Three unusual applications of wave springs

Author : Justin Lawrence, Applications Engineer at TFC

01 May 2020

It may come as a surprise that top artists such as Noel Gallagher, Stevie Wonder and Madonna have performed on stage and in the studio with wave springs. When examining potential uses for wave springs, aerospace, automotive and medical applications are usually the first that come to mind – not live music.

Here Justin Lawrence, Applications Engineer at TFC, explores three of the more unusual applications for wave springs.

How did Noel Gallagher end up with a wave spring? Well, UK manufacturer Aston Microphones used a Crest-to-Crest wave spring to combine practicality and aesthetics when designing its first microphone.

Looking to design a radical new product, Aston’s designers were first impressed with the visual appearance of the spring. Another attraction was the unique manufacturing method, which enables the production of bespoke springs to the designer’s exact specifications.

At the suggestion of TFC, the final design included squared shim ends so the spring offered a full 360º supporting shoulder within the product. Once assembled, the spring provided an attractive and robust outer to shell protect the fragile electronics. Should the microphone be dropped, and the spring distorted, the flat wire form allows the head to be straightened by hand in seconds. All this was achieved without any distortion to the sound quality of the vocal input.

Read the full article in the May issue of DPA