Development and injection moulding of plastic moulds for the chocolate, confectionery and food industry.
agathon GmbH
EssenNew on Amplifa
The Company
agathon GmbH in Essen develops and produces plastic moulds for the chocolate, confectionery and food industry and is regarded as one of the world's leading manufacturers of chocolate moulds for industrial mass production. Founded in 1949 in Bottrop and converted in 1978 to plastic moulds with upstream injection mould toolmaking, the company manufactures up to 700,000 moulds per year on six injection moulding machines, with a unit weight of up to 9 kilograms and a length of up to 1700 mm. The value chain includes design at its own Food Design Center, injection mould toolmaking, CNC milling and die sinking, laser technology, and material development of BPA-free alternatives to polycarbonate. In addition to the chocolate industry, agathon also supplies manufacturers of jelly products, OTC articles and vegan meat substitute products, as well as plant manufacturers and customers in 52 countries. The new site in Essen offers 12,000 m² of production space; more than 170 employees work there with systems for process simulation, sensor moulds (logTEC) and AI-supported process optimisation.
- Site
- Essen
- Processes
- Injection moulding of plastic moulds (chocolate moulds), CNC milling (high-speed milling centres, milling shop), Erosion technology (die sinking), Laser technology, Injection mould toolmaking, Punching toolmaking, Mould design and design (Food Design Center, CAD), Material consulting / material development (Material Consulting)
- Materials
- Polycarbonate, food-grade plastics, BPA-free material alternatives, Silicone, Metal (chocolate moulds, historical), Food-grade plastics, Metal (toolmaking)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, SEDEX
- Founded
- 1949
- Employees
- 170+
- Industries
- Chocolate industry, Confectionery industry, Food industry, Jelly, OTC, vegan meat substitute products
- 01
Concept and Food Design
- 02
Mould design (CAD)
- 03
Injection mould toolmaking
- 04
CNC milling
- 05
Die sinking
- 06
Laser technology
- 07
Injection moulding production
- 08
Quality inspection
- 09
Shipping and support
Materials and Processes
Polycarbonate
Standard material for chocolate moulds since the switch from metal to plastic in 1978.
BPA-free material alternatives
Development and testing of polycarbonate alternatives due to the EU BPA ban in food contact materials.
Food-grade plastics
Used in all moulds for direct food contact.
Silicone
Material for silicone moulds in the product portfolio.
Metal (toolmaking)
Used in injection mould toolmaking; historically also for chocolate moulds and punching tools.
Sites
Essen
DEHeadquarters, production, administration
- Part weight / size
- up to 9 kg, length up to 1700 mm
- Lot size
- up to 700,000 moulds/year
- Materials
- Polycarbonate, food-grade plastics, BPA-free alternatives, silicone
- 6 injection moulding machines
- 3 high-speed milling centres
- CNC milling machining centre
- Die sinking machine
- Laser system
- Storage lift system LOGIMAT (SSI SCHAEFER, approx. 800 trays)
- virtual modelling systems
Parts and Mould Types
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injection moulding of plastic moulds (chocolate moulds)Plastic | – | 1700 mm | 9 kilograms | 700,000 moulds per year | Polycarbonate, food-grade plastics, BPA-free material alternatives |
| CNC milling (high-speed milling centres, milling shop)Machining | – | – | – | – | Metal, Plastic |
| Erosion technology (die sinking)Machining | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Laser technologyMachining | – | – | – | – | Plastic, Metal |
| Injection mould toolmakingPlastic | – | – | – | – | Metal, Plastic |
| Punching toolmakingForming | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Mould design and design (Food Design Center, CAD)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Material consulting / material development (Material Consulting)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Polycarbonate, BPA-free material alternatives |
| Quality assurance / measurement and testing of the mouldsTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Plastic recycling in productionPlastic | – | – | – | – | Polycarbonate |
| Production of chocolate moulds made of metal (historical, from 1949)Forming | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Process simulation of mould usage with state-of-the-art softwareEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injection moulding machine | – | 6 | – | – | Essen |
| High-speed milling centre | – | 3 | – | 2007 | Essen |
| CNC milling machining centre | – | – | – | 1980 | Essen |
| Die sinking machine | – | – | – | 1980 | Essen |
| Laser system | – | – | – | 2006 | Essen |
| Storage lift system LOGIMAT | SSI SCHAEFER | 1 | Capacity of around 800 trays | 2024 | Essen |
| Virtual modelling systems | – | – | – | 2005 | Essen |
Additional services
Quality
A comprehensive quality assurance system covers all phases of production: strict controls during material selection, precise manufacturing, comprehensive measurement and testing of the finished moulds, and documentation of all quality-relevant processes. agathon is certified to ISO 9001 and SEDEX-audited.
| Evidence | Essen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| SEDEX |
History
- 1949
Founding of Agathon Metallwarenfabrik GmbH in Bottrop; production of chocolate moulds made of metal including punching toolmaking.
- 1970
First tests on switching from metal to polycarbonate.
- 1978
Conversion from metal to plastic moulds with upstream injection mould toolmaking.
- 1980
Commissioning of the first CNC milling machining centre and the first die sinking machine.
- 2001
Takeover of the agathon corporate group by Volker Krämer from Dr. Harbecke.
- 2005
Introduction of virtual modelling systems.
- 2006
Introduction of state-of-the-art laser technology.
- 2007
Expansion by three high-speed milling centres.
- 2009
Foundation of the Chocolate Design Center (CDC).
- 2015
Foundation of ChocoVisions, department for innovative product development and process optimisation.
- 2016
Presentation of the first intelligent logTEC mould with patented sensor technology.
- 2017
Start of automation of the injection moulding systems.
- 2018
Start of research on alternative materials to polycarbonate/BPA.
- 2022
Groundbreaking for the new production site in Essen.
- 2023
Renaming of CDC/FDC (Food Design Center) and Chocovisions/Convisions.
- 2024
Installation of the LOGIMAT storage lift system (SSI SCHAEFER, approx. 800 trays).
- 2025
Full commissioning of the new Essen site in January.