Add the Sillitoe SDMS as a second mastering lathe candidate

Sillitoe Audio Technology (Australia) sells a complete cutting system: lathe, MMFB feedback cutterhead, cutting amplifier, Space / Time Control automation with a virtual groove, vacuum and microscope, at a published USD 125,000 ex tax and shipping. Vendor landscape gets the narrative and an Agnew-or-Sillitoe comparison; supplier map, total investment basis, roadmap item 13 and the digital factory's no-telemetry section (STC cue sheet, Open Groove export, stylus hours) follow.
2026-10-02 17:31:36 +02:00
1 parent ffcce42a51
commit 81185d8013
@@ -61,7 +61,9 @@ The detail lives in dedicated documents:
  50/50 automated/semi-automatic fleet strategy, the Newbilt system under
  evaluation (~USD 232k quoted scope), and site requirements
 - [Vendor landscape](docs/suppliers/vendor-landscape.md): researched
-  candidates for mastering and cutting (Agnew Analog), galvanics equipment
+  candidates for mastering and cutting (Agnew Analog, and the Sillitoe
+  SDMS with integrated cutting automation at a published USD 125k),
+  galvanics equipment
  (Plating Power / Digital Matrix), stamper preparation (Sibert), bridge
  stamper service (Stamper Discs), and automated presses (Pheenix Alpha)
 - [Equipment needs and supplier map](docs/suppliers/equipment-suppliers.md):
@@ -441,11 +441,21 @@ production data.

 ### What produces no telemetry

-The Agnew lathe and mastering chain, the Sibert stamper-prep machines and
-the shrink wrapper produce no machine data. They get station check-ins:
-who, when, which part, which parameters, with files attached (cutting
-parameters, DAW session export). The room environment around them is
-logged by the sensors above.
+The Sibert stamper-prep machines and the shrink wrapper produce no machine
+data, and neither does the mastering chain on the Agnew route. They get
+station check-ins: who, when, which part, which parameters, with files
+attached (cutting parameters, DAW session export). The room environment
+around them is logged by the sensors above.
+
+If the lathe is a Sillitoe SDMS instead, its Space / Time Control software
+(a vendor application on the cutting room's own PC, which stays an
+appliance) writes files worth collecting: the master cue sheet (catalogue
+number, side, matrix number, engineer, groove diameters per track), an
+Open Groove export of the groove itself, the project file, and a
+stylus-hours counter. They are dropped on an SMB share on the cutting
+station and attached to the cutting session against the lacquer ID, the
+same watcher pattern as the metrology exports below. See
+[vendor landscape](suppliers/vendor-landscape.md).

