Student Research Explores 3D-Printed Instruments
Xander Birchfield ’25, an engineering major and avid pianist, is merging his passions at Randolph-Macon. As a piano teacher himself outside of class (he has online students in four different states), Birchfield is acutely aware of the prohibitive cost of musical instruments.
With that cost in mind, he approached engineering professor Zachary Cullingsworth with an idea for guided research: 3D printing a piano frame. While a piano frame was too large to tackle through this research, the duo kept the focus on producing a more cost-effective musical instrument, creating a 3D-printed ukulele.
They tested several materials and landed on nylon as the most musically sound. “Our last prototype was very close to the sound of a real ukulele,” Birchfield explained. Outside of the tuning pegs, the entire instrument was constructed out of nylon. The research is continuing, with Birchfield seeking to strengthen the neck to prevent it from bending and detuning.
The mentorship from a faculty member throughout this process has been invaluable for Birchfield. “That probably made it possible,” he said. “I think it’s rare at a lot of other universities to just be able to knock on your professor’s door and there they are, and they’re willing to help as they can.”
As a recipient of the Simpson Scholarship and the S&J Renner Short Scholarship, Birchfield is grateful for the generous support of RMC donors, especially as it allows him to get fully involved in the College experience. In addition to his research, he plays in the drum line, is a Leadership Fellow, and is a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
This summer, Birchfield went from manufacturing nylon ukuleles to serving as a manufacturing intern at Hill Phoenix, Inc., a subsidiary of the Dover Corporation that creates commercial refrigeration systems. With plans to be a mechanical engineer, the experience drew a through line from his undergraduate research to a future career.
