Manufacturer of extrusion tools – dies and pressure heads – for the heavy clay industry and Technical Ceramics
ZMB BRAUN GmbH
Friedrichshafen · Mühlacker · Statesville (USA) · Lakewood (USA)New on Amplifa
Company
ZMB BRAUN GmbH, based in Friedrichshafen, is a company of the HÄNDLE Group and specialises in the design and manufacture of extrusion tools for the ceramics industry. The portfolio includes dies for all types of brick products, die systems such as B-TEC, Vario-TEC, Modul-TEC and BASIC LINE, pressure heads, and accessory equipment such as the die clamping and changeover device MSW, the die cleaning unit CLEAN-TEC and die assembly tables. Production is carried out on modern CNC machines; components made of tool steel, hard-chrome-plated steel, ceramics, carbide and VAUTID hard cast alloy are finished in a fully automatic hard chrome plating system. Application engineers support customers from analysis through design to commissioning of the tools. Customers are primarily the brick and heavy clay industry as well as manufacturers of Technical Ceramics, including catalysts for the automotive and petrochemical industries. Since 2024, KAMPEN™ dies have been manufactured at the Friedrichshafen site and at the HÄNDLE headquarters in Mühlacker.
- Site
- Friedrichshafen
- Processes
- Manufacture of extrusion tools / dies (brick industry), Extrusion tools for Technical Ceramics (catalysts, petrochemicals), Manufacture of pressure heads (including slide regulation, plastic insert, oiling/cooling), Hard chrome plating (hard chrome plating system, fully automatic), CNC machining (modern CNC machines in the machine park), Stiff extrusion (die-pressure head combination, shaping from round to oval), Ceramic extrusion / extrusion tool design and engineering (application engineering,, Laboratory and pilot-scale tests: preparation and extrusion of bodies, crushing, pelletising,
- Materials
- Tool steel, Hard-chrome-plated steel, Ceramics, Carbide, VAUTID hard cast alloy, Brass, Plastic, Clay / ceramic bodies (brick bodies)
- Founded
- 1926
- Employees
- 34
- Industries
- Brick industry, Heavy clay ceramics, Technical Ceramics, Automotive industry (catalysts), Petrochemicals, Construction ceramics
- 01
Application engineering and requirements analysis
- 02
Design and development of the extrusion tool
- 03
CNC machining of components
- 04
Hard chrome plating and surface finishing
- 05
Assembly
- 06
Laboratory and pilot-scale tests
- 07
Commissioning and service
Materials and Processes
Tool steel
Base material for die components such as leading plates and exit bars.
Hard-chrome-plated steel
Wear-resistant surface for cores and die components, produced in the in-house hard chrome plating system.
Ceramics
Material used optionally for exit bars and cores in the B-TEC system.
Carbide
For highly stressed die components, also as a bolted combination with steel.
VAUTID hard cast alloy
Used in die construction for wear-resistant components since 1974.
Brass
Material for small parts such as the lettering roller with ball bearing.
Plastic
Used in pressure heads, among other things as plastic inserts and plastic versions.
Clay / ceramic bodies
Tested brick bodies and mineral raw materials for laboratory and pilot-scale tests.
Sites
Friedrichshafen
DEHeadquarters, production and administration
- Materials
- Tool steel, hard-chrome-plated steel, ceramics, carbide, VAUTID hard cast alloy, brass, plastic
- CNC machines
- Fully automatic hard chrome plating system
- Die cleaning unit CLEAN-TEC
- Die clamping and changeover device (MSW)
- Die assembly table
Mühlacker
DEParent company HÄNDLE (headquarters)
- Laboratory measuring extruder (LME)
- Sedigraph 5120
Statesville
USSTEELE – stiff extrusion and dry preparation
Lakewood
USDIREXA – drying and firing solutions
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of extrusion tools / dies (brick industry)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Tool steel, Hard-chrome-plated steel, Ceramics, Carbide, VAUTID hard cast alloy, Brass |
| Extrusion tools for Technical Ceramics (catalysts, petrochemicals)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Tool steel |
| Manufacture of pressure heads (including slide regulation, plastic insert, oiling/cooling)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Steel, Plastic |
| Hard chrome plating (hard chrome plating system, fully automatic)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| CNC machining (modern CNC machines in the machine park)Machining | – | – | – | – | Metal, Steel, Brass |
| Stiff extrusion (die-pressure head combination, shaping from round to oval)Forming | – | – | – | – | Clay, Ceramic bodies |
| Ceramic extrusion / extrusion tool design and engineering (application engineering,Engineering | – | – | – | – | Brick bodies, ceramic bodies |
| Laboratory and pilot-scale tests: preparation and extrusion of bodies, crushing, pelletising,Testing | – | – | – | – | Brick bodies, mineral raw materials, raw and waste materials, construction ceramics, cement |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard chrome plating system (fully automatic) | – | – | – | – | Friedrichshafen |
| CNC machines | – | – | – | – | Friedrichshafen |
| Laboratory measuring extruder (LME) | HÄNDLE | – | – | – | Mühlacker (HÄNDLE laboratory/pilot plant) |
| Sedigraph 5120 (particle size analysis) | Sedigraph 5120 | – | – | – | Mühlacker (HÄNDLE laboratory) |
| Die cleaning unit CLEAN-TEC | ZMB BRAUN CLEAN-TEC | – | – | – | – |
| Die clamping and changeover device (MSW) | ZMB BRAUN | – | – | – | – |
| Die assembly table | ZMB BRAUN | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
History
- 1926
Company founded by master locksmith Josef Braun in Friedrichshafen/Kluftern
- 1928
First company building in Bahnhofstraße; invention and patenting of a machine for producing 5-sided closed hollow bricks
- 1929
Specialisation in the manufacture of dies for the brick industry
- 1938
Patenting of the inlet regulation on the die
- 1955
Expansion of the production facility and growth of the workforce
- 1962
Commissioning of the first hard chrome plating system
- 1963
Construction of the world's first large-block die
- 1968
Construction of the first pressure head
- 1972
Construction of a new company building in Markdorfer Straße
- 1974
Construction of the first unit for stiff extrusion; introduction of VAUTID hard cast alloy in die construction
- 1983
Construction of the first pressure heads and dies for Technical Ceramics
- 1985
Construction of the first die cleaning unit
- 1986
Expansion of the administration building
- 1991
Construction of the first die changeover device
- 1993
Expansion of production areas, modern CNC machines; construction of the first pressure head with slide regulation
- 1997
Construction of the new fully automatic hard chrome plating system
- 2012
Construction of the first die with a bolted core set (B-TEC); construction of the first assembly table
- 2014
Complete overhaul and modernisation of the hard chrome plating system
- 2024
KAMPEN™ dies have been manufactured since 01.07.2024 at the ZMB BRAUN production site as well as at the HÄNDLE headquarters