Manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders, servo actuators, clamping units and special hydraulic machinery.
Herbert Hänchen GmbH
Ostfildern (Headquarters) · OettingenNew on Amplifa
About Hänchen
Herbert Hänchen GmbH is a family business founded in 1925, headquartered in Ostfildern near Stuttgart with around 200 employees. Its core business is the construction of hydraulic cylinders: industrial hydraulic cylinders, standard cylinders to DIN/ISO, servo-hydraulic drives as well as customer-specific cylinders and series cylinders from 30 units with bores up to 140 mm and strokes up to 1,000 mm. The portfolio also includes servo actuators for testing machines, clamping units (Ratio-Clamp, Safety Catcher), machine elements made to customer drawings, and special hydraulic and electromechanical machines (Ratio-Drive). Manufacturing processes include precision finishing by honing, plastic coating of running surfaces, and in-house development of Teflon-based sealing systems. Customers come from industrial hydraulics, steel and rolling mill technology, foundry, testing technology, automotive, rail technology, machine tools, plastic injection molding and presses. Production takes place at the Ostfildern (headquarters) and Oettingen, Bavaria sites.
- Site
- Ostfildern
- Processes
- Hydraulic cylinder manufacturing (industrial cylinders, standard cylinders to DIN/ISO,, Honing (cross-hatch process, precision finishing of metal surfaces), Plastic coating of running surfaces, Repair of engine cylinders and crankshafts, Special machinery construction (hydraulic or electromechanical, Ratio-Drive®), Engineering, consulting, project planning, commissioning (complete service package), Manufacture of machine elements in single-unit quantities and small series (bars, shafts, axles,, Manufacturing to customer drawings / independent design and dimensioning
- Materials
- Hydraulic fluid, Teflon®-based sealing materials, Plastic (running surface coating), Water / emulsions / AdBlue (secondary side of pressure transducers), Teflon-based sealing materials, Plastic coating of running surfaces, Steel/metal materials for cylinder construction, Honing (cross-hatch process)
- Certificates
- DGUV Test (for Ratio-Clamp and Safety Catcher clamping units), DGUV Test (clamping units)
- Founded
- 1925
- Employees
- ~200
- Industries
- Industrial hydraulics, Steel/rolling mills, Foundry, Testing technology, Automotive, Rail technology
- 01
Consulting & Engineering
- 02
Design based on customer drawings or in-house dimensioning
- 03
Honing / precision finishing
- 04
Plastic coating of running surfaces
- 05
Manufacture of cylinder components
- 06
Assembly
- 07
Commissioning
Materials & Processes
Teflon-based sealing materials
Basis of the company's own sealing systems Servocop, Servofloat, Servobear and Servoseal.
Plastic coating of running surfaces
Process used since 1964 to reduce friction and wear.
Steel/metal materials for cylinder construction
Tube and bar materials for cylinder tubes, piston rods and guide elements (not specified).
Honing (cross-hatch process)
Precision finishing of cylinder running tubes; a trademark of the company since its founding.
Locations
Ostfildern
DEHeadquarters and plant (since 1953)
- Lot size
- One-off parts to series from 30 units
- Materials
- Metals, Teflon-based sealing materials
Oettingen
DEPlant (established 1972)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic cylinder manufacturing (industrial cylinders, standard cylinders to DIN/ISO,Assembly | – | Stroke up to 1,000 mm (series cylinders) × Bore up to 140 mm (series cylinders) | – | from 30 units (series cylinders) | Metals for hydraulic cylinders (not specified) |
| Honing (cross-hatch process, precision finishing of metal surfaces)Surface | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Plastic coating of running surfacesSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastic (coating) |
| Repair of engine cylinders and crankshaftsMachining | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Special machinery construction (hydraulic or electromechanical, Ratio-Drive®)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Engineering, consulting, project planning, commissioning (complete service package)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of machine elements in single-unit quantities and small series (bars, shafts, axles,Machining | – | – | – | One-off parts – Small series | Metals (not specified) |
| Manufacturing to customer drawings / independent design and dimensioningEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Testing technology / servo actuators for testing machines (e.g., material test rigs for aircraftTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Seal development (Servocop®, Servofloat®, Servobear®, Servoseal®)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Teflon®-based sealing materials |
| Pressure transducers and fluid separators (pressure intensifiers, pressure reducers, fluidAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Clamping units (Ratio-Clamp® Hydroriegel, Safety Catcher) with DGUV Test certificationAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
1 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | – | – | Ostfildern (headquarters) and Oettingen (plant since 1972) |
Additional services
Quality
In cylinder construction, Hänchen places particular emphasis on positional accuracy, service life, smooth operation and compact design. The Ratio-Clamp and Safety Catcher clamping units are optionally available with DGUV Test certification.
| Evidence | Ostfildern |
|---|---|
| DGUV Test (clamping units) |
History
- 1925
Founded by Herbert Hänchen in Penzig, Silesia, as a vehicle repair and authorized workshop as well as a representative for AutoUnion and Magirus; honing as a trademark.
- 1945
Relocation to Naumburg an der Saale.
- 1950
Move to Ruit near Stuttgart (today Ostfildern); new start with the repair of engine cylinders and crankshafts.
- 1952
Specialization in the construction of hydraulic cylinders.
- 1953
Construction of the first buildings and factory halls at the present Ostfildern site.
- 1957
First presentation of hydraulic cylinders at the Hannover Industrial Fair.
- 1964
Introduction of plastic coating of running surfaces.
- 1965
Development of the Servocop cylinder with Teflon-based sealing systems; development of the Hydroriegel (today Ratio-Clamp) by Siegfried Hänchen.
- 1972
Establishment of the Oettingen, Bavaria plant; development of the ring-gap seal Servofloat.
- 1991
Cylinders with the hydrostatic bearing Servobear.
- 1990er
Establishment of the Ratio-Drive business area for complete hydraulic drive solutions.
- 1995
Presentation of the electronic catalog EKAT at the Hannover Messe.
- 2003
Launch of customer training courses on hydraulic cylinders.
- 2013
Introduction of the internet-based configuration system HäKo.
- 2017
Development of the energy-efficient sealing system Servoseal.
- 2025
100th company anniversary; led by Tanja and Stefan Hänchen in the third generation with nearly 200 employees.