Advanced magnetic technologies

Vacuumschmelze GmbH, a manufacturer of advanced magnetic materials and related products for the automotive and many other industry sectors besides, continues to expand its range of world-leading products.

Established in 1914, Hanau-based Vacuumschmelze GmbH has seen continuous expansion and a long-term dedication to staying at the very forefront of innovative materials development, resulting in annual sales of €325 million and over 3800 employees in 50 countries.

Although particularly well-known for its materials for the automotive industry, many multi-national industry sectors use Vacuumschmelze products as an integral element of their optimised production. The magnetic alloys that are melted in VAC’s main production facility in Hanau are used in communication and medical technology, the space industry and for clocks and watches.

The company’s product range is divided into semi-finished products in the form of tapes, strips, round rods and wires that can then be further processed by the customer to create cores, components and permanent magnets. The company also produces winning products for optimised production such as the innovative adhering varnish VACCOAT 20011, which represents a completely new coating and manufacturing process for segmented sintered neodymium iron boron magnets, also known as NdFeB magnets).

Continuous product innovation

Furthermore, Vacuumschmelze has increased its development and manufacture of new products and solutions to guarantee that it is able to quickly respond to the increasing demands of greater environmental compatibility for its clients’ needs. As the global economic crisis took hold, Vacuumschmelze was working particularly hard to instigate, perfect and introduce new products to the market to stay one step ahead and the company is now selling better than ever.

The crisis brought about innovations such as the DURACON 17A alloy, characterised by its excellent conductibility and malleability, and the VACODYM rare earth permanent magnet. Also, recognising the growing trend in the automotive industry towards eco-friendly and future-proof drive systems, e-mobility will be a focus over the coming years. At the ZVEI (German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturer’s Association) trade fair held in February this year, the company presents its advanced conductors and EMC components which are designed to meet the most sophisticated demands of the automotive industry.

The green revolution

With each new development, Vacuumschmelze is compounding its commitment to offering ‘Advanced materials – the key to progress’ – its vision and marketing slogan that is present across its website and literature.

As the company leads the way in developing, manufacturing and distributing green technologies for the benefit of its wide-ranging client base, its technical know-how and continuous innovation is clearly evident.

Many materials and semi-finished products originating from Vacuumschmelze have already proven their excellence in the field of renewable energy, particularly as the new current sensors used in solar inverters have been created at Hanau. These sensors help to monitor the output alternating current from solar systems in the power supply and the direct current element. Compared to typical Hall element compensation sensors, the many advantages of the VAC current sensors include a very small offset current with negligible temperature drift and barely measurable long-term drift along with exceptional accuracy.

In February this year Vacuumschmelze participated as both a sponsor and exhibitor at the 27th Photovoltaic Solar Energy Symposium at Bad Staffelstein, Germany, where it presented its innovative nanocrystalline materials. These are used for numerous passive components that deliver outstanding reliability, precision and energy efficiency for today’s solar inverters.

Expansion across the global market sectors it serves will also continue to be a priority for Vacuumschmelze. Its production sites in Germany, Malaysia, China and Slovakia are able to draw on the economic benefits of each location and its dedicated R&D team at Hanau gives the company a clear operational definition.

Looking ahead, the company will continue to diversify its product range to support its plans for further global expansion. Participation in trade fairs will also continue to be an important part of its promotional activities. n

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