The German press manufacturer KOMAGE Gellner Maschinenfabrik celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2008. In this sponsored editorial feature, we take a look at the company’s long history in developing state-of-the-art powder compaction technologies

Company history

The history of KOMAGE Maschinenfabrik originates in Berlin. At the turn of the 20th Century, a number of companies and machinery plants were founded which focused on the production of powder press systems, turning Berlin into a hotspot for this technology. The reason for this development was a demand by pharmaceutical companies for automatic presses to produce medications in tablet form instead of as powder.

Bruno Pahlitzsch founded ‘Komprimier-Maschinen-Gesellschaft’ in 1908, and the first syllables KO MA GE became the trademark of the company. After his death in the early 1930’s the company was split up.

The automatic press company KOMAGE was transferred to his daughter Gisela Pahlitzsch. Gisela met the lawyer Dr. Hermann Gellner and they subsequently married. When an additional expansion was planned, the decision was made to relocate to Kell-am-See.

The re-location from Berlin to Kell took place in 1938 and led to the company’s name change to KOMAGE Gellner Maschinenfabrik. Thanks to the increased utilisation of powder presses in industry the first automatic presses were developed. As a result, KOMAGE was now also able to offer machines for the chemical and ceramic industries.

After the death of Dr. Hermann Gellner in 1950, his window, Gisela Gellner, transferred the control of the operations area to her brother-in-law Ludwig Gellner, and the control of the technical area to her son, Herbert Gellner.

Herbert Gellner led the company into a new era, recognising the necessity for appropriate machinery for the rapidly developing PM sector, especially the compaction of metal powders. In 1964, Herbert Gellner took over the company after Ludwig Gellner retired.

Moving towards metal parts production

The increasing importance of the pressing of technical powders led to the development of automatic powder presses and tablet presses were taken out of production. Instead, various mechanical presses were designed. At this point the company was transformed into a mid-sized family business.

The automatic presses underwent constant new developments and the first hydraulic presses were constructed by KOMAGE in the mid-sixties, for which CNC control was developed in the mid-seventies. This was greeted with great enthusiasm by the market. The steady development of the presses is reflected in the number of patents through which KOMAGE had their technologies protected.

In the area of carbon brushes for example, KOMAGE was able to be the first manufacturer to press copper cables into the components and cut them to adjustable lengths in one press cycle.

Mr. Herbert Gellner died suddenly in 1986 in a tragic accident. However, the new developments he had started were continued and in 1990 at the PM’90 Exhibition in London, the first mechanical-hydraulic automatic hybrid press ‘KFMA 20’ was introduced.

In 1995 Mrs. Margit Gellner officially took over the management of KOMAGE Gellner Maschinenfabrik. Today, the company is a family business in the fourth generation. It now focuses on the production of specialised machinery that achieves the highest level of standard possible covering the entire PM process, starting from the powder supply to the removal of the pressed parts, their stacking and transport to the sintering furnace.

Looking to the future

The 100 years that KOMAGE Gellner Maschinenfabrik is in existence are marked by numerous technical innovations, which could be adopted into the new machines and resulted in rapid sales growth to the industrial market. The ideas produced altered pressing technology and provided new impulses for pressing techniques.

In the future, this dynamic development will be continued. With new technologies, the needs and demands of the customer will continue to be transformed into efficient systems for the fast and economical production of pressed components of the required quality.

The company’s success over the last 100 years will be celebrated in 2008 with customers, suppliers and employees.

KOMAGE Gellner Maschinenfabrik KG

Dr. Hermann Gellner Str. 1

D-54427 Kell am See, Germany

Tel: +49 6589 9142 0

Fax: +49 6589 9142 19

www.komage.de