisimpossibletoproduceinanyotherway,yetadditivemanufacturingletsthedesignerworkinpolymersandarangeofdifferentmetalsincludingaluminum,steelandtitanium--andtodosowithremarkableprecisionandrepeatability.Considerthecomplexstructures

That’s quite some basket!

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insidealoudspeaker’smotororaroundatweeterdomeandthebenefitsbecomeobvious.RememberwhereWilsonBeneschstartedoutandthepossibilitiesbecomereallyexciting.

Reaping the benefits

Youdon’tneedtobearoundhi-fiandhi-ficompaniesforverylongbeforeyourealizethatit’snotthatdifficulttodesignadecent-soundingproduct.Therealproblemsstartwhenyoutrytomanufactureit.Accesstothetechnologyandtechniques,theengineeringexpertiseandexperiencerepresentedbytheAMP,AMRCandSheffieldUniversityhashugeimplicationsfortheefficiencyandcoststructureofWilsonBenesch’sproductdevelopment.Intakinganideaandturningitintoaproduct,thelimitingfactorsarealmostinevitablytheavailabilityandconsistencyofexistingtechnology.Isthereadriveravailablethatcandothejoborbemodifiedtodoit?But,ifyouhaveaccesstothematerialsthatallowyoutobuildandtailoryourowndriversandtheexpertisethatallowsyoutoproducethemconsistentlyandcosteffectively,thensuddenlyahugebarriertoachievingyourgoalhasbeenremoved.ThatistherealkeytoappreciatingtheimportanceoftheSheffieldhigh-technologymanufacturingcultureandWilsonBenesch’splacewithinit.

Butthere’sanothersidetothisstory.Toparaphrasetheoldadage,whenitcomestoaudio,thereareold

companiesandthereareboldcompanies,butthereareveryfewthatarebotholdandbold.InthecaseofWilsonBenesch,theone

manwiththeonegoodideahastraveledalongroad--andhadafewmoredecentthoughts

alongtheway,butit’salsoajourneyforwhichhe’shadcompany.LookatCraigMilnes’businesscard;his

jobtitleisDesignDirector.It’shiswifeChristinawhoisManagingDirectorandresponsibleforthebusiness,whilemorerecently,sonLukehastakenonresponsibilityformarketing.So,despiteitsrelentlesslyhigh-technologyandforward-lookingstance,WilsonBeneschisitselfacompositestructure,partcutting-edge,research-basedmanufacturerandparttraditionalfamilybusiness--infact,notunlikethatothersuccessfulWilsondynasty.Fewhi-fimanufacturerssurviveandgrowconsistentlyacrosstwoandahalfdecades--andnoneofthosethatdomanageitwithout

facingcrisesandpitfallsalongtheway.It’shardtooverstatetheextenttowhichthedesignandmaterialsintegritythatcharacterizesallWilsonBeneschproductsisafunctionofthedesignernothavingtodealwiththeday-to-dayintrusions,frustrationsandinconveniencesofactuallyrunningthecompany.It’sonethingtodesignagreatproduct;it’squiteanothertoactuallybringittomarketandmaintainitspresencethere.

InreviewingtheCardinalIremarkedontheclarityofpurposethatunderpinneditsdesignandhowclearlyandsuccinctlythathadbeentranslatedintothefinished

A titanium airfoil heat-shield built to protect the body of a Formula 1 car from the heat of its exhaust pipes - additive manufacturer in

titanium alloy.some basket!

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product.NowconsidertheSquareFive,afloorstanderfromtheotherendoftherange,onethatisconsiderablymoreconventional--atleastinappearance.Butthoseprosaicallyfoursquarelooksaredeceptive,evenactivelymisleading.It’sfarfromvisuallyobvious,buttheSquareFiveembodiesthesameoverallconcept,basicthinkingandagreatdealofthetechnology(andafairsliceoftheperformance)thatmakestheCardinalsoimpressive--ataroundone-sixththeprice.Ifthematerials/cost/performanceratiooftheCardinalisremarkable,theSquareFiveislittleshortofmiraculous.

WhatboththeCardinalandtheSquareFivedemonstrateisthewaythataccesstotheAMPanditssupportivetechnologyandmanufacturingcultureprovidestheabilitytostayclosertothedesigner’sidealpath,acceptingfewercompromisesinthematerials,theform,thefunctionandtheperformanceofthefinishedproduct.Thefactthatit’slikelytoalsosavethatdesigner(considerable)time,effortandmoneyalongthewayisaseriousbonus--atbothendsofthepricespectrum.Butinaworldthatvaluesperformanceandtrumpetstheethosofno-compromisedesign,it’sthateliminationofcompromisesthatreallycounts.LookingatthephysicalrealityoftheCardinalortheSquareFive,assessingthematerials,engineeringandtechnologyinvolvedandthepricebeingaskedforthefinishedproducts(nottomentiontheperformancetheyeachdeliver)itisimpossibletoescapetheconclusionthatthoseproductsthatoffercomparablelevelsofengineeringintegrityandcompletenessofdesigneithercomefromcompaniesthataremanytimesthesizeofWilsonBeneschand/orcostmuchmorethantheCardinalorSquareFive.HowdoesWilsonBeneschdoit?Withmorethanalittlehelpfromtheirfamilyandfriends.

Wilson Benesch directors Craig and Christina Milnes, flanking senior members

of the Wilson Benesch design team.