Manufacturer of precious metal brazing pastes, powders, semi-finished products and custom precious metal components
C.HAFNER & HILDERBRAND SA
Plan-les-Ouates (CH)New on Amplifa
About C.HAFNER & HILDERBRAND SA
C.HAFNER & HILDERBRAND SA is a company based in Plan-les-Ouates near Geneva specializing in precious metal joining technology and has been supplying brazing pastes and brazing powders on a precious metal and non-precious metal basis to customers worldwide for more than 50 years. The portfolio includes precious metal brazing alloys for karat and hallmarking applications, industrial and active brazing alloys, dispensing accessories as well as equipment and automation solutions for high-precision joining applications. In addition, precious metal powders are produced by gas atomization, semi-finished products such as sheets, wires, tubes, profiles and casting granules are manufactured, and custom components are produced from raw material to finished part, including laser additive manufacturing (3D printing) of gold and palladium. Materials include gold, silver, palladium, platinum, rhodium and precious metal alloys as well as stainless steel and non-magnetic metals. Customer industries include watchmaking, the jewelry industry, general industry and medical technology. The offering is complemented by analysis in accredited laboratories, technical support, training (Academy) and recycling/refining of precious metal scrap.
- Site
- Plan-les-Ouates
- Processes
- Brazing pastes and powders (precious, non-precious & active brazing products), Atomization (powder production of precious metal alloys), Laser additive technology (3D printing) of precious metals, Manufacture of semi-finished products (sheets, wires, tubes, profiles, casting shots), Custom components manufacturing (from raw materials to finished custom parts), Analysis (chemical, physical & mechanical testing of precious metal alloys and products), Recycling / refining of precious metal scraps, Brazing of stainless steel (watch industry applications)
- Materials
- Gold, Palladium, Platinum, Silver, Rhodium, 18K Red Gold, Stainless steel, Precious metal alloys
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, RJC Code of Practices 2019 (COP), RJC Chain of Custody 2017 (COC), LBMA Affiliate Member, DAkkS, ISO 13485, REACH / RoHS Compliance, RJC Code of Practices, RJC Chain of Custody, DAkkS (Laboratory)
- Industries
- Watchmaking, Jewelry industry, Industry, Medical technology, Dental, Jewelry/goldsmith trade
- 01
Alloy production and raw materials
- 02
Atomization (powder production)
- 03
Manufacture of brazing pastes and semi-finished products
- 04
Dispensing equipment and automation
- 05
Manufacturing of custom components including 3D printing
- 06
Analysis and quality assurance
- 07
Recycling/Refining
Materials and Processes
Gold
Basis for brazing pastes, alloys and additively manufactured components for the watch and jewelry industry.
Silver
Precious metal material for brazing alloys, alloys and semi-finished products in accordance with RJC Chain-of-Custody certification.
Palladium
Used for brazing products, alloys as well as powder metallurgical processing and 3D printing.
Platinum
Powder metallurgical processing of platinum alloys for jewelry and industry.
Rhodium
Precious metal material within the RJC CoC-certified supply chain.
Stainless steel
Brazing of stainless steel with brazing pastes, particularly for watch applications with regard to corrosion.
18K Red Gold
Brazing suitability of 18K red gold for jewelry and watch applications.
Precious metal alloys
Medical and industrial alloys for custom components and semi-finished products.
Non-precious metals
Non-precious metal and active brazing alloys for industrial joining applications.
Locations
Plan-les-Ouates
CHDevelopment, production and distribution of powders, brazing pastes and precious metal products
- Lot size
- Prototype to series (no specific information)
- Materials
- Gold, silver, palladium, platinum, rhodium, stainless steel, precious metal alloys
- Gas atomization system (inert gas, e.g. nitrogen)
- Laser additive manufacturing system (3D printing) for precious metals
- Dispenser MK3 (manual)
- Pneumatic dispenser
- Archimedes screw dispenser
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazing pastes and powders (precious, non-precious & active brazing products)Joining | – | – | – | – | Gold, Palladium, Silver, Platinum, Stainless steel, Pd and Pt alloys |
| Atomization (powder production of precious metal alloys)Other | – | – | – | – | Precious metals |
| Laser additive technology (3D printing) of precious metalsAdditive | – | – | – | – | Gold, Palladium |
| Manufacture of semi-finished products (sheets, wires, tubes, profiles, casting shots)Forming | – | – | – | – | Precious metals |
| Custom components manufacturing (from raw materials to finished custom parts)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Precious metal alloys |
| Analysis (chemical, physical & mechanical testing of precious metal alloys and products)Testing | – | – | – | – | Precious metal alloys |
| Recycling / refining of precious metal scrapsOther | – | – | – | – | Precious metals |
| Brazing of stainless steel (watch industry applications)Joining | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel |
| Brazing of 18K Red GoldJoining | – | – | – | – | 18K Red Gold |
| Powder metallurgical processing of Palladium & PlatinumOther | – | – | – | – | Palladium, Platinum |
| Dispensing solutions for brazing pastes (manual, pneumatic, Archimedes screw dispensers, automatedJoining | Deposition from 0.001g, needle at least 0.25mm | – | – | – | Brazing pastes (precious metal powders) |
| Technical support & developmentEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atomization equipment (gas atomization with inert gas, e.g. nitrogen) | – | – | – | – | Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland |
| Manual dispensing device MK3 | MK3 | – | – | – | – |
| Pneumatic dispenser | – | – | – | – | – |
| Archimedes screw dispenser | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser additive manufacturing (3D printing) equipment for precious metals | – | – | – | – | Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland |
Additional services
Quality and Certifications
Chemical, physical and mechanical testing of precious metal alloys and products is carried out in accredited laboratories (DAkkS). First article inspection reports, measurement reports, statistical process evaluations and process analyses are provided on request.
| Evidence | Plan-les-Ouates |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 13485 | |
| RJC Code of Practices | |
| RJC Chain of Custody | |
| LBMA Affiliate Member | |
| DAkkS (Laboratory) |
History
- 1850
Roots in precious metal joining technology; 175 years of combined experience (as of 2025).
- 1972
Introduction of brazing pastes to the watch industry by Mr. Hilderbrand; the technology originally comes from the aerospace industry.
- 2016
First issuance of the ISO-9001 certification (03.07.2016).
- 2020
Anchoring of Precious Metal Technology at C.HAFNER.
- 2023
Admission of C. Hafner GmbH + Co. KG as an LBMA Affiliate Member (27.09.2023).
- 2025
More than 50 years of experience with precious metal brazing pastes.