Silvergate Plastics Puts The Tone In Turntables

30/11/17

Three British companies have joined forces to produce a ground-breaking new turntable designed to optimise the sound of vinyl as accurately as possible. The Planar 6, developed by the award-winning turntable manufacturer Rega, has been engineered to extract as much detail from the vinyl surface as possible.

By the end of 2016, vinyl sales in the UK topped three million, which was the highest total sold in twenty-five years. This rise in sales is a result of consumers, both young and old, once again embracing this physical format of music.

Rega reached out to Rutland Plastics, one of the UK’s leading custom moulders, to design and manufacture the dust cover of the new Planar 6. Rega is widely known for its award-winning amplifiers, speakers, cartridges and turntables. They chose to work with Rutland Plastics due to the company’s extensive technicalabilities. The dust cover was a particularly challenging component to mould yet Rutland Plastics was able to modify both the part and the tool to provide the best possible solution without deviating from Rega’s design vision and philosophy. This technical support rectified the issues Rega had historically encountered.

Silvergate Plastics was invited to partner with the moulding company to develop and supply the cover’s smoky grey tint. The leading masterbatch manufacturer has developed a bespoke polymer-specific masterbatch that optimises distribution during the production process to provide the best possible clarity and consistency.

Commenting on the collaboration, Maryann Wilcox, UK’s Sales Manager at Silvergate Plastics, said:

“To be part of a collaboration of British manufacturers is a great result for Silvergate Plastics. We worked closely with Rutland Plastics to colour match the exact tint required for the dust cover of the new Planar 6, which has been comprehensively engineered by Rutland Plastics to meet Rega’s exacting standards. By creating a completely bespoke solution, we have been able to engineer a polymer-specific masterbatch that offers a completely flawless finish with zero flow lines.”

The Planar 6 is the first Rega turntable to be constructed with an ultra-lightweight polyurethane foam core plinth, a material developed for the aerospace industry. This material is sandwiched between a new HPL (high pressure laminate). HPL is exceptionally thin whilst extremely rigid. As well as these materials, advanced engineering solutions have been used throughout the design of the Planar 6 to ensure the greatest level of performance.

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