Development and construction of extrusion blow molding machines for packaging, tanks and technical plastic parts
Kautex Maschinenbau
BonnNew on Amplifa
About Kautex Maschinenbau
Kautex Maschinenbau, headquartered in Bonn, develops and manufactures extrusion blow molding machines for plastic hollow parts. The machine portfolio comprises the KEB, KCC, KBB, KBS, KSH, K3D and Skyreef series, covering applications from bottles and canisters up to 30 liters, through drums and IBCs up to 1250 liters, to fuel tanks and sporting goods such as kayaks up to 4 m in length. The company also offers automation, digital twins, spare parts and service as well as engineering services across the entire extrusion process. Its roots go back to 1935; as the inventor of the first commercial extrusion blow molding machine, Kautex can look back on 90 years of experience in extrusion blow molding. Today the company is part of the Jwell Machinery Group and employs around 230 specialists worldwide, with customers in the packaging, automotive and medical technology industries.
- Site
- Bonn
- Processes
- Extrusion blow molding, Mono blow molding, Coextrusion blow molding (multilayer), Manufacture of plastic fuel tanks (incl. hybrid/pressurized tanks), Manufacture of bottles and canisters from 10 ml to 30 L, Manufacture of camshafts, Digital Twins, Automation
- Materials
- Hard polyethylene (HDPE), Soft polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Co-polyester (PETG), Post-consumer recyclate (PCR), Polyamide (PA), KEB machine series
- Certificates
- GMP-ready pharma systems
- Founded
- 1935
- Employees
- ca. 230
- Industries
- Industrial Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Specialty Products, Automotive, Medical Technology/Pharma (Packaging), Sporting Goods
- 01
Engineering and Design
- 02
Machine Building (Extrusion Blow Molding)
- 03
Automation and Digital Twins
- 04
Technical Center and Prototype Production
- 05
Spare Parts & Service
Materials and Processes
KEB machine series
Machines with clamping forces of 0–100 kN, 1 cavity, among other things for air ducts and filler pipes.
KCC machine series
Machines with 1000–1500 kN clamping force for drums and IBCs up to 1250 liters.
KBB machine series
Machines with 300–2720 kN clamping force, 1–2 cavities, for fuel tanks and kayaks up to 4 m.
Skyreef machine series
Machines with 240–400 kN clamping force and 1–18 cavities for bottles and canisters up to 30 liters.
KBS machine series
Machines with 250–500 kN clamping force and 1–20 cavities for bottles and canisters up to 30 liters.
KSH machine series
Machines with 60–400 kN clamping force and 1–20 cavities for containers up to 50 liters.
K3D machine series
Machines with 120–380 kN clamping force and 1–6 cavities for canisters up to 20 liters and technical parts.
Extrusion Blow Molding (EBM)
Core process for hollow parts made of HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC, PETG, PCR and PA.
Coextrusion blow molding
Multilayer containers, e.g. HDPE/PA tank systems with barrier layer.
Locations
Bonn
DEHeadquarters, engineering and machine building
- Extrusion blow molding machines KEB, KCC, KBB, KBS, KSH, K3D, Skyreef
- KBB100D
- KEB20 GREEN
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrusion blow moldingPlastics | – | – | – | – | HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC, PETG, PCR, PA |
| Mono blow moldingPlastics | – | – | – | – | – |
| Coextrusion blow molding (multilayer)Plastics | – | – | – | – | HDPE, PA |
| Manufacture of plastic fuel tanks (incl. hybrid/pressurized tanks)Plastics | – | – | – | – | HDPE, PA |
| Manufacture of bottles and canisters from 10 ml to 30 LPlastics | – | – | – | – | HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC, PETG, PCR |
| Manufacture of camshaftsMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrusion blow molding machine KEB | Kautex KEB | – | Clamping force 0–100 kN; 1 cavity; air ducts, filler pipes | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine KCC | Kautex KCC | – | Clamping force 1000–1500 kN; 1 cavity; drums, IBCs up to 1250 L | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine KBB | Kautex KBB | – | Clamping force 300–2720 kN; 1–2 cavities; fuel tanks, kayaks up to 4 m | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine Skyreef | Kautex Skyreef | – | Clamping force 240–400 kN; 1–18 cavities; bottles, canisters up to 30 L | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine KBS | Kautex KBS | – | Clamping force 250–500 kN; 1–20 cavities; bottles, canisters up to 30 L | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine KSH | Kautex KSH | – | Clamping force 60–400 kN; 1–20 cavities; bottles, canisters up to 50 L | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine K3D | Kautex K3D | – | Clamping force 120–380 kN; 1–6 cavities; canisters up to 20 L, technical parts | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine KBB100D | Kautex KBB100D | – | – | – | – |
| Extrusion blow molding machine KEB20 GREEN | Kautex KEB20 GREEN | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
With the Technical Center, Kautex offers the opportunity to validate processes and components before series production; automation and digital twins support process stability and repeatability in customers' series production.
| Evidence | Bonn |
|---|---|
| GMP-ready pharma systems |
History
- 1935
Foundation of the Galvanische Werkstätten by Reinold Hagen in Siegburg; later renamed Kautex
- 1935 ff.
- 1944
230 employees (Wikipedia, Kautex Textron)
- 1945/46
Destruction of the plant; rebuilt in Hangelar, production from 1946 with 47 employees
- 1958
Branch plant in Bonn-Duisdorf
- 1959
More than 1,000 employees; largest European manufacturer of thermoplastic hollow parts
- 1964
Prototype plastic fuel tank made of polyamide for Ford
- 1972
First plastic fuel tank made of HDPE for Volkswagen
- 1976
Sale of the machine-building business to Krupp (Krupp Kautex)
- 1992
Plant expansion for packaging in Waldkirch
- 1994
Multilayer automotive tank using coextrusion blow molding
- 1996
Expansion to Asia
- 1997
Acquisition by Textron
- 2004
Development of urea tank (SCR) with Bosch
- 2015
First hybrid fuel container made entirely of plastic
- heute
Part of the Jwell Machinery Group; 90 years of extrusion blow molding