Manufacturer of vulcanization systems and machines for the continuous extrusion of rubber and plastic profiles
Gerlach Maschinenbau GmbH
Nettetal (Headquarters, Production) · Miami, FL (Sales Office)New on Amplifa
Company
Gerlach Maschinenbau GmbH develops and manufactures special-purpose machines for rubber and plastics processing, in particular systems for the continuous hot-air vulcanization of elastomer profiles. The product portfolio includes vulcanization and drying channels using hot air, microwaves (UHF) and infrared as well as combinations thereof, cooling channels, haul-off caterpillars and extruders – from individual units to complete production lines. Manufacturing takes place with a high degree of in-house production depth at the Nettetal site near Düsseldorf, including laser cutting, robot-assisted laser welding, sheet metal working, painting, control cabinet construction, final assembly and PLC programming. Customers come from the automotive industry (profile extrusion), façade construction, water and wastewater treatment and hose production. In addition, the company offers research and development, trials with customer compounds in the Technical Center, consulting, spare parts, maintenance and worldwide service.
- Site
- Nettetal
- Processes
- Hot-air vulcanization (continuous), Microwave vulcanization (UHF modules), Infrared pre-crosslinking (pre-shock), Combined vulcanization (shock, microwave and hot-air zones), Drying (hot-air drying channels with exhaust air purification), Cooling of the extrudate, Extrusion of profiles, Laser cutting
- Materials
- Natural rubber / synthetic rubber, Elastomer, Silicone, Plastics, Sponge rubber, Steel (steel reinforcement in profiles), Hot-air vulcanization (continuous), Microwave vulcanization (Solid State/Magnetron)
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, ÖKOPROFIT 2016 (district of Viersen), ISO 9001
- Industries
- Automotive (profile extrusion), Façade construction, Water/wastewater treatment, Hose production, Rubber and plastics processing
- 01
Design (CAD/CAM, simulation)
- 02
Material and process trials
- 03
Laser cutting
- 04
Robot-assisted laser welding
- 05
Sheet metal working
- 06
Machining
- 07
Painting
- 08
Control cabinet construction
- 09
PLC programming
- 10
Final assembly
- 11
Commissioning (Plug & Play)
- 12
Service, maintenance, remote maintenance
Processes and Materials
Hot-air vulcanization (continuous)
Pressure-less continuous cross-linking process for rubber, elastomer and silicone profiles, in part with shock temperatures up to 550 °C.
Microwave vulcanization (Solid State/Magnetron)
Modular UHF modules (2.4–2.5 GHz, up to 3 kW) for retrofitting existing vulcanization systems or as a laboratory unit.
Infrared pre-shock
Short-wave infrared emitters in four planes for 360° pre-crosslinking and early dimensional stability of solid and sponge rubber.
Combined vulcanization (shock, microwave, hot air)
Modular 3-m zone channels with integrated exhaust air purification, mainly for automotive profile extrusion.
Cooling channel Type K179
Cooling system with spray nozzles, immersion sections and air-blowing stations for cooling and drying the extrudate.
Natural and synthetic rubber
Main material of the continuously vulcanized profiles, also with steel reinforcement.
Silicone
Material for elastomer profiles, increasingly used alongside rubber.
Sponge rubber
Target material for IR pre-shock to achieve a fine cell structure.
Steel
Material for machine construction (laser cutting, laser welding, sheet metal working) as well as steel reinforcement in profiles.
Locations
Nettetal
DEHeadquarters, development and production
- Materials
- Steel (construction), rubber/silicone (process trials)
- Laser cutting system
- Robot-assisted laser welding system
- Sheet metal working
- Machining
- Painting
- Control cabinet construction
- Final assembly
- Extruder
- Hot-air channel
- Technical Center
Miami, Florida
USSales office (Gerlach Machinery Corp.)
Machines and Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot-air vulcanization (continuous)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Rubber, Elastomer, Silicone |
| Microwave vulcanization (UHF modules)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Elastomer, Rubber |
| Infrared pre-crosslinking (pre-shock)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Elastomer, Sponge rubber |
| Combined vulcanization (shock, microwave and hot-air zones)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Elastomer |
| Drying (hot-air drying channels with exhaust air purification)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Elastomer, Plastics |
| Cooling of the extrudatePlastics | – | – | – | – | Elastomer, Plastics |
| Extrusion of profilesPlastics | – | 40 mm × 40 mm | – | – | Elastomer, Plastics, Customer compounds |
| Laser cuttingMachining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Robot-assisted laser weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Sheet metal workingForming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| MachiningMachining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| PaintingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Control cabinet construction and final assemblyAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| PLC programmingEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3D printing / rapid prototypingAdditive | – | – | – | – | – |
| CAD/CAM design, simulationsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Extrusion and vulcanization tests with customer compoundsTesting | – | – | – | – | Customer compounds |
| Modular system engineeringEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Retrofit of vulcanization systems with UHF modulesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot-air shock channel | Gerlach Maschinenbau Type 111 | – | Shock temperatures up to 550 °C | – | Nettetal |
| Cooling channel | Gerlach Maschinenbau Type K179 | – | – | – | Nettetal |
| Haul-off caterpillar / belt puller | Gerlach Maschinenbau BA 400 | – | Haul-off speed 0-60 m/min | – | Nettetal |
| Shock channel with microwave and exhaust air purification | Gerlach Maschinenbau SHF 147 | – | Module zones of 3 m each (shock, microwave, hot-air zones) | – | Nettetal |
| Pre-shock with infrared emitters | Gerlach Maschinenbau Type P 158 | – | Power modulation 0-100 % | – | Nettetal |
| UHF module (microwave, solid state) | Gerlach Maschinenbau UHF modules 201 / UHF Box 205 | – | L x W x H 0.5 x 1.1 x 1.2 m; UHF power up to 3 kW, 2.4-2.5 GHz | – | Nettetal |
| Modular vulcanization machine (5 modules) | Gerlach Maschinenbau Vulcanization Technology (new machine generation) | – | L x W x H 4.5 x 1.1 x 1.2 m; profile max. 40 x 40 mm; channel 180 x 55 mm; PTFE belt 0.5-60 m/min; | 2019 | Nettetal |
| Extruder | Gerlach Maschinenbau | – | – | – | Nettetal |
| Hot-air channel | Gerlach Maschinenbau | – | – | – | Nettetal |
| PV system (own power supply) | – | – | – | – | Nettetal |
Additional services
Quality
The quality management system is certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015; accompanying measurements are carried out by TÜV Rheinland at the production site. In series production, CAD/CAM design, simulations, 3D printing rapid prototyping and off-line material tests on the company's own machines are used for validation.
| Evidence | Nettetal |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 2016
GAK technical article 'Holistic energy concept for hot-air vulcanization' together with the University of Paderborn; BMBF funding under the KMU-innovativ program (funding code 02PK2468)
- 2016
Participation in the ÖKOPROFIT program of the district of Viersen, award ceremony in May 2017
- 2017
ISO 9001 certification of the quality management system documented
- 2018
Presentation of the further-developed haul-off caterpillar BA 400 with force measurement and force control at DKT 2018 in Nuremberg
- 2019
Introduction of a new modular machine generation and the UHF microwave module (Solid State/Magnetron) for retrofit
- 2026
New ISO 9001 certification (DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, no. 41334-0941-QM, valid until 24.06.2029)