Series producer of closed-cell aluminium foam, AAS/SAS sandwich panels, foamed profiles and 3D molded parts.
Havel metal foam GmbH
Brandenburg an der HavelNew on Amplifa
Series producer of aluminium foam
Havel metal foam GmbH was founded in 2013 at the Kirchmöser industrial site in Brandenburg an der Havel and is a series producer of aluminium foam systems under the Havel Lite® brand. The manufacturing technology was developed jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU and further developed in-house. Aluminium foam is produced powder-metallurgically – closed-cell, with densities of 0.5 to 0.8 g/cm³ – in four product forms: panels, sandwiches with aluminium face sheets (AAS) or steel face sheets (SAS), foamed profiles and components, and 3D molded parts. Because the foam foams against the face sheets, a metallic bond is created without adhesive; the composite remains mono-material and fully recyclable. The value chain from powder mixing and extrusion of the semi-finished material to downstream processing (milling, bending, welding, drilling, coating) is located at one site. Production capacity is 500,000 m² per year. Customers come from automotive, rail industry, shipbuilding, inland waterway transport, aviation, mechanical engineering, wind energy, defense, architecture and drone manufacturing.
- Site
- Brandenburg an der Havel
- Processes
- Aluminium foam production (powder-metallurgical, foaming), Production of aluminium foam sandwiches AAS (aluminium face sheets), Production of aluminium foam sandwiches SAS (steel face sheets), Production of aluminium foam panels (pure foam sheets), Foaming of profiles and cavities (also retroactively), Foaming of thin aluminium tubes (up to 6 m), Production of 3D molded parts from aluminium foam (foamed into shape), Production of 3D sandwiches from metal foam (face sheets formed, then foamed)
- Materials
- Aluminium foam (closed-cell, powder-metallurgical), Aluminium foam (SAS core), Zinc foam, Aluminium face sheets (AAS), Steel face sheets (SAS), Reference material steel, Reference material aluminium, Copper (face sheets, antimicrobial surfaces)
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, DIN EN 45545-2 (HL3, material testing), DIN EN 12254 (laser protection testing), IATF 16949, EN 9100
- Founded
- 2013
- Industries
- Automotive, Rail industry, Shipbuilding, Inland waterway transport, Aviation, Mechanical engineering
- 01
Powder mixing (aluminium, TiH2)
- 02
Extrusion
- 03
Compacting of the semi-finished material
- 04
Foaming in infrared/continuous furnaces
- 05
CNC milling
- 06
Downstream processing (bending, welding, drilling, coating)
- 07
Testing (X-ray/CT)
Materials and processes
Aluminium foam, closed-cell (powder-metallurgical)
Core material of all panels and AAS sandwiches, density 0.5–0.8 g/cm³, low thermal conductivity and energy absorption.
Aluminium foam core for SAS
Core alloy of the steel-aluminium foam sandwiches with foamed-in fastening points.
Aluminium face sheets (AAS)
Face sheet material of the lighter sandwich construction, total thickness 6–60 mm, format up to 2,800 × 1,400 mm.
Steel face sheets (SAS)
Face sheet material of the stiffer construction, allows foamed-in or welded-in bolts, nuts and rails.
Zinc foam
For foaming particularly thin-walled profiles and aluminium tubes up to 6 m in length.
Titanium hydride (blowing agent)
Blowing agent in the aluminium powder mix, decomposes during foaming and releases hydrogen.
Copper face sheets
Face sheet material for 3D sandwiches and antimicrobial partitions.
Stainless steel face sheets
Face sheet material for 3D sandwiches according to customer drawing.
Aluminium EN-AW 5754 (AlMg3)
Reference material for the material comparison to solid aluminium.
