Development and thermoforming of plastic workpiece carriers for automated industrial manufacturing.
Variotech GmbH
Nordhorn (DE) · Indianapolis (US) · Enschede (NL)New on Amplifa
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Variotech GmbH, headquartered in Nordhorn (Lower Saxony), develops and manufactures thermoformed workpiece carriers (trays) made of plastic for industrial manufacturing. The complete process chain is covered in-house: CAD design of trays for maximum packing density, 3D printing of samples and functional prototypes, in-house CNC toolmaking, and thermoforming (vacuum deep-drawing of plastic) on nine thermoforming lines with digitally networked production monitoring. Plastics processed include ABS, ABS-TPU, PC, PE, PET, PP, PPC and PS – as virgin material and regrind, some electrically conductive or with FDA certification; trays are produced up to 1200 x 1000 mm. Product lines are returnable trays for heavy duty, automatic handling and cleaning, as well as single-use trays; the company also offers ESD protection, an in-house cleaning system with cleanroom packaging, and recycling of plastic trays. Customers come from automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals, medical, mechanical engineering/automation and HVAC (heating and cooling) technology, including AUDI and ZF. Sites include, alongside Nordhorn, a US branch in Indianapolis and the acquired subsidiaries Plastiforma B.V. and Plastipaq B.V. in Enschede (Netherlands).
- Site
- Nordhorn
- Processes
- Thermoforming (deep drawing) of plastic workpiece carriers, 3D printing of samples and complete workpiece carriers for testing purposes, CNC milling / tool manufacturing (in-house tool design and toolmaking), CAD design / tray design development, In-house cleaning system for trays (suction, cleanroom packaging), Plastic recycling (regrind), CAD tray design (8 designers), In-house tool manufacturing (CNC/toolmaking)
- Materials
- ABS, ABS-TPU, ABS-TPU-EL, PC (polycarbonate), PE (polyethylene), PET, PP (polypropylene), PPC
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, DIN EN ISO 45001:2023
- Employees
- 85
- Industries
- Automotive, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals, Medical, Mechanical engineering / automation (plant manufacturers), HVAC (heating/cooling technology)
- 01
CAD tray design (8 designers)
- 02
3D printing of samples for functional checks
- 03
In-house tool manufacturing (CNC/toolmaking)
- 04
Thermoforming (deep drawing)
- 05
Tray cleaning with minimal residual particle contamination
- 06
Cleanroom packaging
- 07
Quality control / digital production monitoring
Plastics and processes
ABS (virgin/regrind)
Standard material for thermoformed workpiece carriers, temperature range -40 to +80 °C, good suitability for automation.
ABS-TPU
Special plastic with high tear-out strength for particularly sensitive workpieces.
ABS-TPU-EL
Electrically conductive ABS-TPU variant with ESD protection.
PC (polycarbonate)
For high temperature requirements from -80 to +120 °C with high impact resistance.
PE (polyethylene)
Good oil and chemical resistance, suitable e.g. for cleaning applications.
PET
Transparent virgin material, among other things for pharmaceutical applications.
PP (polypropylene)
Lightweight, robust and suitable for continuous use in ultrasonic baths.
PPC
PPC virgin material with good chemical resistance and high impact strength.
PS (polystyrene)
Cost-effective material, also available as regrind and electrically conductive.
Thermoforming (deep drawing)
Vacuum deep-drawing of plastic on nine thermoforming lines for dimensionally stable trays in series production.
3D printing
Production of samples and complete workpiece carriers for testing purposes before series start-up.
CNC milling (toolmaking)
In-house aluminium tool manufacturing on four CNC machines; last-minute changes can be implemented quickly.
Locations
Nordhorn
DEHeadquarters / production (main site)
- Part weight / size
- Trays up to 1200 x 1000 mm
- Lot size
- Prototype to series (returnable and single-use trays)
- Materials
- ABS, ABS-TPU, PC, PE, PET, PP, PPC, PS (virgin/regrind, partly ESD)
- 9 thermoforming lines
- 4 CNC toolmaking machines
- 3D printers
- Cleaning system with cleanroom packaging
- digitally networked machine fleet
Indianapolis
USBranch office Variotech Corporation (Suite C)
Enschede
NLSubsidiary Plastiforma B.V. (plastic packaging; affiliated Plastipaq B.V., contract packaging/co-packing)
Workpiece carrier systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermoforming (deep drawing) of plastic workpiece carriersPlastics | – | up to 1200 x 1000 mm | – | – | ABS regrind, ABS virgin material, ABS-TPU, ABS-TPU-EL, PC regrind, PC virgin material, PE regrind, PE virgin material, PET virgin material, PP virgin material, PPC virgin material, PS regrind, PS virgin material, PS electrically conductive |
| 3D printing of samples and complete workpiece carriers for testing purposesAdditive | – | – | – | – | – |
| CNC milling / tool manufacturing (in-house tool design and toolmaking)Machining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| CAD design / tray design developmentEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| In-house cleaning system for trays (suction, cleanroom packaging)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Plastic recycling (regrind)Plastics | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermoforming line | – | 9 | – | – | Nordhorn |
| CNC machine for tool manufacturing | – | 4 | – | – | Nordhorn |
| 3D printer | – | – | – | – | Nordhorn |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality is the standard
Quality management according to ISO 9001 with regular internal and external audits and active involvement of suppliers; production is digitally networked and quality management is agilely integrated into manufacturing. Since 2019, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 have complemented the management systems for environment and occupational safety.
| Evidence | Nordhorn |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 14001:2015 | |
| DIN EN ISO 45001:2023 |
History
- 2000
25 years of Variotech – company founded in 2000
- 2019
Introduction of the ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems
- 2023
Top Company 2023 on Kununu (second time in a row)
- 2025
TOP 100 award for the eighth time
- 2026
Another TOP 100 award; acquisition of Plastiforma B.V. (Enschede, NL) including Plastipaq B.V.; EcoVadis Silver Medal (top 15%)