[ Ref. 120803-120807 MMDigest, Cutting Machine For Music Rolls ]

I have read the posts regarding the search for a "hobbyist roll punch".
I agree that inexpensive craft cutters may be difficult to use in this
application.  The nuts and bolts of the problem are very similar to
the motion control problem I was confronted with when automating the
drilling and pinning of my musical box cylinder: first translating from
MIDI to a list of pitches and times, then translating this list to a
two dimensional coordinate system (X and Y for the piano roll, X and
theta (rotation) for the musical box), and then the motion control to
locate your tooling at these points sequentially.

I have seen two roll punches so far.  I was struck at the lengths that
the manufacturer of the punch went to in order to make sure that the
paper was under precise tension and that it tracked accurately.  In both
cases there was a large frame on linear tracks that clamped a meter or
so of paper to move the paper under the cutting head.  After punching
that meter, the clamps would open and the frame would roll back to the
starting point to clamp the next section of paper.

If that system is strictly necessary, then I don't think a low cost
"home" solution would be possible.  However, if the use of grit wheel
pinch rollers, which are used to good effect on large format plotters
is sufficient for location accuracy, then I think that a custom
system could be made for a reasonable price.

I would guess that the programming and engineering work would be in the
low thousands of dollars and the cost of making the device itself would
in the high hundreds (both of these are highly speculative guesses, a
very risky thing, certainly, but a starting point, at least).

It seems to me that if, perhaps, four or more home roll makers were
interested in having such a machine, it might be possible to create
a machine for well under the $3000 mentioned in the post.  I would be
curious to hear from anyone who might like to explore this.  I can be
contacted through my web site.

Best,
Jonathan Herz - Herz Music Box Co.
http://www.herzmusicbox.com/