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Highlights of a success story

1911 - Founding in Troisdorf

Initially Reifenhäuser was a forge, founded in 1911 by Anton Reifenhäuser in Troisdorf. At the end of the 40s, Hans and Fritz Reifenhäuser ventured into the field of plastics machinery manufacture, and thus initiated the quick rise to a global industrial enterprise. Today Reifenhäuser is still purely a family enterprise, even in these times of global company fusions. Ulrich and Klaus Reifenhäuser are the third generation to lead the business.

1948 - The first Reifenhäuser extruder

The first Reifenhäuser extruder was built in 1948. The machine had a screw diameter of 30 mm and was immediately received with great enthusiasm by the upcoming plastics processing industry.
Parallel to manufacturing the extruder, Reifenhäuser started to develop downstream equipment that served to create plastic products from molten granulate for a wide variety of industrial fields.
Even today, over 850 patents confirm the innovativeness and pioneering spirit of the Reifenhäuser company.

1954 - Invention of the vacuum calibration technique for extrusion of hollow profiles and pipes

1954 marks the year in which vacuum calibration technology for extrusion of hollow profiles and pipes was invented at Reifenhäuser. The patent was a revolutionary step towards economical extrusion of PVC profiles. Later it also became a key factor in the extrusion of PE and PP pipes. Even today, this method is used worldwide in the production of pipes.

1965 - New twin-die system for blown film lines

The development of extrusion technology for manufacturing heavy duty sacks made of PE-LD started in the mid-60s. Reifenhäuser was the first company that implemented a twin-die system to increase the production economy.

1969 - Development of 2-layer coextruded film

At the end of the 60s, the development of 2-layer coextruded film was Reifenhäuser's contribution to the growing interest that the packaging industry was showing in PE film applications. This special film led to the manufacturing and implementation of milk pouches for fresh milk.

1971- Reiloy Metall

The manufacture and sale of customized wear-resistant screws and barrels has been a task from the beginning of the Reifenhäuser company's existence. A leading market position could be conquered very early already thanks to constant development of new hard alloys and corrosion protection processes. As a consequence, the innovative division within Reifenhäuser was transformed into an independent company with the foundation of Reiloy Metall GmbH in 1971.

Investments in new hightech production facilities and an increase of the production capacity are perfect prerequisites for Reiloy to continue its success story also in the future.

1974 - New administration, new structures

To meet the demands of rapid growth and international markets, all technical and commercial departments were combined into a central administration in 1974.

1975 - New quality standards in sheet manufacturing

In the mid-70s, the next project that was tackled was the development of an extrusion technique for manufacturing highly transparent sheets made of PC and PMMA. Reifenhäuser set new standards in optical quality by developing horizontally aligned polishing rolls, in conjunction with new drive systems for the rolls.

1977 - First blown film line with REIcofol automation

Through the development of the REIcofol automation system for blown film lines, Reifenhäuser pathed the way for high-tech, economic extrusion lines that set new quality standards.

1984 - Introduction of film thickness control by means of translator bolts

Translator bolts that are integrated into a cast film die control the film thickness. "Translator bolts" are individual control elements that make use of the piezoelectric effect. They were invented by Reifenhäuser in 1984.

1985 - Coextrusion slide adapter

The coextrusion adapter, located upstream of the sheet die, is a patented design with adjustable sliders to influence the individual layer thickness distribution. Reifenhäuser has been implementing this adapter in coextrusion processes since 1985, to improve the quality of cast film and thermoforming sheet in multilayer structures.

1985 - First non-woven line with the new REICOFIL system

The first line using the REICOFIL process was introduced into the Reifenhäuser product range in 1985. This process was used to manufacture thermo-bonded non-woven fabric made of polypropylene.

1995 - Polyrema

A growing demand for high-quality second-hand Reifenhäuser lines led to the establishment of Polyrema in 1995. Used machines are refurbished, wear parts are replaced and out-of date components are exchanged against modern original Reifenhäuser parts by the specialists of the company or with expert support.

The extent of refurbishment is variable and depends on customer requirement. Of course, the global Reifenhäuser RQS quality service is also available to Polyrema's customers.

1997 - Next generation of the REICOFIL^® system: REICOFIL^® 3

Further development of the REICOFIL system, to feature modified stretching channel geometry and modified pressure specifications for the cooling system, led to the REICOFIL 3 technique, introduced in 1997.

2000 - Reimotec

When in 2000 Reifenhäuser decided to transfer the tape and monofilament production area to Reimotec, nobody could anticipate at that time the successful development of the company within a very short period already. Reimotec not only supplies the lines but also complete engineering and extensive process know-how. Reimotec owes its leading market position to personal relationship with customers, purposeful, economic thinking and striving for using always the latest state-of-the-art technology.

2000 - New techniques for manufacturing breathable films and film/non-woven composites

The core idea of this new technology is combining and stretching a breathable film/non-woven composite. In this process, the various production steps of known techniques are combined as required.

2001 - Reitorque, gearless drive technology for single-screw extruder

Compact design, high efficiency, constant high torque: These are the special features of extruders with Reitorque technology, which have been very successful since 2003, especially in the cable and wire industry.

2003 - Reicofly, the reversing bar for special high-quality film products

Increasing quality demands, especially for immaculate optical quality, were the starting point for the development of a non-contact reversing bar for blown film lines.

2004 - The gateway to a new dimension

Reifenhäuser has opened the gateway to a new dimension through the development of the worldwide largest pipe die-head for extruding HDPE pipes. June 2004 marks the start of operation of the production line for large pipes with diameters of 2,000 mm.

2005 - Reifenhäuser REICOFIL GmbH & Co. KG

The constantly growing market for sunbond lines led to the foundation of Reifenhäuser REICOFIL GmbH & Co. KG as an independent company on July 1, 2005. Managing directors of the latest subsidiary of the Reifenhäuser Group are Dipl.-Kfm. Ulrich Reifenhäuser and Dr. Bernd Kunze.

2006- Reifenhäuser EXTRUSION GmbH & Co. KG

At the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2006, the activities of all film divisions will be pooled in the newly established Reifenhäuser EXTRUSION GmbH & Co. KG. Products geared for the future, strategies conforming to market requirements and direct relationship with customers are ideal prerequisites that allow rapid and direct reaction to changes in all marketplaces.