 ## QC instrument integration

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ July 2026; the underlying THB estimates are unchanged, because EUR/THB at
 | Galvanics line (Digital Matrix) | 320k – 650k | 10.7M – 21.4M | six-figure-USD turnkey inference from vendor research |
 | Zero-discharge water treatment (ZLD) | 90k – 240k | 3.0M – 8.0M | utilities CSV option row |
 | Stamper prep (Sibert VSP, VSF, VSC) | 60k – 170k | 1.9M – 5.7M | estimate, pricing unpublished |
-| Mastering and cutting room (Agnew lathe and head, cutter amps, console, room treatment) | 290k – 580k | 9.6M – 19.1M | estimate, bespoke market |
+| Mastering and cutting room (Agnew or Sillitoe lathe system, cutter amps, console, room treatment) | 290k – 580k | 9.6M – 19.1M | estimate, bespoke market; the Sillitoe SDMS lists at USD 125k for lathe, head, amplifier and automation (ex tax, shipping), which makes the low end reachable; band kept until both quotes exist |
 | Metrology and QC stack (confocal, profiler, XRF, inline vision, audio station) | 350k – 810k | 11.5M – 26.7M | estimate, phaseable |
 | Utilities, solar, HVAC, racking baseline | 730k – 1,270k | 24.0M – 41.6M | reviewed [utilities CSV](utilities-investment.csv), THB-native |
 | Building ~1,500 m² plus civil works | 650k – 1,100k | 21.4M – 36.2M | estimate at 12,000–20,000 THB/m² Thai industrial construction plus ~20% site works |
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ These three run in parallel and gate everything downstream:
    certificate issuance
 12. Secure the site (lease preferred for the phased entry; purchase only
    with land privileges under BOI)
-13. Order long-lead items: mastering lathe (Agnew build times are long),
+13. Order long-lead items: mastering lathe (Agnew or Sillitoe, both built
+    to order, see [vendor landscape](suppliers/vendor-landscape.md)),
    stamper-prep machines, first utility packages
 14. Engage Stamper Discs for the bridge-stamper relationship with written
    turnaround SLAs
@@ -25,9 +25,10 @@ Suppliers identified:
 | Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
 |---|---|---|---|
 | Agnew Analog | Chalkis, Greece | Type 612 lathe, Type 602 cutter head, Type 607 stylus machine, tube electronics | Bespoke, long build times; turnkey or components; info@agnewanalog.com |
+| Sillitoe Audio Technology | Australia | SDMS complete cutting system: lathe, MMFB Mk3E feedback cutterhead, Master Control cutting amplifier, Space / Time Control automation software, vacuum, groove microscope | **USD 125,000** standard system ex tax and shipping (order page, October 2026); built to order; closed head/amplifier pairing; info@sillitoeaudiotechnology.com. Comparison in [vendor landscape](vendor-landscape.md) |

-Open: cutter amps, console, preview automation, lacquer blank supply
-(e.g. MDC/Public Record type), styli supply.
+Open: cutter amps and preview automation (both bundled if Sillitoe),
+console, lacquer blank supply (e.g. MDC/Public Record type), styli supply.

 ## 2. Silvering and Electroforming (Galvanics)

@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@

 Research on candidate vendors for the production chain beyond the Newbilt
 pressing line (from vendor sites and trade press; capabilities are claims
-until quotes and visits verify them). Pricing is unpublished across the
-board: every one of these is a quote-on-request conversation.
+until quotes and visits verify them). Pricing is unpublished almost across
+the board, the Sillitoe lathe being the one exception: everything else is
+a quote-on-request conversation.

 The tabular needs-and-suppliers map lives in
 [`equipment-suppliers.md`](equipment-suppliers.md); this document is the
@@ -20,6 +21,97 @@ lathe is only the platform: a working cutting room additionally needs cutter
 amplifiers, a mastering console, a preview/pitch-automation solution, vacuum
 and swarf handling, plus lacquer blanks and styli as consumables.