Locations
Brandenburg an der Havel
DEDevelopment, series production, downstream processing, sales
- Part weight / size
- Formats up to 2,950 × 1,450 mm (milling)
- Lot size
- Prototype to large-scale series
- Materials
- Aluminium foam AlSi10/AlMgSi0,6, zinc foam, face sheets of aluminium, steel, stainless steel, copper
- 3 infrared furnaces (specially developed high-performance furnaces for the foaming process)
- 3 electrically heated continuous furnaces (profiles up to 6 m in length)
- 3 CNC gantry milling machines (up to 2.95 × 1.45 m)
- Powder mixing plant
- Roller (semi-finished material production)
Components and products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium foam production (powder-metallurgical, foaming)Additive | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam AlSi10, Zinc foam, Aluminium powder mix with TiH2 |
| Production of aluminium foam sandwiches AAS (aluminium face sheets)Joining | ISO 2768-1, ISO 2768-2 | 2,800 mm × 1,400 mm | – | 500,000 m²/a | Aluminium foam AlSi10 (core, 0.5–0.8 g/cm³), EN AW-6082 (face sheets) |
| Production of aluminium foam sandwiches SAS (steel face sheets)Joining | ISO 2768-1, ISO 2768-2 | 2,950 mm × 1,450 mm | – | – | Aluminium foam AlMgSi0,6 (core), DC01 (1.0330) (face sheets) |
| Production of aluminium foam panels (pure foam sheets)Additive | – | 1,900 mm × 900 mm × 50 mm | – | – | AlSi10 (core thickness 3–50 mm, density 0.5–0.8 g/cm³), Steel mesh insert, Inserts, Acrylic |
| Foaming of profiles and cavities (also retroactively)Additive | ± 0.3 to ± 0.8 mm | 6,000 mm | – | – | Aluminium foam, Zinc foam, Steel profiles, Aluminium profiles |
| Foaming of thin aluminium tubes (up to 6 m)Additive | – | 6 m | – | – | Zinc foam, Aluminium tubes |
| Production of 3D molded parts from aluminium foam (foamed into shape)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam AlSi10 (core thickness 3–70 mm, |
| Production of 3D sandwiches from metal foam (face sheets formed, then foamed)Joining | ± 0.3 to ± 0.8 mm | – | – | – | Aluminium foam core, Steel, Aluminium, Stainless steel, Copper (face sheets) |
| Open-cell aluminium foam Havellux® (design/architecture)Additive | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam (open-cell, 0.5 g/cm³) |
| Foaming-in of fastening points, rails, nuts, tubes (SAS)Joining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam AlMgSi0,6, Steel DC01 |
| Milling (CNC)Machining | – | 2,950 mm × 1,450 mm | – | – | Aluminium foam, Aluminium foam sandwiches |
| BendingForming | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam sandwiches (face sheets) |
| Welding (drilling, milling, machining)Joining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam sandwiches, Aluminium, Steel |
| Laser weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | SAS to steel, Aluminium to aluminium |
| MIG/MAG welding (MSG)Joining | – | – | – | – | SAS to steel, Aluminium to aluminium |
| Joining via explosion-bonded transition profiles (Al-steel / AAS-steel)Joining | – | – | – | – | AAS to steel, Aluminium to steel |
| Foaming-in of cooling tubes and cable ductsJoining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam |
| Drilling, sawing (downstream processing)Machining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam, Havellux®, Aluminium foam sandwiches |
| Coating of productsSurface | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam sandwiches |
| Research & development, prototype constructionEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| FEM calculations (crash solvers LS-DYNA, Altair Radioss, PAM-Crash/ESI VPS)Engineering | – | – | – | – | AlSi10 aluminium foam (reference density 0.6 g/cm³) |
| Production of battery housings for electric vehicles (aluminium foam sandwich)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam sandwiches (AAS) |
| Production of truck underbody protection MF UFS G1 (steel-aluminium foam hybrid)Assembly | – | 2,400 mm × 120 mm × 100 mm | approx. 40 kg | – | Aluminium foam, Steel |
| Production of antibacterial partitions with copper face sheetsAssembly | – | 2,000 mm × 1,500 mm | – | – | Aluminium foam, Copper (face sheets) |
| Testing: material testing DIN EN 45545-2 (HL3), laser protection testing DIN EN 12254, EMCTesting | – | – | – | – | AAS, SAS, Aluminium foam |
| X-ray and computed tomography inspection of finished componentsTesting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam components |
| Extrusion of the foamable semi-finished materialForming | – | – | – | – | Aluminium powder mix with TiH2 |
| Mixing and compacting of the semi-finished material (own powder mixing plant, roller)Forming | – | – | – | – | Aluminium powder mix, TiH2 |
| Back-casting of foam cores with aluminium (e.g. support beam for textile machine)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium foam, Aluminium |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infrared furnaces (specially developed high-performance furnaces for the foaming process) | – | 3 | – | – | Brandenburg an der Havel |
| Electrically heated continuous furnaces (foaming of profiles up to 6 m in length) | – | 3 | Profiles up to 6 m in length | – | Brandenburg an der Havel |
| CNC milling machines (gantry mill for sandwiches and panels) | – | 3 | up to 2.95 m × 1.45 m | – | Brandenburg an der Havel |
| Powder mixing plant | – | – | – | – | Brandenburg an der Havel |
| Roller (semi-finished material production) | – | – | – | – | Brandenburg an der Havel |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and test evidence
Quality assurance accompanies the foaming process throughout, from thermocouples in the infrared furnace to X-ray and computed tomography inspection of the finished components. Documented are material tests according to DIN EN 45545-2 (HL3), laser protection testing according to DIN EN 12254, EMC measurement according to EN 50147-1 as well as salt spray, crash/pollard and intrusion tests.
| Evidence | Brandenburg an der Havel |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| DIN EN 45545-2 (HL3, material testing) | |
| DIN EN 12254 (laser protection testing) | |
| IATF 16949 | |
| EN 9100 |
Company history
- 2013
Founded at the Kirchmöser industrial site in Brandenburg an der Havel; industrial production of aluminium foam products under the Havel Lite® brand.
- 2014
Initial certification of quality management according to ISO 9001.
- 2020
LS-DYNA material card published jointly with Fraunhofer IWU.
- 2021
Initial certification of environmental management according to ISO 14001; Radioss material card.
- 2024
Presentation of aluminium foam sandwich panels for protection of roof aggregates at InnoTrans.
- 2026
Exhibition at ALUMINIUM 2026 in Düsseldorf (Hall 6, Stand A61).