A little while ago I stumbled onto a company called Gobel and their bending wave speakers. They use carbon fiber plates as the medium for sound instead of something like cardboard or foam. Can exciters drive something like that? If not, how the heck are they doing that? 🤔
Auto-translated, so there are issues, but the basics can still be made out. I have no idea how their current models compare with what is disclosed in the patent. It talks about balsa cores with resin impregnated fabric surfaces.
https://patents.google.com/patent/DE10246792A1/en
https://patents.google.com/patent/DE10246792A1/en
Hmm... doesn't really talk much about the actual nuts and bolts though. I think this is also for one of their older models which was made of wood or some sort of composite from it.
I'm not sure what you were expecting. It talks about the panel being a sandwich, which is different than you seemed to be thinking and also says it's driven by exciters, which was one of the other questions you asked. It also gives you some placement ranges for the exciters.
Their distributor website https://www.bendingwaveusa.com/technology also mentions a "sophisticated GÖBEL 9-layer membrane"
and
"The basic material of the 9-layered bending wave membrane is produced according to our specifications and consists of a special kind of wood, which contributes through its specific properties (volumetric weight, lignin content, compression strength,…) to the outstanding characteristics of the GÖBEL membrane.
In addition to this, the anisotropy (inhomogeneity) of the wood prevents a distinctive resonance. Our sophisticated procedure of resinating, webbing and compressing the basic material adds to the peerless GÖBEL sound. We only use resin and webbing of best kind and quality, which ensure, in addition to the sound-relevant properties, the best available resistance to ageing and durability."
and
"The laser cut incisions are designed to eliminate any reflections on the edges. Apart from that, the cuttings adjust the stiffness of the membrane. The required geometric angles have to be exactly calculated and precisely executed. In order to reduce production tolerances, the incisions are made with a computer-operated laser."
This mostly sounds like what they showed on TV years ago
And while there are some cosmetic/surface changes, the panel overall looks quite similar here:
http://www.goebel-highend.de/products/epoque-wall.html
Their distributor website https://www.bendingwaveusa.com/technology also mentions a "sophisticated GÖBEL 9-layer membrane"
and
"The basic material of the 9-layered bending wave membrane is produced according to our specifications and consists of a special kind of wood, which contributes through its specific properties (volumetric weight, lignin content, compression strength,…) to the outstanding characteristics of the GÖBEL membrane.
In addition to this, the anisotropy (inhomogeneity) of the wood prevents a distinctive resonance. Our sophisticated procedure of resinating, webbing and compressing the basic material adds to the peerless GÖBEL sound. We only use resin and webbing of best kind and quality, which ensure, in addition to the sound-relevant properties, the best available resistance to ageing and durability."
and
"The laser cut incisions are designed to eliminate any reflections on the edges. Apart from that, the cuttings adjust the stiffness of the membrane. The required geometric angles have to be exactly calculated and precisely executed. In order to reduce production tolerances, the incisions are made with a computer-operated laser."
This mostly sounds like what they showed on TV years ago
And while there are some cosmetic/surface changes, the panel overall looks quite similar here:
http://www.goebel-highend.de/products/epoque-wall.html