grabowski
81185d8013
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.
10 KiB
Equipment Needs and Supplier Map
Working list of everything the factory needs per production step, with the suppliers identified so far. Compiled 2026-07-17 from vendor research and the Newbilt planning documents. All pricing is quote-on-request unless a figure is given; figures are snapshots, not commitments.
1. Mastering and Lathe Cutting
What we need:
- Disk mastering lathe
- Stereo cutter head
- Cutting (drive) amplifiers matched to the head
- Mastering / transfer console and mastering chain (EQ, limiting, elliptical EQ)
- Preview / pitch-and-depth automation solution
- Vacuum system for platter hold-down and swarf (chip) suction
- Groove inspection microscope and reference playback chain for QC
- Low-vibration, temperature-controlled room
- Consumables: lacquer blanks, cutting styli
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 |
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)
What we need:
- Lacquer cleaning / degrease station
- Silvering station (conductive silver layer)
- Nickel pre-plate station (low-stress strike)
- Electroforming cells (father, mother, stamper generations)
- Electro-clean / passivation station
- Clean room with controlled access, ventilation, fume extraction/scrubbing
- Closed-loop rinse water treatment and metal recovery (zero-discharge requirement; e.g. wastewater evaporator, reference: Gotta Groove Records model)
- Decontamination procedures and PPE program (nickel salts and silver nitrate hazards)
Suppliers identified:
| Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plating Power / Digital Matrix Corp. | Farmingdale, NY, USA | VLSS silvering, VLPP pre-plate, VLFP 2/4/6-cell electroforming, EC-1000 passivation, control rings | No water treatment or metal recovery in their scope; no SE-Asia distributor; alex.greenspan@digmatrix.com |
Open: industrial water-treatment vendor for the zero-discharge system; clean-room design/build contractor; fume scrubbing.
3. Stamper Preparation
What we need:
- Stamper center punch
- Stamper back-finishing machine
- Stamper trimming/forming (coining) machine
Suppliers identified:
| Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sibert Instruments | Hampshire, UK | VSP punch, VSF back-finisher, VSC coiner | Spec PDFs on request; confirm no overlap with press-integrated forming before buying the VSC; sales@sibert.co.uk, Ian Locke |
4. Stamper Service (bridge / overflow, until in-house galvanics runs)
| Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stamper Discs | Sheffield, UK | 1-step and 3-step stampers from lacquer/DMM, 7"/10"/12", fits Newbilt/Toolex/Viryl molds; brokers lacquer cutting via EU partners | Ships 30+ countries, no documented Asia customers yet; get written turnaround SLA; peter@stamperdiscs.com |
5. Pressing
What we need (target fleet: 50% fully automated, 50% semi-automatic):
- Semi-automatic press line: extruder, presses, hydraulic aggregate, molds (12" 140/180 g, 7" and 10" insert sets), trimmer
- Fully automated press line: automatic presses incl. extruders, molds
- Steam generator (~400 kg/h for the semi-auto Duplex alone; grows with the automated line), local sourcing planned
- Cooling water system (~250 kW for the semi-auto Duplex alone; closed loop), local sourcing planned
- Workshop compressor / compressed air supply
- PVC grinder (recycling loop)
- Record separator plates, buffer spindles
Suppliers identified:
| Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newbilt machinery GmbH | Alsdorf, Germany | Single 2.1 system (VEX 50 extruder, HRP 12 press ~150 t, semi-auto), Duplex expansion, molds, Vario trimmer, grinder, label punch. Also builds the Classic 12" fully automatic press: hydraulic 3-column frame, built-in 15 kW extruder (3 heated zones, water-cooled screw), automatic patty loading, automatic label supply, automatic cooling-plate management, spindle stack output, Siemens Security PLC on a 10" touchscreen with SCADA / OPC UA, CE approved, 28 s cycle (~128 records/h), vendor-claimed ≥95% yield and ≥95% uptime. So Newbilt is a single-vendor candidate for both fleet halves, not only the semi-auto one. Note the half-automatic press is a 4-column book-mould design — column count is the quickest way to tell the two apart on a factory floor | 2024 quote EUR 200,549.50 (~USD 232k / ~7.7M THB) incl. freight, expired, needs re-quote; ask for build time and order-book position in the re-quote; ResurRec Bangkok already runs one automatic + one semi-automatic Newbilt — ask for the Thai install base and a service-response precedent; contact via Hans-Juergen Helm |
| Pheenix Alpha | Solna, Sweden | AD12 fully automatic press (24-26 s cycle, ~140 records/h, 1 operator per 4 presses); AD12 Manual semi-auto | Direct Toolex Alpha successor; possible single-vendor option for both fleet halves; andreas.runsten@pheenixalpha.com |
Open: decision between Newbilt semi-auto + Pheenix automatic vs. single vendor; local steam-generator and chiller suppliers in Thailand.
