JOHNSON PRECISION, INC.

For immediate release                                                                                                August 2007

(Click here to return to News page)

Johnson Precision, Inc. Chosen

to Manufacture Clarflupet™

Wind Instrument Trainers

High-Quality U.S. Injection Mold Maker

Hits All the Right Notes for Innovative Music Maker

(Amherst, N.H.)  Quality, cost and delivery, those are the right notes to hit when producing injection-molded specialty devices.  For that reason, when music instrument innovator Clarflupet, LLC was ready to manufacture its patent-pending, three-in-one trainer, the company turned to Johnson Precision, Inc. (JPI) for a star performance.

As the name suggests, the Clarflupet™ training device is a hybrid instrument combining clarinet, brass and flute mouthpieces in one. Developed by long-time New Hampshire music educator David Heintz, the Clarflupet introduces students to multiple instruments before they have to decide which they will play, buy or rent.

The invention was the result of a two-year program during which Heintz taught fourth graders wind instruments just using mouthpieces. Students focused on learning the proper embouchures, or positions of the lips, teeth and tongue, necessary to play each instrument. By the end of the class, students were able to make music using single-reed, flute and brass mouthpieces, and Heintz had the seed of the idea for his training device.

The Clarflupet prototype was hand-crafted by Heintz in his home workshop. Early versions included after-market thermoset plastic clarinet mouthpieces and brass mouthpieces affixed to PVC pipe with a drilled flute tone hole.

Seeking to refine the product and enable production on a more efficient and larger scale, Heintz turned to injection molder Johnson Precision, Inc.

"I knew replicating the brass mouthpiece would be relatively easy, but from my prototyping efforts I knew injection molding the clarinet piece would be difficult,” said Heintz. “From a cost perspective, however, injection molding seemed to be the way to go and JPI’s roots in complex, tight-tolerance medical devices made it the clear choice for me. They welcomed the challenge and I really appreciated that. The result is a training device that produces excellent tonal quality.”

While JPI regularly designs new products based on concept models and sketches, designing a key component of a musical instrument was something new according to JPI Manufacturing Coordinator Spike Jones.  “Like the medical products we develop, form and functionality had to be right. The mechanical fit between the Clarflupet body and the single reed mouthpiece had to be right.  The feel and playability had to be right. That's something that simply cannot be achieved on a computer screen.”

Rapid prototyping was the solution:  It enabled JPI to verify all requirements. 

“Having a physical representation of the 3-D CAD model for David Heintz to touch and play prior to cutting mold steel was a critical factor that allowed us to move the project from concept to production quickly and efficiently and with confidence,” according to Jones.

The customized Clarflupet system includes packages of 20-25 trainers, reeds, drumsticks, practice pads, a cleaning system and a round cart for storing and transportation between classrooms. Trainers are also sold individually.

About Johnson Precision, Inc.

Celebrating over 25 years of craftsmanship, Johnson Precision, Inc. is a full-service custom molding, mold making and machining company.  The company specializes in plastic-injected, metal-injected and insert-molded specialty devices.  The company produces components and assemblies for a variety of applications including, but not limited to, high-end medical/surgical and electronic devices.  Additional manufacturing services include custom machining, laser marking and microscopic TIG welding.  The New Hampshire-based company employs more than 60 engineering and production professionals in approximately 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space.  JPI is an ISO 9001 certified and registered Veteran Business Enterprise.

Discover what JPI’s precision prototyping and manufacturing can do for your company.  Contact Kevin M. St.Onge at 908.233.8753 or sales@jpi-plastics.com, or visit www.jpi-plastics.com.

For more information about the Clarflupet Pre-Band Primer or the Clarflupet Wind Embouchure Trainer, contact David Heintz at 603.989.5436 or trptheintz@aol.com or visit www.clarflupet.com.

###

Clarflupet is a trademark of Clarflupet, LLC.

All press releases and other information listed above were, to the best of JPI's knowledge, timely and accurate when issued.  However, the passage of time can render information stale, and you should not rely on the continued accuracy of any such material beyond the date of issuance.  JPI has no responsibility to update any information contained in any such material.  All viewers should carefully check the dates of issuance of the material contained in the JPI site/press release and/or contact the company to confirm same.