In-Ear Monitors and Methods of Manufacturing

A method for manufacturing a custom in-ear monitor, comprising:

• a. obtaining an ear mold impression of a user;
• b. preparing a reverse cast of the ear mold impression using a silicon gelatin;
• c. pouring an acrylic liquid into the reverse cast;
• d. exposing the acrylic liquid in the reverse cast to UV light to create an acrylic shell;
• e. removing the acrylic shell from the UV light and draining any excess acrylic liquid from the acrylic shell;
• f. sanding the surface of the acrylic shell to create a matte-finished scannable surface and further applying a white powder to the scannable surface of the acrylic shell;
• g. scanning the matte-finished acrylic shell to create a digital image, wherein the digital image has a resolution of 160,000 points of data per square inch, wherein the scanning is performed at a 10 degree tilt and comprises scanning across a plane, rotating the matte-finished acrylic shell approximately 22.5 degrees, re-scanning across the plane, and repeating the rotating and re-scanning step until the matte-finished acrylic shell has been rotated 360 degrees;
• h. modifying the digital image to create a final image having a final image data, wherein modifying the digital image comprises removing images not relevant to the inner ear monitor;
• i. processing the final image to be incorporated into a virtual solid medium, the virtual solid medium mimicking parameters of a real solid medium;
• j. passing data regarding the virtual solid medium to a computerized numerical control machine having four or more axes;
• k. placing the real solid medium on the computerized numerical control machine, wherein the real solid medium comprises wood and acrylic;
• l. configuring the computerized numerical control machine to mill the solid medium according to the final image data to create an earpiece, the earpiece comprising a base and an auditory canal member extending from the base and configured to fit inside an auditory canal of the user;
• m. hollowing out the earpiece to create an earshell defining a cavity;
• n. placing components of the in-ear monitor into the earshell;
• o. sealing the earshell with excess solid medium;
• p. finishing the earshell by applying instant glue to an exposed surface of the earshell to create a glued surface, sanding the glued surface, and applying acrylic to the glued surface to create a finished earshell;
• q. applying lacquer to the finished earshell, whereby the custom in-ear monitor is manufactured.