6. Finishing and Packaging
What we need:
- Label dry oven (Newbilt quote lists France Etuves XU 112 as example)
- Shrink wrap machine (example: Minipack-Torre Replay 55)
- 7" center label punch / dinker
- Folded paper cartons: jackets and sleeves
- Printing for labels and packaging
Suppliers identified:
| Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local packaging manufacturers | Chiang Mai region, Thailand | Folded paper cartons (jackets, sleeves) | Collaboration planned, partners not yet identified |
7. PVC Compound
Preference: local (Thai/regional) sourcing if quality meets record specifications; European suppliers as fallback. Feed mix runs 80% virgin, 20% recycled in-house regrind.
Suppliers identified (2021 contact list, needs refresh; full contacts in
210519_Suppliers of PVC for vinyl record production.pdf):
| Supplier | Country |
|---|---|
| P.A.T. Engineering B.V. | Netherlands |
| Dugdale Limited | UK |
| CAF srl | Italy |
| INEOS Compounds Aycliffe | UK |
| RESINOPLAST | France |
| TPC Plastics | USA |
| Polymer-Chemie GmbH | Germany |
| PCW GmbH | Germany |
Open: identify and qualify Thai/regional PVC compound producers.
Lead (August 2026): photographs from the ResurRec tour show the pressing floor stacked with kraft sacks printed "MADE IN THAILAND", suggesting the incumbent already runs Thai-sourced material. The visible wording includes "Pigment", so these may be colorant/masterbatch rather than base compound — worth a photograph of a full sack label, or a direct question, to identify the supplier. Either answer is useful: a qualified Thai compound source would close this open item, and a Thai pigment source feeds the colour/splatter work the semi-automatic line is meant to serve.
8. Utilities and Site (customer-supplied around the machines)
- Solar PV installation (large; panel and array sizing open until site selection)
- Solar inverters: multiple Deye three-phase HV hybrid units. Verified series SUN-29.9/30/35/40/50K-SG01HP3 (battery window 160-800 V, up to 10 in parallel, IEC 61727/62116/62109 certified); larger SUN-60/70/75/80K SG02HP3 series to be confirmed via datasheet. Thai distribution exists (Solar Nicolo, solaris.co.th)
- Battery storage: Gobel Power (Shenzhen, est. 2012) GP-SRA-HV314 HV rack BESS, 271 kWh = 15 stacked 18 kWh packs (LFP 314 Ah, 1P18S), DC 225-985 V, 8000+ cycles, ~135 kW continuous discharge at 0.5P, CAN/RS485 with "Deye CAN HV" protocol support. Listed USD 39,900-58,000 (~1.3M to 1.9M THB), 50-60 day lead from China. Open checks: rack voltage vs. chosen Deye model's battery window (full 15-pack rack can exceed 800 V), safety certifications (UN38.3, IEC 62619, CE) not published, no performance warranty published, no Thai distributor
- Steam generation (electric, biomass, or solar-thermal assist under evaluation; Deepgrooves NL runs presses on wood-fired biomass boilers as a precedent)
- Water treatment for boiler feed and closed-loop cooling
- Compressed air generation
- Hydraulic oil (~200 L, ISO VG 32/46 HLP per DIN 51524-2, per Newbilt spec)
- Whole-factory HVAC: continuous temperature (20-26 °C), humidity (35-60% RH), and PM control with zoned filtration tiers, sized for northern Thailand burning-season PM2.5 peaks; a major load for PV/battery sizing
- Clean rooms, ventilation, decontamination infrastructure for galvanics
- Fire protection, exhaust work benches, PPE stock
Thai supplier candidates and rough investment ranges for these utility and
site systems are compiled in
../finance/utilities-investment.csv
(budgetary figures, plus or minus 30%, researched July 2026).
9. Services and Expertise
| Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Da Costa | UK | Vinyl manufacturing consultancy: factory layout, installation, training, process optimization | GBP 10k-20k packages (~USD 13.5k-27k) / GBP 450 per day (~USD 610); credentials self-stated, references needed |
| Newbilt service | Germany | Installation, commissioning, training beyond the included 5 days | 2024 rate card: EUR 84/h (~USD 97 / ~3,200 THB) on-site plus surcharges and travel |
| buildfor.life | Thailand | Project consulting | Supporting |
Open: mastering/cutting engineer training, galvanics process expertise (hardest skill to hire), local contractors for building and utilities.