+## Mastering and cutting: Sillitoe Audio Technology (Australia)
+
+[Sillitoe Audio Technology](https://www.sillitoeaudiotechnology.com/)
+builds the **Sillitoe Disk Mastering System (SDMS)**, which is a complete
+cutting system rather than a bare lathe. Per the vendor's system page and
+its 2021/2022 hardware reference manual:
+
+- **Turntable**: direct drive, 16/22/33/45 rpm, 355 mm vacuum platter
+  adjustable for 7", 10", 12" and 14" disks
+- **Cutterhead**: MMFB Mk3E moving-magnet feedback stereo head, helium
+  cooling capability, stylus heating
+- **Master Control** (19" 2RU): USB DAC (44.1 to 384 kHz), closed-loop
+  analog cutting preamp, 350 W per channel cutting amplifier, VU/PPM
+  metering, phono stage for playback checks
+- **Space / Time Control** (19" 2RU): turntable, pitch, depth and head
+  drop/lift, each switchable between manual and software control
+- **QC**: groove inspection microscope at 200x and 40x with a measuring
+  graticule (5 µm divisions) and a C-mount for a camera; a 12" tonearm
+  for test-cut playback
+- **Vacuum**: one pump for platter hold-down and chip suction, chip jar
+  included
+- Half-speed cutting electronics are an upgrade, not in the standard
+  system
+
+What sets it apart is the software. **Space / Time Control (STC)**,
+Windows and macOS, licensed only with an SDMS, computes a "Virtual Groove"
+from the audio before anything is cut, analyses it, and drives pitch,
+depth and head lift automatically during the cut. The vendor's claim is
+20 minutes at 94% disk capacity at +5 dB (NAB) with no capacity tests or
+dry runs. Trade press describes it as the first cutting lathe with
+integrated software automation. Timeless Mastering in New York (founded
+by a former Sterling Sound cutting engineer) cuts on serial number 6,
+which is also a fair measure of how small the install base is.
+
+**Published price: USD 125,000** for the standard system, excluding tax
+and shipping, built to order (vendor order page, October 2026). Sales
+run through a contract the buyer signs first and Sillitoe countersigns at
+its discretion. It is the only lathe in this landscape with a public
+price.
+
+Points for the decision:
+
+- **It closes most of the gap the Agnew route leaves open.** Cutting
+  amplifier, preview and pitch automation, vacuum and microscope are in
+  the box. Still needed: the mastering console and chain, monitoring, room
+  treatment, lacquer blanks and styli (Neumann SX-type styli per the
+  manual).
+- **It is a closed system.** The cutterhead is excluded from warranty,
+  has no user-serviceable parts and works only with Sillitoe's own
+  amplifier; most subsystems in the hardware manual are marked "factory
+  calibrated" with instructions to leave the screws alone. Service
+  depends on one small company, so spares (a second cutterhead) and
+  support terms belong in the quote. Australia is one to four hours ahead
+  of Thailand, which helps remote support.
+- **It produces data, which the Agnew route does not.** STC exports a
+  master cue sheet (artist, title, label, catalogue number, side, matrix
+  number, engineer, groove diameter per track) as HTML or PDF, exports
+  the groove as an **Open Groove** file (an open-source virtual-groove
+  format in development), keeps a stylus-hours counter, and stores each
+  project with its audio and settings. The cutting session in the
+  factory application can attach these files instead of relying on
+  manual entry (see [digital factory](../digital-factory.md)).
+- **Lacquer and DMM.** The vendor's social posts say the newer suspension
+  cuts both lacquer and DMM (direct metal mastering) on one lathe under
+  software control. Unverified; worth asking, because a copper DMM master
+  needs no silvering and is not on the one-to-three-day plating clock that
+  a soft lacquer is.
+- A used 2023 unit was advertised for resale in New York in August 2025
+  (lathetrolls.com classifieds), so second-hand units exist; a used
+  purchase would need the vendor's transfer and support terms in writing.
+
+### Agnew or Sillitoe
+
+| | Agnew Analog Type 612 | Sillitoe SDMS |
+|---|---|---|
+| Origin | Greece | Australia |
+| Scope | Lathe and Type 602 head, turnkey or as components; amplifiers, automation and console sourced around it | Complete system: lathe, cutterhead, cutting amplifier, automation software, vacuum, microscope |
+| Pitch and depth automation | External preview/automation solution needed | Integrated (Space / Time Control, Virtual Groove) |
+| Price | Unpublished | USD 125,000 standard system, ex tax and shipping |
+| Build | Bespoke, long build times | Built to order, contract at the vendor's discretion |
+| Lock-in | Component route, to be confirmed | Head and amplifier only work together |
+| Data out | None (station check-in only) | Cue sheet, Open Groove export, project files, stylus hours |
+
+Ask both for a quote and a cutting demonstration with CNX's own audio, and
+compare the **whole room**, not the lathe: amplifiers, automation,
+console, spares and service terms. At the Sillitoe list price the cutting
+room is a smaller decision than the 290k to 580k USD line in
+[total investment](../finance/total-investment.md) assumed, which makes
+it, alongside galvanics, a candidate for moving earlier than Phase 5 in
+the [roadmap](../roadmap.md).
+
 ## Silvering and electroforming equipment: Plating Power / Digital Matrix (USA)

 [Plating Power](https://www.platingpower.com/) is the vinyl brand of Digital