The Use of Springs in the Music Industry

Our experience as specialist spring manufacturers has seen us create springs for numerous industries. Some of the sectors include Defence, Rail, Oil and Gas, and the Medical industry, but this isn’t an exhausted list, and you may be surprised at some of the other areas we provide our services for. Interestingly, one of these is the music industry – our springs have been used for a large variety of instruments and musical equipment.
As this is one of the lesser-known industries we work for, we thought we would dedicate this blog to discussing the many uses of springs within the music industry and why they are important.

Types of Spring used in the Music Industry

Springs are essential within music and are found in a variety of different instruments and associated equipment. For example, guitars and pianos both require music wire springs to work correctly and feature the most common type of spring you’ll find in the industry, compression springs. In addition, you will see wave springs within microphones and other musical equipment. The most popular wire form in the music industry has to be every child’s favourite musical instrument, the triangle.

Compression Springs and their Importance Within Music

Compression springs are the most popular form of spring found in the music industry. The springs in musical instruments are usually from music wire. Music wire is often made from high carbon steel, making the springs perfect for high-stress situations while playing musical instruments. In addition, music wire can handle multiple bends due to its consistent tensile strength, which is well suited to compression spring manufacturing.

The tensile strength of music wire is just one of the many benefits of using this material for compression springs; it also has high elasticity and flexibility. As a result, music wire deals with repeated heavy loads while maintaining its shape, needed for musical instruments. In addition, the high carbon steel is more affordable than other compression spring materials, making it better for lower quantity products.
In electric guitars, you will find music wire compression springs within the casing of the guitar, balancing out the strain which occurs when the guitar strings are pulled on. These springs are known as tremolo springs, and they exist so that the guitar can be played without hindrance. In addition, they allow the guitar’s bridge to return to its resting position once the strings are plucked.
Pianos have springs under the keys; these compression springs return the keys to their original position once they are pressed.

Wire Forms and Their Tie to Music

Wire forms have many uses, meaning they are often found without even looking, so it’s only natural that it won’t take long to see their connection to the music industry. Wire Forms are commonly used during headset manufacturing, headsets found in recording studios across the country. There have been wire forms used in manufacturing guitar pedals, in the design of a guitar pick in the US, and musical instrument sheet stands. The CNC wire forming technique can also produce a triangle musical instrument, a firm favourite in many primary school music classes. There are endless possibilities for creating objects using a wire form technique.

Wave Springs and Their Use by Famous Musicians

When space is at a premium, wave springs are the go-to spring. Typically, you will find wave springs in load-bearing devices; they are commonly found in valves, electrical connectors and multi-tooth cutters. As wave spring manufacturers, we have designed this type of spring for various uses, and one benefit of a wave spring is to protect the electronics within a microphone.
Popular UK Manufacturer Aston Microphones first used a crest-to-crest wave spring to combine practicality and aesthetics. The visual appearance of the spring and the ease of custom design in wave springs made them perfect for the production of their first microphone. By having a wave spring as the outer core of the microphone, there is a 360-degree shell to support the more fragile electronics within it. In addition, wave springs offer a great deal of flexibility, so should a singer drop the microphone, they can straighten it quickly to repair any distortion. The company’s microphones have been used by massive household names like Noel Gallagher and Madona, so it’s pretty cool to know that they rely on the genius design of wave springs for their tools, just as many manufacturers do.

Springs for Your Musical Applications from European Springs

As a leading spring manufacturers in the UK, European Springs has manufactured a range of springs over the years. We can create springs to meet every need within the music industry, from components for the instruments themselves to accessories that help keep the industry running. If you believe we can help with your next project within the music industry or to speak to our team of spring and wire form manufacturers about your latest project, get in touch with us directly at info.bec@europeansprings.com, we will be happy to help.