Manufacturer of fibre-reinforced plastic profiles (WACOSIT) using the pultrusion, pull-winding and filament winding processes.
Ernst Kühne Kunststoffwerk GmbH & Co. KG
Waldshut-TiengenNew on Amplifa
About us
Ernst Kühne Kunststoffwerk GmbH & Co. KG in Waldshut-Tiengen manufactures fibre-reinforced plastic profiles and technical wound parts under the WACOSIT brand. Production is carried out using the pultrusion process as well as the pull-winding and filament winding processes. Reinforcement fibres used include E-, R-, S- and T-glass fibres, carbon fibres, aramid and basalt fibres, which are impregnated with epoxy, vinyl ester, polyester or acrylic resins and continuously cured in heated tools. Profiles can be manufactured in any length and are available in weather-resistant versions, with an electrically conductive surface, in flame-retardant versions or in special colours. With more than 5,000 of its own pultrusion tools, over 25 pultrusion machines and 6 filament winding centres, the company manufactures standard and highly complex custom profiles to drawing. The profiles are used, among other things, in electrical engineering, mechanical and plant engineering, automotive, aviation & defence, railway systems, wind energy, antenna and communications technology as well as windows, doors and gates. Founder Ernst Kühne developed the pultrusion process in Europe in 1954; since 1967 the Kühne family has been producing at its site on the High Rhine.
- Site
- Waldshut-Tiengen
- Processes
- Pultrusion (pulltrusion) of fibre-reinforced plastic profiles, Pull-winding (pultrusion with integrated inline winding technology for round and tubular profiles), Filament winding of fibre-reinforced wound parts (wound bodies), Manufacture of custom profiles to drawing (up to 5,000 own pultrusion tools), Manufacture with heat resistance up to 240°C (wound bodies for insulation classes F to H), Durability of glass-epoxy, glass-polyester and carbon-epoxy profiles with, Pultrusion (pulltrusion process), Filament winding
- Materials
- E-glass fibres, R-glass fibres, S-glass fibres, T-glass fibres, Carbon fibres (CFRP), Aramid fibres, Basalt fibres, Epoxy resin
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, EN ISO 14001, ISO 14001, IATF 16949, EN 9100, ISO 45001
- Founded
- 1967
- Industries
- Electrical engineering, Mechanical and plant engineering, Automotive, Aviation & Defence, Medical technology, Railway systems
- 01
Toolmaking (own pultrusion tools)
- 02
Fibre layup (glass, carbon, aramid, basalt)
- 03
Resin impregnation (epoxy, vinyl ester, polyester, acrylic)
- 04
Pultrusion / pull-winding / filament winding
- 05
Continuous curing in the heated tool
- 06
Cutting and post-processing
- 07
Quality inspection
- 08
Shipping
Materials and processes
Pultrusion (pulltrusion process)
Continuous pulling of fibre-reinforced profiles from a heated die, any lengths.
Pull-winding
Pultrusion with integrated inline winding technology for round and tubular profiles with high transverse strength.
Filament winding
Fibre-reinforced wound bodies made of glass, aramid or carbon fibre rovings for thermal classes F to H.
Glass-epoxy (GRP)
Tensile strength approx. 700 N/mm², long-term calculation temperature 180°C, wide industrial use.
Glass-polyester (GRP)
Cost-effective, economical profiles with good chemical resistance.
Carbon-epoxy (CFRP)
Tensile strength approx. 1,400 N/mm² at low weight, used in automotive and aircraft construction.
Aramid fibres
High-strength reinforcement fibre for application-optimised profile and wound parts.
Basalt fibres
Mineral reinforcement fibre as an alternative to glass fibres.
Locations
Waldshut-Tiengen
DEProduction and administration
- Materials
- GRP, CFRP, aramid and basalt fibres with epoxy, vinyl ester, polyester and acrylic resins
- More than 25 pultrusion machines
- 6 filament winding centres
- In-house toolmaking
- Pull-winding facilities
Profiles and wound parts
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pultrusion (pulltrusion) of fibre-reinforced plastic profilesPlastics | – | Any length (limited by | – | – | GRP (glass fibres), CFRP (carbon fibres), Aramid fibres, Basalt fibres, Epoxy resin, Vinyl ester resin, Polyester resin, Acrylic resin |
| Pull-winding (pultrusion with integrated inline winding technology for round and tubular profiles)Plastics | – | – | – | – | GRP, CFRP, Epoxy resin, Vinyl ester resin, Polyester resin |
| Filament winding of fibre-reinforced wound parts (wound bodies)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Glass fibres, Aramid fibres, Carbon fibres, Epoxy resin, Vinyl ester resin, Polyester resin |
| Manufacture of custom profiles to drawing (up to 5,000 own pultrusion tools)Plastics | – | Any length | – | – | GRP, CFRP, Aramid fibres, Basalt fibres, Epoxy resin, Vinyl ester resin, Polyester resin, Acrylic resin |
| Manufacture with heat resistance up to 240°C (wound bodies for insulation classes F to H)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Glass fibres, Aramid fibres, Carbon fibres, Epoxy resin, Vinyl ester resin, Polyester resin |
| Durability of glass-epoxy, glass-polyester and carbon-epoxy profiles withPlastics | – | – | – | – | Glass-epoxy, Glass-polyester, Carbon-epoxy |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pultrusion machine / pultrusion line | – | more than | – | – | Waldshut-Tiengen |
| Filament winding system (filament winding centre) | – | 6 | – | – | Waldshut-Tiengen |
Additional services
Quality and certification
Ernst Kühne Kunststoffwerk has been certified to ISO 9001 since 1995 (to EN ISO 9001:2015 since 2021) and to EN ISO 14001 since September 2025. For the railway industry, German, French, Italian and English fire protection approvals exist for interior and exterior applications.
| Evidence | Waldshut-Tiengen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| IATF 16949 | |
| EN 9100 | |
| ISO 45001 |
Company history
- 1954
Ernst Kühne develops the pultrusion process in a development laboratory of an international electrical corporation
- 1967
Founded as Waco GmbH in Waldshut; first two self-built pultrusion machines
- 1969
Relocation to Tiengen; first filament winding system
- 1971
Relocation to the Untere Au/Bleiche industrial estate, Waldshut; four filament winding systems
- 1978–1980
Development of strain relief elements made of S-glass fibres/epoxy resin for fibre optic cables
- 1982
Splice-free production of strain relief elements in a length of 25 km
- 1984
High-heat-resistant retaining ring (TG > 240°C) for automotive starter motors
- 1986
First tank bridge with CFRP pultrusion profiles, load test Leopard II
- 1987
First carbon fibre profiles for a European aircraft manufacturer
- 1995
ISO 9001 certification; high-performance wound bodies for high/medium voltage and particle acceleration
- 2000
Qualified supplier to the wind turbine industry
- 2002
Development partner for antenna radomes (telecommunications)
- 2004
Qualified supplier to the railway industry with fire protection approvals
- 2005
Economy Medal of the State of Baden-Württemberg awarded to Ernst Kühne
- 2017
50 years of Ernst Kühne Kunststoffwerk; over 5,000 active pultrusion tools
- 2019
Honorary Medal of the IHK Hochrhein-Bodensee awarded to Dietmar Kühne
- 2021
More than 25 pultrusion machines and 6 filament winding centres
- 2025
Certification to EN ISO 14001