Extrusion and machining of plastic tubes and profiles made of PMMA and polycarbonate for lighting technology and other industries.
ATHEX GmbH & Co. KG
WerlNew on Amplifa
Plastics specialist for tubes, profiles and machining
ATHEX is a medium-sized manufacturer of plastic tubes and plastic profiles made of acrylic glass (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) based in Werl, North Rhine-Westphalia. Using the extrusion process, the company produces well over 100,000 meters of tube per year in diameters of 30 to 500 mm and wall thicknesses of 1.5 to 5.0 mm, in clear, transparent, satinized, opal or colored finishes. The product range also includes round and square tubes, cover and clip profiles, hollow-chamber profiles as luminaire housings, coextrusion, and tubes with internal prisms for light guidance. In addition to extrusion, ATHEX offers machining and assembly-ready semi-finished conversion, including cutting, milling, drilling, gluing, polishing, laminating, ultrasonic welding and laser processing – with 3-axis and 5-axis CNC machining centers, precision saws and laser systems. With application-specific blends, properties such as LED-suitable light diffusion, antibacterial protection, increased impact resistance or UV resistance can be achieved; the use of recyclates up to 100% is also possible depending on the product. Customers come primarily from the lighting industry as well as from shopfitting and trade-fair construction, algae cultivation, aquarium technology, pneumatic tube systems in hospitals, hygiene protection and geothermal energy. Production has taken place at the headquarters in Werl since 2001 with worldwide delivery; since 2021 ATHEX has belonged to the Italian Minadek Group.
- Site
- Werl
- Processes
- Plastic tube extrusion (round tubes and square tubes), Plastic profile extrusion (cover/clip profiles, hollow-chamber profiles, coextrusion, light-guiding, Plastic machining / conversion (milling, drilling, contour milling, threading, cutting,, Plastic sheet cutting and custom drawing-based parts from sheet stock, Tool construction for plastic profiles, Coextrusion (hollow-chamber profiles as luminaire housings), Plastic extrusion (tubes and profiles), Plastic machining (cutting, milling, drilling, gluing, polishing, laminating,
- Materials
- Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) / acrylic glass, Polycarbonate (PC), PMMA/PC LED blend (translucent, high light diffusion and transmission), Antibacterial PC/PMMA blend (silver ions), Impact-modified PMMA (Charpy impact strength up to +400%), Satinized/opal PMMA blend, Recyclate (PMMA/PC, up to 100% recyclate content), Polymethyl methacrylate (acrylic glass), among others PLEXIGLAS®, Altuglas®
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, IATF 16949, EN 9100, ISO 13485
- Founded
- 2001
- Industries
- Lighting industry (interior, exterior, technical lighting), Shopfitting and trade-fair construction, Algae cultivation, Aquarium technology, Pneumatic tube systems/hospitals, Hygiene protection
- 01
Material consulting and blend development
- 02
Tool construction
- 03
Tube and profile extrusion (PMMA/PC)
- 04
Coextrusion
- 05
Machining and conversion (cutting, milling, gluing, polishing,
- 06
Quality inspection
- 07
Delivery of assembly-ready semi-finished parts
Materials and processes
Polymethyl methacrylate (acrylic glass), among others PLEXIGLAS®, Altuglas®
Glass-clear, UV-resistant technical plastic for transparent, satinized and opal tubes and profiles.
Polycarbonate, among others Makrolon®, Lexan®
Impact-resistant, transparent material for mechanically stressed covers and housings.
PMMA/PC LED blend (translucent)
High light diffusion and transmission for homogeneous LED covers without visible spots.
Antibacterial PC/PMMA blend (silver ions)
Long-lasting antibacterial protection, e.g. for pneumatic tube systems in clinical environments.
Impact-modified PMMA
Increase in Charpy impact strength by up to 400% for vandal-proof and impact-stressed applications.
Satinized and opal PMMA/PC blends
Homogeneous light distribution through volume scattering with high light transmittance.
PMMA/PC recyclate
Reintroduction of production waste into the production cycle with recyclate content up to 100% (customer- and product-dependent).
Sites
Werl
DEHeadquarters: production, extrusion, machining, office
- Part weight / size
- Tube diameter Ø 30–500 mm, wall thickness 1.5–5.0 mm;
- Lot size
- Order-based production, no stock goods; cutting from prototype to series
- Materials
- PMMA, polycarbonate, special blends
- Extrusion lines for tube and profile extrusion
- 3-axis CNC machining center
- 5-axis CNC machining center
- Precision saws
- Milling machines
- Laser systems
- Ultrasonic welding system
Components and products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic tube extrusion (round tubes and square tubes)Plastics | Roundness ±1.0% (Ø30–249 mm), ±1.5% (Ø250–500 mm); | – | – | – | PMMA (acrylic glass), Polycarbonate (PC), PMMA satinized |
| Plastic profile extrusion (cover/clip profiles, hollow-chamber profiles, coextrusion, light-guidingPlastics | According to DIN 16941-3A (exception: length tolerance); | 5,000 mm (production lengths) | – | – | PMMA (acrylic glass), Polycarbonate (PC) |
| Plastic machining / conversion (milling, drilling, contour milling, threading, cutting,Plastics | Cutting L ≤1,000 mm ±1.0 mm; 1,000<L≤2,000 mm ±1.5 mm | 2,000 mm (manual cutting, larger | – | – | PMMA (acrylic glass), Polycarbonate (PC), Makrolon®, PLEXIGLAS®, Plastic sheets from various manufacturers |
| Plastic sheet cutting and custom drawing-based parts from sheet stockPlastics | – | – | – | – | Acrylic glass (PMMA), Makrolon®, PLEXIGLAS® |
| Tool construction for plastic profilesEngineering | – | – | – | – | PMMA (acrylic glass), Polycarbonate (PC) |
| Coextrusion (hollow-chamber profiles as luminaire housings)Plastics | – | – | – | – | PMMA (acrylic glass), Polycarbonate (PC) |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrusion lines (tube and profile extrusion) | – | – | Tube diameter 30–500 mm, wall thickness 1.5–5.0 mm | – | Werl, Germany |
| 3-axis CNC machining center | – | – | – | – | Werl, Germany |
| 5-axis CNC machining center | – | – | – | – | Werl, Germany |
| Precision saws | – | – | – | – | Werl, Germany |
| Milling machines | – | – | – | – | Werl, Germany |
| Laser (plastic machining) | – | – | – | – | Werl, Germany |
| Ultrasonic welding system | – | – | – | – | Werl, Germany |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
The processes are regularly reviewed in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and continuously adapted to changes. Material measurements, such as lighting-technology properties of the LED blend or antibacterial efficacy, were determined in independent testing laboratories according to recognized standards.
| Evidence | Werl |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| IATF 16949 | |
| EN 9100 | |
| ISO 13485 |
History
- 2001
Founding of the company, production at the headquarters in Werl.
- 2021
ATHEX becomes part of the Italian Minadek Group; management and contact persons remain in place.