Engrove Tonearm Profile Designer

What this tool does

A PC-only, browser-local tonearm engineering application that opens with an empty session, imports calibrated JSON, Engrove project packages and paired SVG exports from Engrove Manual Trace, constructs a deterministic centerline-and-ring 3D loft, and preserves the TD053F parametric, Freeform, physics, solver, AI handoff, session, report, PNG and STL workflows.

• Start with an empty workspace and create geometry only after an explicit import, session open or new-parametric action.
• Import multiple Engrove Manual Trace JSON, .engrove-trace, .engrove-project and paired SVG files with per-file plane classification and provenance.
• Import a contract-validated multi-view .engrove-trace-project package whose declared view types and engineering axes drive plane assignment directly.
• Construct a deterministic Freeform centerline-and-ring loft from calibrated orthographic top and side silhouette bounds and Manual Trace station data.
• Preserve TD053F parametric Cobra and classic geometry controls, Freeform AI workbench, cartridge picker, solver, LT mechanism preview and physical analysis.
• Save and reopen complete sessions and export STL, Onshape sidecar JSON, 3D PNG, AI Vibe JSON and technical Markdown reports.
• Scale a trace-derived casting pattern's cross-sections by a chosen percentage while keeping the traced length, and record the applied allowance.
• Divide a freeform pattern across its length into two closed halves with an optional clearance, for printers whose build volume is shorter than the arm.
• Add a keyed registration boss and matching socket to the split faces so the printed halves rejoin in a single orientation, sized from the cut section and refused when the pin would breach the wall.
• Check whether a pattern can be withdrawn from a two-part mould along a chosen pull axis from the export panel, and report the parting line and near-vertical surface area.
• Record the pattern allowance, split position, section exponent, traced and lofted lengths, recovered end stations and mould-release verdict in the technical report.
• Choose the cross-section exponent used when two orthographic silhouettes are converted to sections, since the silhouettes fix width and height but not corner fullness.
• Run entirely in the desktop browser without uploading operator files to an application server.

Supported inputs

• manual_trace_files: Calibrated orthographic trace artifacts used as deterministic geometry input.
• tonearm_session: A previously saved complete application session.
• operator_parameters: Explicit design, material, cartridge, solver and export settings.

Produced outputs

• tonearm_session: A resumable application session including active geometry and Manual Trace import provenance.
• tonearm_mesh: The explicitly selected active parametric or accepted Freeform mesh.
• pattern_split_halves: Two closed halves of a freeform casting pattern cut across its length, each checked for closure before it is written.
• technical_report: A runtime snapshot of controls, analysis, source audit and stated limitations.
• visual_reference: An 800 by 600 pixel image of the active 3D model.
• ai_and_onshape_sidecars: Structured AI Vibe and Onshape handoff metadata for the active design.

When to use

• Use after producing calibrated top and side silhouettes in Engrove Manual Trace.
• Use to refine and compare tonearm profile geometry on a desktop workstation.
• Use when browser-local STL, session, image or technical-report output is needed.

When not to use

• Do not use an uncalibrated or axis-ambiguous trace as dimensional manufacturing truth.
• Do not treat the analytical stiffness, resonance or manufacturability proxies as FEA, metrology or laboratory certification.
• Do not use the tool as a replacement for final B-rep CAD cleanup, tolerancing or production validation.

Limitations

• A trace-derived loft requires at least one valid top-plane and one valid side-plane Manual Trace artifact with an origin, millimetre scale and usable contour geometry.
• Top and side silhouettes constrain station width, height and center position; unmeasured cross-section shape between those bounds remains a deterministic modelling assumption.
• The imported Freeform kernel clamps values to its documented geometric limits and blocks inputs that would require silent dimensional loss.
• Three.js rendering and browser downloads require a current desktop browser with WebGL and local download permission.
• STL is a mesh reference output, not a parametric STEP or manufacturing-ready B-rep model.

Privacy and processing

Processing: local. Server storage of application user data: no. Account required: no. OAuth required: no.

Claim boundaries

Supported claims

• The tool starts with no active or rendered 3D design.
• Supported Manual Trace files are parsed and converted locally in the browser after explicit operator action.
• Accepted trace-derived geometry is bound to the existing Freeform render, session, report and export source path.
• The original TD053F runtime modules and portable acceptance harnesses remain included in the source repository.

Negative boundaries

• A source-level or local browser check is not proof of Cloudflare deployment or production availability.
• Deterministic trace conversion does not establish that the source image, calibration or operator contour is correct.
• A closed STL mesh and analytical proxy results do not prove manufacturability, structural performance or audio performance.
• The two-part mould release check is a ray-sampled geometric test on the exported pattern mesh; it is not a mould-flow, tooling or process simulation.
• A cross-section exponent chosen by the operator is an assumption about section shape, not a measurement derived from the traced silhouettes.

Claims that must not be made

• Do not claim metrology-grade dimensional accuracy without independently verified calibration and source imagery.
• Do not claim CAD, FEA, Onshape, manufacturing or acoustic validation from this browser application alone.
• Do not claim that paired SVG geometry overrides the Manual Trace JSON source-of-truth contract.

Frequently asked questions

Evidence and source links

• Tonearm Profile Designer source
• Engrove Manual Trace source
• Engrove Tools repository documentation

Related tools

• Engrove Manual Trace

Launch tool

Open Tonearm Designer