Manufacturer of custom-made precision blades and industrial knives – around 180,000 knives and tools per year, produced as one-off items.
Rainer May GmbH
Neuwied · GermanyNew on Amplifa
About Rainer May GmbH
Rainer May GmbH is a family business founded in 1985 and based in Neuwied, specialising in the manufacture of custom-made industrial knives and cutting tools. The product range includes top and bottom blades, perforating and creasing circular knives, cutting dies, creasing rules, ink knives, as well as carbide-tipped and solid carbide tools; around 180,000 knives and tools are produced annually from more than 34,000 different products. Manufacturing is carried out as one-off production with no minimum order quantity – from a single piece to large series – on CNC machines for laser cutting, turning, milling, grinding and tooth processing with accuracy in the thousandths-of-a-millimetre range. Materials processed include spring steel strip, tool and high-speed steel, powder and special steels, stainless steel, corrosion-resistant steel grades, carbide and plastics; coatings such as non-stick, hard chrome, HVOF and TIN are applied by long-standing partner companies. The precision knives are used, among other applications, in packaging and recycling, printing and paper, hygiene, medical and dressings, as well as food and luxury foods – in total across more than 20 industries in more than 60 export countries. More than 30 employees work at over 5,600 m² of production and administration space in Neuwied.
- Site
- Neuwied
- Processes
- Precision knife manufacturing (industrial knives/tools), Laser cutting (CNC), Turning (CNC), Milling (CNC), Grinding (CNC, surface/longitudinal grinding), Cylindrical grinding (CNC), Tooth processing / tooth grinding (CNC tooth machines), Waterjet cutting
- Materials
- Spring steel strip, Tool steel, Stainless steel, Corrosion-resistant steel, High-speed steel, Powder steel, Special steel, Carbide
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1985
- Employees
- 30
- Industries
- Packaging and recycling, Printing and paper, Hygiene, medical and dressings, Food and luxury foods, Mechanical engineering, more than 20 further industries
- 01
Consulting and design including drawing creation
- 02
Material selection
- 03
Laser cutting / waterjet cutting
- 04
Turning, milling, tooth processing
- 05
Grinding (surface, cylindrical, profile, spline grinding)
- 06
Heat treatment / hardening
- 07
Coating (partner companies)
- 08
Final inspection and delivery
- 09
Regrinding service
Materials and Processes
Spring steel strip
Standard material for precision blades with high spring and cutting performance.
Tool steel
Wear-resistant material for heavily stressed cutting and punching tools.
High-speed steel
For knives with high demands on cutting edge retention.
Powder steel
Homogeneous special steel for demanding cutting applications.
Special steel
Individually selected depending on the cutting material and operating conditions.
Stainless steel
Corrosion-resistant, among other things for the food industry.
Corrosion-resistant steel
Meets the requirements of food regulations.
Carbide
For tipped and solid carbide knives with particularly long service life.
Plastics
Material for special applications in the knife sector.
Laser cutting
CNC laser cutting up to 3,000 x 1,500 mm for steel, stainless steel and aluminium.
Waterjet cutting
Contour cutting without heat-affected zone, in use since 1998.
Coatings (non-stick, hard chrome, HVOF, TIN)
Carried out by partner companies, increase service life and cutting performance.
Locations
Neuwied
DEProduction and Administration
- Lot size
- One-off production without minimum order quantity; from 1 piece
- Materials
- Spring steel strip, tool steel, high-speed steel, powder steel, stainless steel, carbide, plastics
- CNC laser cutting machines (max. 3,000 x 1,500 mm)
- CNC lathes (max. Ø 300 x 800 mm)
- CNC milling machines (max. 2,000 x 600 mm)
- CNC grinding machines (max. 3,800 mm length)
- CNC cylindrical grinding machines (Ø 200 x 1,000 mm)
- CNC tooth processing machines (150 x 1,600 mm)
- Waterjet cutting system
- 5-axis profile grinding machine (custom development)
- Spline grinding machine
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision knife manufacturing (industrial knives/tools)Joining | – | – | – | 1 piece | Spring steel strip, Tool steel, Stainless steel, Corrosion-resistant steel, High-speed steel, Powder steel, Special steel, Carbide, Plastics |
| Laser cutting (CNC)Machining | – | 3,000 mm × 1,500 mm | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium |
| Turning (CNC)Machining | – | 800 mm × Ø 300 mm | – | – | – |
| Milling (CNC)Machining | – | 2,000 mm × 600 mm | – | – | – |
| Grinding (CNC, surface/longitudinal grinding)Machining | – | 3,800 mm | – | – | – |
| Cylindrical grinding (CNC)Machining | – | 1,000 mm × Ø 200 mm | – | – | – |
| Tooth processing / tooth grinding (CNC tooth machines)Machining | – | 1,600 mm × 150 mm | – | – | – |
| Waterjet cuttingMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5-axis profile grindingMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spline grindingMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Punching (circular-hole/handle-hole die manufacturing)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel, Carbide |
| Coating (non-stick, hard chrome, HVOF, TIN, among others, via partner)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Carbide |
| Heat treatment (hardened plate sheets kept in stock)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Knife regrinding (service)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Custom and contract manufacturing / engineering (drawing creation, sample knives, knife development)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hardening of tool steelsHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | Tool steel, High-speed steel |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC laser cutting machine | – | – | max. 3,000 x 1,500 mm | – | Neuwied |
| CNC lathe | – | – | max. Ø 300 x 800 mm | – | Neuwied |
| CNC milling machine | – | – | max. 2,000 x 600 mm | – | Neuwied |
| CNC grinding machine | – | – | max. 3,800 mm length | – | Neuwied |
| CNC cylindrical grinding machine | – | – | Ø 200 x 1,000 mm | – | Neuwied |
| CNC tooth processing machine | – | – | 150 x 1,600 mm | – | Neuwied |
| Waterjet cutting system | – | 1 | – | – | Neuwied |
| Laser cutting system | – | – | – | – | Neuwied |
| 5-axis profile grinding machine (custom development) | – | 1 | – | – | Neuwied |
| Spline grinding machine | – | 1 | – | – | Neuwied |
Additional services
Quality
The quality management system has been certified to DIN EN ISO 9001 by TÜV Rheinland since 1996 and is confirmed annually. Production is carried out on CNC machines with accuracy in the thousandths-of-a-millimetre range; steels are sourced from long-standing rolling mills in Germany and Europe.
| Evidence | Neuwied |
|---|---|
| DIN EN ISO 9001 |
History
- 1985
Founding of Rainer May GmbH by Rainer and Renate May with 3 employees
- 1996
Certification of quality management to ISO 9001 by TÜV Rheinland; move to newly acquired production hall with administration building covering over 5,600 m², more than 20 employees
- 1998
Construction of an additional production hall; first waterjet cutting system
- 2000
Photovoltaic system feeding in over 70,000 kWh/year
- 2002
First laser cutting system
- 2006
Spline grinding machine for an expanded product portfolio
- 2012
5-axis profile grinding machine, developed in-house
- 2015
New, more powerful laser technology
- 2018
Conversion of water treatment to centrifuge technology
- unbekannt
Handover of company management from founder Rainer May to daughter Heike Stinner-May and son-in-law Stefan Stinner