The materials that cartridge manufacturers can ask the cantilever manufacturers to use can either come from the cantilever manufacturers, or be sourced by the cartridge manufacturers. This is true for every part of the cantilever assembly including the cantilevers themselves, coil bobbins, suspension wire, connection fittings, glue, etc.
For example, the high permeability bobbin material that is used in the My Sonic Labs and AirTight cartridges does not come from the cantilever manufacturers, but is rather supplied by Yoshio Matsudaira. As a result, only the cartridges brands that are personally affiliated with Matsudaira have access to this material.
As a second example, when it seemed as though cantilever-grade boron would become extinct, we (Lyra) procured a limited amount of suitable material and delivered it to Namiki, so that the Delos could remain in production without any major changes.
Some manufacturers who couldn't source their own supplies of boron were forced to change their cantilevers to other materials such as sapphire.
The same flexibility in sourcing holds true for the processing of materials. If cantilever manufacturer doesn't have access to processes such as diamond-coating, EDM, some forms of annealing, micro photoetching, microscopic laser machining etc., the cartridge manufacturer is allowed to deliver various parts of the cantilever assembly to specialist processing facilities, then return the processed part to the cantilever manufacturer so that they can be incorporated into the cantilever assembly.
Some cantilevers may use relatively standard parts, but others may involve varying degrees of custom design and fabrication (anywhere from a little to a lot).
For example, the high permeability bobbin material that is used in the My Sonic Labs and AirTight cartridges does not come from the cantilever manufacturers, but is rather supplied by Yoshio Matsudaira. As a result, only the cartridges brands that are personally affiliated with Matsudaira have access to this material.
As a second example, when it seemed as though cantilever-grade boron would become extinct, we (Lyra) procured a limited amount of suitable material and delivered it to Namiki, so that the Delos could remain in production without any major changes.
Some manufacturers who couldn't source their own supplies of boron were forced to change their cantilevers to other materials such as sapphire.
The same flexibility in sourcing holds true for the processing of materials. If cantilever manufacturer doesn't have access to processes such as diamond-coating, EDM, some forms of annealing, micro photoetching, microscopic laser machining etc., the cartridge manufacturer is allowed to deliver various parts of the cantilever assembly to specialist processing facilities, then return the processed part to the cantilever manufacturer so that they can be incorporated into the cantilever assembly.
Some cantilevers may use relatively standard parts, but others may involve varying degrees of custom design and fabrication (anywhere from a little to a lot).