Machinists are creative people. You’ve known that for years. From inventing interesting workholding techniques to programming machine tools, everyone who works in the metalworking industry is truly talented. So why should it surprise us that machinists are musically inclined? Remember the show “Home Improvement?” Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor was always getting musical acts on his show.
Walter USA has taken the gift of making music while making chips one step further—it now has a website that enables visitors to turn metalworking sounds into musical compositions.
In a project called “Walter Metal Music,” professional musician Jorg Honecker was invited to the Walter AG plant in Tübingen to visit the shop floor and record interesting sounds. According to the company, he was “particularly interested in machines that ‘had their own groove,’ like the shrill whine of a drill ramping up to higher speeds or the growl of a heavy-duty milling cutter biting into a workpiece.”
Walter says its goal was to “broaden people’s perspective when it comes to metalworking and show that there are fascinating aspects to this ancient, yet constantly evolving trade, that we generally don’t consider.”
Visit the website for a behind-the-scenes look at the project.
