Mechanical engineering group for electronics manufacturing, particle foam technology, automation and additive manufacturing
Kurtz Ersa SE & Co. KG
Kreuzwertheim · Wertheim · Sonnenbühl · Waltershausen · Vaterstetten · Zhuhai (CN)New on Amplifa
About Kurtz Ersa
Kurtz Ersa is an internationally active mechanical engineering group founded in 1779 with headquarters in the Spessart region (Kreuzwertheim, Germany), now run by the seventh family generation. The company produces and markets machines and systems for electronics manufacturing (reflow, selective and wave soldering systems, stencil printers, hand soldering and rework technology), shape moulding and block machines for particle foam processing (EPS, EPP, EPE, E-TPU), as well as automation solutions and systems for metal 3D laser printing. Manufacturing takes place at sites in Germany (Kreuzwertheim, Wertheim, Sonnenbühl, Waltershausen) and China (Zhuhai); sales and service branches exist in Europe, North America and Asia. Customer industries include, among others, electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, packaging and insulation, the automotive industry/light-metal casting, and additive manufacturing. With around 1,745 employees, revenue of 291 Mio. €, an export share of 80 % and a presence in over 90 countries, Kurtz Ersa ranks among the established providers of sustainable production solutions.
- Site
- Kreuzwertheim
- Processes
- Reflow soldering (HOTFLOW series, convection soldering), Reflow soldering under vacuum (EXOS 10/26), Selective soldering (VERSAFLOW, ECOSELECT), Wave soldering (POWERFLOW, air and N2 tunnel machines), Selective flux application (POWERFLUX, multidrop/spray heads), Hand soldering and rework (soldering stations, rework systems, IR and hybrid technology), Stencil printing (Stencil Printing), Pressfit technology (VERSAFIT, solder-free joining technology)
- Materials
- EPS (expandable polystyrene), EPP (expandable polypropylene), EPE, E-TPU, Aluminium (light-metal alloys), Grey cast iron (historical grey iron foundry), Solder wire/solder alloys, Solder paste
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2023, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001:2018, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001
- Founded
- 1779
- Employees
- 1745
- Industries
- Electronics manufacturing (SMT/THT), Semiconductor manufacturing, Packaging and insulation (particle foam), Automotive industry/light-metal casting, Additive manufacturing, Factory automation
- 01
Engineering & development
- 02
Manufacturing of machine components (e.g. MBW Metallbearbeitung Wertheim)
- 03
Assembly of soldering systems, shape moulding machines and automation solutions
- 04
Quality inspection including machine capability studies
- 05
Sales via a worldwide network
- 06
Service, maintenance, spare parts & training
Materials & Processes
Expandable polystyrene (EPS)
Material for shape moulding and block machines in particle foam processing, among other things packaging and insulation.
Expandable polypropylene (EPP)
Processed on shape moulding machines for impact-resistant foam mouldings.
Expanded polyethylene (EPE)
Processed on shape moulding machines for cushioning and packaging.
Expandable thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU)
Processed on shape moulding machines for elastic foam mouldings.
Aluminium (light-metal alloys)
Material for casting machines and applications in light-metal casting, particularly automotive.
Solder wire, solder alloys & solder paste
Consumables for soldering systems, offered from a single source.
Sites
Kreuzwertheim
DEGroup headquarters, Kurtz GmbH & Co. KG (shape moulding machines) and Kurtz Ersa Logistik GmbH
- Materials
- EPS, EPP, EPE, E-TPU
- Shape moulding machines (POLY FOAMER, PRO FOAMER, WAVE FOAMER, PANEL FOAMER, ROTO FOAMER)
- Pre-expanding and block machines
Wertheim
DEErsa GmbH & Co. KG, electronics manufacturing; Reinhardshof production site; Hammer Academy
- Materials
- Solder alloys, solder paste
- Reflow soldering systems (HOTFLOW ONE, HOTFLOW THREE, EXOS 10/26)
- Selective soldering systems (VERSAFLOW FIVE, VERSAFLOW 4/55, VERSAFLOW 4 XL, VERSAFLOW 3/66 XL, ECOSELECT 4)
- Wave soldering systems (POWERFLOW ULTRA XL/XXL, POWERFLOW FIVE)
- Stencil printers (Versaprint)
- Rework & inspection systems (ERSASCOPE)
Sonnenbühl
DESCHILLER AUTOMATION GmbH & Co. KG, automation systems
- Automation systems
Waltershausen
DEKurtz Ersa Smart Production GmbH
Vaterstetten
DEKurtz Ersa Semicon GmbH, semiconductor manufacturing technology
Zhuhai
CNKurtz Zhuhai Manufacturing Ltd., production of shape moulding machines for the Asian market
- Materials
- EPS, EPP
- Shape moulding machines (to Chinese market requirements, partly with German components)
Machines & Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflow soldering (HOTFLOW series, convection soldering)Joining | – | – | – | – | Solder tin/solder alloys, Printed circuit boards, Solder paste |
| Reflow soldering under vacuum (EXOS 10/26)Joining | – | – | – | – | Solder, Printed circuit boards |
| Selective soldering (VERSAFLOW, ECOSELECT)Joining | – | – | – | – | Solder, Printed circuit boards, Flux |
| Wave soldering (POWERFLOW, air and N2 tunnel machines)Joining | – | – | – | – | Solder, Printed circuit boards |
| Selective flux application (POWERFLUX, multidrop/spray heads)Surface | – | – | – | – | Flux |
| Hand soldering and rework (soldering stations, rework systems, IR and hybrid technology)Joining | – | – | – | – | Solder wire, Solder |
| Stencil printing (Stencil Printing)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Solder paste, Stencils |
| Pressfit technology (VERSAFIT, solder-free joining technology)Joining | – | – | – | – | Printed circuit boards, Electronic components |
