Nik Huber Guitars rely on metal 3D printing

Nik Huber Guitars (NHG) is a company that has been building electric guitars for several years now. It has recently turned to additive manufacturing through a collaboration with Heraeus, a German company specializing in precious metals. Together, they have 3D printed a guitar bridge, a piece that allows the height of the strings to be adjusted on an electric guitar. The piece they built is unique because it was 3D printed using an amorphous metal: it has a bionic structure that would allow it to absorb less vibration compared to other traditionally made trestles. We discussed with Nik Huber, the founder of the NHG company, to learn more about the creation of this special piece and the role of additive manufacturing in the music industry.

3DN: Can you introduce yourself and tell us how you discovered 3D printing?

My name is Nik Huber and I am the founder of Nik Huber Guitars, a company created in 1996. I’ve been making guitars since 1993 and since then NHG has grown into a company that has 12 members. Approximately 300 guitars are made each year with the utmost attention to quality and detail. One day, Michael Klosch-Trageser from Heraeus called us and asked us if we were interested in trying out a bridge material we had never heard of before. Heraeus was working on the theme of amorphous metals, and Michael made the connection between their possibilities and the world of guitars.

Nik Huber and the guitar with the 3D printed easel (photo credits: Heraeus/Amloy)

At NHG, we like to innovate, looking for new ideas in a rather conservative music industry. Our line of models is based on a 70-year tradition of electric guitars. Whenever we are given the opportunity to discover new ways to broaden our horizons, we are very excited. That’s why we have accepted the collaboration with Heraeus/ Amloy and are very happy to get started.