Development and manufacture of dental instruments, treatment units and laboratory equipment from Biberach and Warthausen
KaVo Dental GmbH
Biberach an der Riß · WarthausenNew on Amplifa
About KaVo Dental
KaVo Dental GmbH, headquartered in Biberach an der Riß, has been manufacturing dental instruments from solid stainless steel bars since 1909, as well as treatment units, surgical handpieces, turbines and laboratory equipment such as workstations (MASTERspace, FLEXspace), suction units (SMARTair Evo), articulators (PROTARevo) and facebows (ARCUS). The products are developed and manufactured in the company's own plants in Biberach and Warthausen; service, repair and training (KaVo Campus) also come from the headquarters. The company employs around 1,500 staff worldwide at 22 locations with its own sales companies in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Since 2022, KaVo has been part of the Finnish Planmeca Group. Customers include dentists, dental laboratories, universities and clinics worldwide; instruments and treatment units are regarded as the benchmark for precision and durability in the dental industry.
- Site
- Biberach an der Riß
- Processes
- Manufacture of dental instruments (handpieces, contra-angles, turbines), Development and assembly of treatment units, Manufacture of laboratory suction units (SMARTair Evo, triple filter system), Handpiece repair and overhaul (factory repair, original parts), Service & repair (workshop in Biberach), Technical service / hotline, KaVo e-Service, KaVo Campus (training/courses)
- Materials
- Stainless steel, Cobalt, Nickel, Beryllium, Gold, Plaster/gypsum, Quartz, Ceramic
- Certificates
- EN ISO 13485:2016 + AC:2018 + A11:2021, MDR (EU) 2017/745 Annex IX Chapter I+III, ISO 13485:2016 MDSAP, ISO 13485:2016, EN ISO 13485:2016 + AC:2018 + A11:2021 (DEKRA), MDR (EU) 2017/745 Annex IX, ISO 13485 MDSAP, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, EN 9100, IATF 16949
- Founded
- 1909
- Employees
- approx. 1,500
- Industries
- Dentistry, Dental technology, Dental technology/laboratories, Dental education/universities
- 01
Engineering & Development
- 02
Manufacture of instruments from stainless steel bars
- 03
Assembly of handpieces & turbines
- 04
Assembly of treatment units
- 05
Production of laboratory equipment & suction technology
- 06
Testing & quality control
- 07
Maintenance, repair & training
Materials & Processes
Stainless steel
Solid stainless steel bars form the basis of the highly precise, durable KaVo instruments and handpieces.
Methyl methacrylate (PMMA)
PMMA plastic dusts are captured by the laboratory suction units with triple filter system.
Plaster/gypsum
Plaster dusts from dental technology applications are separated by class M filter systems.
Gold (precious metal)
Precious metal dusts from laboratory work are reliably extracted and separated in the suction units.
Ceramic/quartz
Quartz and ceramic fine dusts are removed from the laboratory air with ultra-fine filters.
Cobalt
Health-hazardous cobalt dusts from dental technology processes are actively extracted.
Nickel
Nickel-containing fine dusts are removed from the laboratory air via triple filter systems.
Beryllium
Beryllium dusts are separated in the suction units with activated carbon and ultra-fine filters.
Ceramic/quartz (laboratory air)
Quartz limit value 0.00015 g/m³, plaster and gold 0.0058 g/m³ – KaVo suction complies with these limit values.
Locations
Biberach an der Riß
DEHeadquarters, development, production, service
- Materials
- Stainless steel
- MASTERspace laboratory workstation
- FLEXspace laboratory workstation
- SMARTair Evo suction unit
- QUATTROcare Plus reprocessing unit
Warthausen
DEProduction site
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of dental instruments (handpieces, contra-angles, turbines)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel |
| Development and assembly of treatment unitsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of laboratory suction units (SMARTair Evo, triple filter system)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Handpiece repair and overhaul (factory repair, original parts)Testing | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMARTair Evo single-workstation suction unit (drawer solution or stand-alone, class M filter) | KaVo SMARTair Evo | – | – | – | – |
| Dental laboratory workstation MASTERspace | KaVo MASTERspace | – | – | – | – |
| Dental laboratory workstation FLEXspace | KaVo FLEXspace | – | – | – | – |
| Articulator PROTARevo | KaVo PROTARevo | – | – | – | – |
| Facebow ARCUS/ARCUSevo | KaVo ARCUS/ARCUSevo | – | – | – | – |
| Diagnostic camera DIAGNOcam Vision Full HD | KaVo DIAGNOcam Vision Full HD | – | – | – | – |
| Air-driven dental turbines SMARTtorque | KaVo SMARTtorque | – | – | – | – |
| Surgical handpieces MASTERsurg / EXPERTsurg / SURGmatic | KaVo MASTERsurg; EXPERTsurg; SURGmatic | – | – | – | – |
| Instrument reprocessing unit QUATTROcare Plus | KaVo QUATTROcare Plus | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Quality & Certification
KaVo operates processes certified to EN ISO 13485:2016, MDR (EU) 2017/745 and ISO 13485 MDSAP; testing and monitoring are carried out in accordance with these standards, audited by authorities worldwide.
| Evidence | Biberach an der Riß | Warthausen |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 13485:2016 | ||
| EN ISO 13485:2016 + AC:2018 + A11:2021 (DEKRA) | ||
| MDR (EU) 2017/745 Annex IX | ||
| ISO 13485 MDSAP | ||
| ISO 9001 | ||
| ISO 14001 | ||
| EN 9100 | ||
| IATF 16949 |
History
- 1909
Founded by Alois Kaltenbach in Berlin-Steglitz
- 1919
Richard Voigt joins the company; relocation to Potsdam; renamed Kaltenbach & Voigt
- 1928
World's first sterilizable handpiece
- 1936
First dental unit (KaVo 1001)
- 1939
300 employees
- 1946
Erich Hoffmeister becomes a partner; headquarters relocated to Biberach
- 1952
Resumption of unit production including ball bearing manufacturing
- 1958
First KaVo turbine (Borden Airotor)
- 1959
Plant for dental technology in Leutkirch; first foreign subsidiaries
- 1962
Foreign subsidiaries in London and Brazil
- 2004
Acquisition by Danaher Corporation; takeover of Gendex
- 2005
Acquisition of Pelton & Crane
- 2007
Sale of the Leutkirch plant; acquisition of i-CAT
- 2009
Acquisition of Soredex imaging brands
- 2012
Acquisition of Aribex (NOMAD X-ray)
- 2016
KaVo/Kerr joint venture under Danaher (KaVo Kerr)
- 2019
Danaher spins off its dental segment into Envista Holdings
- 2021
Envista announces the sale of KaVo Kerr to Planmeca for USD 455 million
- 2022
KaVo becomes part of the Finnish Planmeca Group