Manufacturer of engraving systems and software for gravure cylinders, embossing printing and letterpress plates
Hell Gravure Systems GmbH
KielNew on Amplifa
About Hell Gravure Systems
Hell Gravure Systems GmbH, based in Kiel, is a manufacturer of engraving systems and software solutions for printing plate production. The company was founded in 1997 to bundle the gravure activities of the long-established Rudolf Hell group of companies and has been privately managed since 2002. The product portfolio includes the electromechanical engraving systems HelioKlischograph (K5, K500) and HelioSprint, the Cellaxy C500 laser engraving system for gravure and embossing applications, the PremiumSetter for 3D laser direct engraving in letterpress, and the cylinder processing and inspection systems CFM MI and Q-Trac. The CYON platform connects automated production lines as a digital twin and supports monitoring, documentation and automation (AutoCon). In addition to selling systems, the company offers training, maintenance, consumables supply as well as rental and licensing models, serving customers in the printing and packaging industries worldwide.作業
- Site
- Kiel
- Processes
- Laser direct engraving of gravure cylinders (Cellaxy), Electromechanical engraving (HelioKlischograph K5/K500), Laser engraving for embossing (depths up to 4 mm), 3D laser direct engraving for letterpress (PremiumSetter), Flexo Direct – Plate on demand (laser engraving of printing plates), Thin-layer production / removal of copper layers on cylinders (CFM MI), Cylinder inspection/quality control: diameter, roughness, chrome thickness, surface defects (Q-Trac), Laser engraving (Cellaxy)
- Materials
- Copper (copper cylinders/copper layer approx. 80 μm), Chrome (chrome layer on gravure cylinders), Aluminium (gravure substrate), Film, paper, cardboard (gravure substrates), Copper (copper cylinders/copper layer), Chrome (chrome layer), Aluminium (substrate), Film, paper, cardboard
- Certificates
- Certified Engraving, Automatic test cut, Digital proof (Q-Trac)
- Founded
- 1997
- Industries
- Gravure printing, Packaging printing, Embossing printing, Letterpress, Printing plate production, Security applications
- 01
Consulting and project implementation
- 02
System manufacturing (engraving, laser and cylinder systems)
- 03
Software (CYON, AutoCon automation)
- 04
System integration
- 05
Training
- 06
Maintenance and consumables supply
Materials and Processes
Copper (copper cylinders/copper layer)
Processing and removal of copper layers on gravure cylinders, thickness reducible to approx. 80 µm.
Chrome (chrome layer)
Inspection of chrome thickness on gravure cylinders as part of quality control.
Aluminium (substrate)
Substrate material for gravure applications.
Film, paper, cardboard
Printed substrates in gravure printing, from film to cardboard.
Electromechanical engraving (HelioKlischograph)
Engraving of gravure cylinders with automatic quality control (Certified Engraving).
Laser direct engraving (Cellaxy)
Variable cell geometries for gravure and embossing with depths of up to 4 mm.
3D laser direct engraving (PremiumSetter)
High-resolution engraving for letterpress plates.
CFM MI cylinder processing
Fully automatic processing and removal of copper layers to target circumference.
Locations
Kiel
DEGravure Systems (gravure activities), development and manufacturing
- Materials
- Copper, chrome
- Cellaxy C500
- HelioKlischograph K5
- HelioKlischograph K500
- HelioSprint 2/3
- PremiumSetter
- CFM MI
- Q-Trac
Products and Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser direct engraving of gravure cylinders (Cellaxy)Surface | – | – | – | – | Copper (cylinders) |
| Electromechanical engraving (HelioKlischograph K5/K500)Surface | – | – | – | – | Copper |
| Laser engraving for embossing (depths up to 4 mm)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3D laser direct engraving for letterpress (PremiumSetter)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Flexo Direct – Plate on demand (laser engraving of printing plates)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Thin-layer production / removal of copper layers on cylinders (CFM MI)Machining | – | – | – | – | Copper |
| Cylinder inspection/quality control: diameter, roughness, chrome thickness, surface defects (Q-Trac)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser engraving system gravure | Hell Gravure Systems Cellaxy C500 | – | – | – | – |
| Electromechanical engraving system | Hell Gravure Systems HelioKlischograph K5 | – | – | – | – |
| Electromechanical engraving system | Hell Gravure Systems HelioKlischograph K500 | – | – | – | – |
| Engraving system | Hell Gravure Systems HelioSprint 2 / 3 | – | – | – | – |
| 3D laser direct engraving letterpress | Hell Gravure Systems PremiumSetter | – | – | – | – |
| Cylinder circumferential grinding/removal machine (thin layer) | Hell Gravure Systems CFM MI | – | – | – | – |
| Cylinder scanning/inspection system (digital proof) | Hell Gravure Systems Q-Trac | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Quality
The HelioKlischograph systems perform automatic quality checks and documentation using Certified Engraving; Q-Trac inspects diameter, roughness, chrome thickness and surface defects, replacing physical proofs with the digital proof.
| Evidence | Kiel |
|---|---|
| Certified Engraving | |
| Automatic test cut | |
| Digital proof (Q-Trac) |
History
- 1929
Rudolf Hell founds his company in Neubabelsberg near Berlin and introduces the Hellschreiber
- 1947
Founding of Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Hell KG in Kiel-Dietrichsdorf
- 1951
Invention of the Klischograph
- 1965
Introduction of digital phototypesetting (Digiset)
- 1971
Siemens acquires company shares of Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Hell GmbH
- 1981
Siemens AG acquires the final 20% of the company
- 1990
Merger with Linotype AG to form Linotype-Hell AG
- 1996
Acquisition of Linotype-Hell AG by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
- 1997
Consolidation of gravure activities into Hell Gravure Systems GmbH
- 2002
Shares of Hell Gravure Systems GmbH are managed privately