Manufacturer of thick-walled single-hole, hollow and multi-hole bars in special steels and titanium for orthopaedics, cutting tools and industry.
Forécreu
Commentry (FR) · Malicorne (FR) · Saarbrücken (DE) · Chicago, IL (US) · Changzhou (CN) · Tokyo (JP)New on Amplifa
Specialist for hole and multi-hole bars since 1952
Forécreu is a French family-owned company (SAS) based in Commentry (Allier) and, since 1952, specialised in thick-walled hole bars, multi-hole bars, cannulated bars, solid bars and stainless steel tubes. The company masters the entire steel bar processing chain: extrusion (including a 1500-tonne extrusion press), rolling, drawing, twisting, heat treatment and grinding. Production takes place at two French manufacturing sites (Commentry and Malicorne) using high-speed steel (HSS), tool steel, stainless steels (including AISI 420B, 304L, 316L) and titanium alloys; the subsidiary VBM also manufactures orthopaedic polymer implants from PEEK/PMMA by injection moulding. Customers include the medical device and orthopaedics sector, manufacturers of cutting tools, and general industry including the food, energy and nuclear energy sectors. More than 400 customers in over 50 countries are served by branches in Germany (Saarbrücken), USA (Chicago), China (Changzhou) and Japan (Tokyo); the company employs around 110 staff.
- Site
- Commentry, France
- Processes
- Manufacture of cannulated bar stock (hollow bars) in stainless steel grades and titanium alloys, Manufacture of bars with internal cooling channel (single/double/multi-channel) made of high-speed, Extrusion (1500-tonne extrusion press, hot extrusion), Drawing, Twisting, Rolling (Rolling Line), Heat treatment, Grinding
- Materials
- High-speed steel (HSS), Tool steel, Stainless steel (pre-hardened), Stainless steel (tubes), Titanium alloys, PEEK, PMMA, Special alloys
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016 / EN ISO 13485:2016, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 13485:2016
- Founded
- 1952
- Employees
- 110
- Industries
- Orthopaedics / traumatology / sports medicine, Medical technology (surgical and dental instruments), Cutting tools, Food and beverage industry, Energy sector, Nuclear energy
- 01
Metallurgical consulting (in-house metallurgists, feasibility simulator)
- 02
Extrusion (1500-tonne extrusion press, hot extrusion)
- 03
Rolling
- 04
Drawing
- 05
Twisting
- 06
Heat treatment
- 07
Grinding
- 08
Laboratory and quality inspections (tensile tests, metallurgical testing)
- 09
Warehousing and delivery
Materials and processes
High-speed steel
Hole bars with internal cooling channel for drills, taps and tool holders.
Tool steel
Bars with single-, two- or multi-channel internal cooling channels for cutting tools.
AISI 420B / WNr. 1.4028 (pre-hardened stainless steel)
Solid bars for surgical and dental instruments.
AISI 304L (stainless steel)
Tubes for the manufacture of surgical instruments.
AISI 316L (stainless steel)
Tubes for the manufacture of surgical instruments.
Titanium alloys
Cannulated bars for implants and surgical instruments.
PEEK
Injection moulding of bioresorbable and non-resorbable orthopaedic implants (VBM).
PMMA
Injection moulding of orthopaedic polymer implants for trauma and sports medicine (VBM).
Special alloys
Extension of the product range for special industrial requirements.
Production sites and branches
Commentry
FRHeadquarters and production
Malicorne
FRProduction
- Materials
- Steel, stainless steel, titanium alloys
- 1500-tonne extrusion press (2006)
- Hot extrusion press (2007)
- Rolling line (2018)
Saarbrücken
DESubsidiary (sales)
Chicago, IL
USSubsidiary (sales)
Changzhou
CNSubsidiary (sales)
Tokyo
JPSubsidiary (sales)
Product solutions
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of cannulated bar stock (hollow bars) in stainless steel grades and titanium alloysForming | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel, Titanium alloys |
| Manufacture of bars with internal cooling channel (single/double/multi-channel) made of high-speedForming | Outside diameter ISO k9 (ground) / ISO h9 | Standard lengths 1.8 to 3.9 metres | – | – | High-speed steel (HSS), Tool steel |
| Extrusion (1500-tonne extrusion press, hot extrusion)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| DrawingForming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| TwistingForming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Rolling (Rolling Line)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Heat treatmentHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| GrindingSurface | ISO h9 | – | – | – | Steel |
| Injection moulding of bioresorbable and non-resorbable orthopaedic implants (PEEK/PMMA)Plastics | – | – | – | – | PEEK, PMMA |
| Testing laboratory: tensile tests and metallurgical testing, quality and geometry inspections alongTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrusion press | – | 1 | 1500 t press force | 2006 | Malicorne, France |
| Hot extrusion press | – | 1 | – | 2007 | Malicorne, France |
| Rolling line | – | 1 | – | 2018 | Malicorne, France |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and certifications
Regular control tests in the in-house laboratory (tensile tests, metallurgical testing) as well as quality and geometry inspections along the entire manufacturing chain. The integrated management system (IMS) covers quality, environment and occupational safety.
| Evidence | Commentry | Malicorne |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | ||
| ISO 13485:2016 | ||
| ISO 14001:2015 |
Company history
- 1952
Founded by Jacques Ory in Malicorne (Allier); development of a unique industrial process for manufacturing hole bars
- 1964
Mastery of the entire steel bar processing chain (extrusion, drawing, twisting)
- 1966
Start of exports, first to Europe, then worldwide
- 1975
Relocation to Commentry (Allier)
- 1986
Entry into the medical field
- 1994
First cannulated bars made from titanium alloys at the Malicorne plant
- 1998
Establishment of the first foreign subsidiary in Tokyo (Japan) as well as the VBM subsidiary for orthopaedic polymers
- 1999
Branches in Chicago (USA) and Frankfurt (Germany)
- 2002
First of the three certifications (ISO 9001)
- 2003
Construction of a new plant in Malicorne
- 2006
Expansion of the Malicorne plant with a 1500-tonne extrusion press
- 2007
New building for a hot extrusion press
- 2012
Foundation of the subsidiary in Changzhou, China
- 2013
Second certification
- 2018
Installation of a rolling line to increase capacity
- 2023
Third certification; ISO 14001 certification by Bureau Veritas