Manufacturer of circular knitting and circular warp knitting machines for technical textiles – from consulting and construction to worldwide service.
Maschinenfabrik Harry Lucas GmbH & Co. KG
Neumünster · Einsiedel/Chemnitz · Chróścice (PL)New on Amplifa
About Maschinenfabrik Harry Lucas
Maschinenfabrik Harry Lucas GmbH & Co. KG is a manufacturer of textile machines based in Neumünster, run by the fourth generation since 1942. The company develops and manufactures modular circular knitting, circular warp knitting and spiraling machines, in particular vertical and horizontal hose-overknitting machines for inline operation with extruders. The machines process metal wire, glass fiber, Kevlar, cotton and plastics into technical knitted fabrics for industries such as automotive, medical technology, hose and filter industry as well as food packaging. In addition, the company offers contract manufacturing of technical knitted fabrics in small and medium series as well as machining of machine components by turning, milling, welding and through-feed shot blasting. With more than 50 international representatives and machines in more than 80 countries, the company serves customers worldwide with around 110 employees at three locations. Retrofit-capable IoT solutions for machine data acquisition complement the service portfolio.
- Site
- Neumünster
- Processes
- Circular knitting / Textile production of technical knitted fabrics (contract manufacturing), Turning, Milling, Welding, Through-feed shot blasting, Contract manufacturing of machine components and small assemblies to drawings, Special machine construction / Manufacturing of textile machines, Consulting and development / Prototypes and special machines
- Materials
- Kevlar, Glass fiber, Metal wire, Cotton, Plastic, Rubber, Plastic and rubber, Machining to drawing
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, Documented manufacturing procedures
- Founded
- 1942
- Employees
- 110+
- Industries
- Textile and fashion industry, Automotive industry, Medical technology / Orthopedics, Hose industry / technical textiles, Food packaging, Filter industry
- 01
Consulting and machine development
- 02
Sample analysis and prototypes
- 03
Engineering
- 04
CNC milling
- 05
CNC turning
- 06
Welding
- 07
Assembly
- 08
Testing
- 09
Maintenance and support
Materials and Fibers
Metal wire
Processing into technical fabrics for filters and shielding on circular knitting machines.
Glass fiber
High-strength textile structures, e.g. for radiator hoses in the automotive sector.
Kevlar
For high-strength, durable hoses such as radiator hoses in vehicle construction.
Cotton
Natural fiber for textile-related applications and fashion textiles.
Plastic and rubber
Overknitting of plastic and rubber hoses, e.g. as sealing profiles.
Machining to drawing
Turning, milling and welding of machine components and small assemblies.
Locations
Neumünster
DEHeadquarters / Production
- Materials
- Metal wire, glass fiber, Kevlar, cotton, plastic
- Circular knitting machines (RR2-Z, RR3-Z)
- Vertical hose-overknitting machine RVU
- Horizontal hose-overknitting machine RHU
- Spiraling machine RHU-S
- Circular warp knitting machines VEPA-E, PA8-L
- Cutting and finishing unit ABL01
Einsiedel/Chemnitz
DEConsulting, Development & Engineering (Lucas Textilmaschinen GmbH)
Chróścice
PLProduction, Manufacturing and Assembly (LUC-PRODUCT SP. Z O.O.)
Components and Machines
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circular knitting / Textile production of technical knitted fabrics (contract manufacturing)Textile processing | – | – | – | Small series – Medium series | Metal wire, Glass fiber, Kevlar, Cotton, High-tech fibers |
| TurningMachining | – | – | – | Single parts – Small series | a wide variety of materials |
| MillingMachining | – | – | – | Single parts – Small series | a wide variety of materials |
| WeldingJoining | – | – | – | Single parts – Small series | – |
| Through-feed shot blastingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Contract manufacturing of machine components and small assemblies to drawingsMachining | – | – | – | Single parts/Prototypes – Small series | – |
| Special machine construction / Manufacturing of textile machinesAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Consulting and development / Prototypes and special machinesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Maintenance, repair and spare parts service for circular knitting machinesTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
14 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic high-performance circular warp knitting machine | Harry Lucas VEPA-E | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Circular warp knitting machine for cords and hose tapes | Harry Lucas PA8-L | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Horizontal hose-overknitting machine (inline with extruder) | Harry Lucas RHU | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Horizontal spiraling machine, 2×24 threads | Harry Lucas RHU-S | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Knitting machine for plain knit fabric | Harry Lucas RR3-Z-PL | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Vertical hose-overknitting machine | Harry Lucas RVU | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Plain knit circular knitting machine | Harry Lucas RR3-Z (-10″) | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Rib circular knitting machine | Harry Lucas RR2-Z (-10″) | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Cutting and finishing unit | Harry Lucas ABL01 | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Vertical circular knitting machine with rotating cylinder | Harry Lucas | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Machine data acquisition system (Raspberry Pi, PyMSC module, InfluxDB, Grafana), retrofit-capable | Harry Lucas PyMSC | – | – | – | Neumünster |
| Krinkel yarn machine | Harry Lucas | – | – | – | – |
| Tie automaton | Harry Lucas | – | – | – | – |
| W-reverse plating automaton | Harry Lucas | – | – | – | Neumünster |
Additional services
Quality and Testing
Manufacturing follows documented, precise processes with a high level of vertical integration; documented procedures are also proven for medical and technical applications.
| Evidence | Neumünster |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| Documented manufacturing procedures |
Company History
- 1942
Foundation of the mechanical locksmith shop by Harry Lucas I in Litzmannstadt (Łódź).
- 1944/45
War-related evacuation and loss of machines and materials.
- 1945
New start in Neumünster with repairs of agricultural machinery.
- 1950
Start of series production of electric hand knitting machines.
- 1954
Patenting of the W-reverse plating automaton; export development in Europe; introduction of the 'elha' brand.
- 1970–1986
Electronics integration and digitalization under Harry Lucas III; new location in Poland.
- 1989
Expansion after the fall of the Berlin Wall into Central and Eastern Europe.
- 1991–1999
Entry into automotive technology with radiator hose machines; OEM approvals.
- 1999
More than 12,000 machines sold; leading position in radiator hose automatons.
- 2009
Harry Lucas IV introduces IoT, automation software and predictive maintenance.
- 2017
75th anniversary celebration; focus on sustainability, customization and digital customer portals.