Evonik has developed a new high-performance plastic for demanding applications in professional sports.
Vestamid CW1401 is an impact-modified polyamide 12 (PA 12) which combines good elasticity and stability, at temperatures as low as -40°C, making it ideal for winter sports.
The new PA 12 moulding compound has excellent low-temperature impact strength which, at 101 kJ/m², is twice as strong as other materials. This means that it can be used in applications where extreme pressure is applied and where stable properties are required from the materials at low temperatures.

Vestamid ski boot
This combination makes Vestamid CW1401 the material of choice for the new ski and snowboard boots of the Austrian professional brand UPZ. Wolfgang Aigner, managing director of AITEC, said: “In downhill ski races and especially in snowboard races, the pressure applied to the boot is several times greater than is the case with the average amateur skier or boarder.”
“The material used in the boot must be capable of permanently withstanding extreme loads.”
Vestamid CW1401 fulfils all these criteria. The boot parts that are subject to the greatest pressure are manufactured from Evonik’s high-performance plastic using an injection-moulding process. They ensure optimal power transfer during the race while allowing the greatest possible flexibility and maximum comfort.
Iordanis Savvopoulos, head of the Granules and Compounds Product Line at Evonik, said: “New innovative products, which have been custom developed in close collaboration with our customers, form an important pillar of our organic growth.”
Learn more about Vestamid polyamide 12 from Evonik at FAKUMA: Booth 4117 in Hall A4, October 17 – 27, in Friedrichshafen, Germany.