| Optical inspection (ERSASCOPE, Inspection Systems)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Particle foam processing: shape moulding production (EPS, EPP, EPE, E-TPU; shuttle, in-mouldPlastics | – | – | – | – | EPS, EPP, EPE, E-TPU |
| Block moulding / block production (particle foam)Plastics | – | – | – | – | EPS, EPP, EPE, E-TPU |
| Metal 3D laser printing (additive manufacturing)Additive | – | – | – | – | Metals |
| Factory automation / automation solutions for electronics manufacturingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Solder fume extractionSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Machine capability study (MCS) for soldering systemsTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aluminium casting machines (foundry machines, block moulds, pre-expanders)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
22 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflow soldering system | Ersa HOTFLOW ONE | – | 14-26 heating zones, process lengths 3.30 to 7.10 m (series) | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Reflow soldering system | Ersa HOTFLOW THREE | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Vacuum reflow soldering system | Ersa EXOS 10/26 | – | 11 heaters (stated: 22 heating chambers according to technology text), 4 cooling zones, vacuum | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Inline selective soldering system | Ersa VERSAFLOW FIVE | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Inline selective soldering system | Ersa VERSAFLOW 4/55 | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Inline selective soldering system XL | Ersa VERSAFLOW 4 XL | – | PCB sizes up to 1,200 x 610 mm | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Selective soldering system | Ersa VERSAFLOW 3/66 XL | – | PCB maximum length 3,000 mm | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Selective soldering system (inline and batch) | Ersa ECOSELECT 4 | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Wave soldering system (N2 full tunnel) | Ersa POWERFLOW ULTRA XL | – | Working width up to 520 mm | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Wave soldering system (N2 full tunnel) | Ersa POWERFLOW ULTRA XXL | – | Working width up to 610 mm, PCB length up to 850 mm | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Wave soldering system | Ersa POWERFLOW FIVE | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Stencil printer | Ersa Versaprint | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Particle foam shape moulding machine (EPS) | Kurtz POLY FOAMER | – | – | – | Kreuzwertheim/Wiebelbach, Germany |
| Particle foam shape moulding machine (EPP) | Kurtz PRO FOAMER | – | – | – | Kreuzwertheim/Wiebelbach, Germany |
| Steamless shape moulding machine (Steamless Foaming) | Kurtz WAVE FOAMER | – | – | – | Kreuzwertheim/Wiebelbach, Germany |
| Shape moulding machine for facade insulation panels | Kurtz PANEL FOAMER | – | – | – | Kreuzwertheim/Wiebelbach, Germany |
| Shape moulding machine | Kurtz ROTO FOAMER | – | – | – | Kreuzwertheim/Wiebelbach, Germany |
| Metal 3D laser printing system | Kurtz | – | – | – | – |
| Soldering station (network-capable, hand soldering) | Ersa i-CON TRACE | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Rework system | Ersa | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Optical inspection system | Ersa ERSASCOPE | – | – | – | Wertheim, Germany |
| Automation systems | SCHILLER AUTOMATION | – | – | – | Sonnenbühl, Germany |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certifications
Kurtz Ersa has quality, occupational safety, environmental and energy management certified by independent bodies (Intechnica Cert); Ersa offers machine capability studies (MCS) for soldering systems with auditable documentation. In 2026 the company received Gold in the EcoVadis sustainability rating for the first time.
| Evidence | Wertheim | Kreuzwertheim | Sonnenbühl | Kurtz Ersa, Inc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | ||||
| ISO 14001 | ||||
| ISO 45001 | ||||
| ISO 50001 |
History
- 1779
Founding as an iron hammer forge in the Hasel valley near Hasloch, licensed by the Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim.
- 1800
Takeover of the iron hammer forge by the brothers Johann Georg and Johann Friedrich Kurtz.
- 1852
Addition of a grey iron foundry (castings for agricultural machinery, railways and bridge construction).
- 1860
Construction of the machine factory; expansion of the product range.
- 1921
Founding of Ersa in Berlin by Ernst Sachs as the first specialist factory for electric soldering irons.
- 1971
Delivery of the first EPS shape moulding machine 610D to Wiebelbach; the second machine produced packaging for Tchibo.
- 1976
Breakthrough with a patented, energy-efficient EPS process.
- 1983
Expansion to include block machines, pre-expanding and casting machines; after the takeover of the Wiebelbach foundry (1982), complete casting programme.
- 1984
Founding of the US subsidiary Kurtz Ersa, Inc. in Plymouth, Wisconsin.
- 1993
Takeover of Ersa Löttechnik by the Kurtz Group on 1 January.
- 1996
Founding of MBW Metallbearbeitung Wertheim (today Kurtz Ersa Automation).
- 1998
Founding of Kurtz Holding GmbH & Co. as the central holding company.
- 2003
Founding of Kurtz Zhuhai Manufacturing Ltd. in China.
- 2007
Establishment of the stencil printer product line (Versaprint); 2008 Global Technology Award for the Ersa Versaflow.
- 2014
Opening of the Kurtz Ersa Hammer Museum in Hasloch.
- 2020
Launch of the GoGreen250 sustainability initiative.
- 2021
100 years of Ersa; 'Factory of the Year' award.
- 2026
Gold in the EcoVadis rating for the first time; sale of the casting machines division to the Austrian Fill group of companies; target of CO2 neutrality by 2029.