VESTAMID® ensures a clear sound: A fiber made of this high-performance plastic is used for the strings of musical instruments. (Picture: istock – Saladorec)
VESTAMID® ensures a clear sound: A fiber made of this high-performance plastic is used for the strings of musical instruments. (Picture: istock – Saladorec)
Products & Solutions

Let the music play

Evonik and NTec developed an innovative fiber for the strings of musical instruments.

Taking a stringed instrument into your hands can make you feel very upbeat. That’s because rhythms and melodies strongly affect our moods. But what does that have to do with specialty chemicals? At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be any connection—but at second glance, there’s a very intimate one. In cooperation with the Chinese company NTec, Evonik has used the high-performance plastic VESTAMID® as the basic monofilament material for instrument strings. This fiber consists of a single strand of practically unlimited length.

For almost 80 years now, musical instruments have increasingly been fitted with nylon strings. These strings are durable, easy to use, and unaffected by the weather. The VESTAMID® D18 filament, which was developed by the Consumer Goods market segment, has all of these properties as well as an impressively high level of transparency and a silky-smooth surface. Unlike conventional nylon fibers, strings made of VESTAMID® are pleasant to the touch and create a clearer, fuller sound.

Moreover, the material’s very high processing stability ensures that the strings have identical diameters and are very robust. Monofilaments also make it possible to produce strings of different pitches. Thanks to their balanced mechanical properties, VESTAMID® strings withstand moisture and always produce sounds at stable frequencies and pitches.

As a result, musicians will enjoy playing their string instruments even more in the future.

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