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About Us

About BluePower


Your partner for innovative metal casting and metal powder production solutions

Indutherm is a family-run company based in Walzbachtal – close to the technology region of Karlsruhe and Pforzheim, the Golden City, center of the German jewelery and watch industry. 
 
Indutherm – the name says it all  

The inductively generated thermal treatment of metals, the inductive melting, is the basic principle on which all our machines and production solutions have been based since the company was founded. We originally developed our induction technology specifically for the investment casting of precious metals. Today, on this basis, we can offer you a wide range of systems for very different purposes. Our portfolio is divided into two main areas:   

Metal casting and metal atomization  

In the field of casting technology, we provide you with innovative solutions for vacuum/pressure investment casting, for melting and casting into open moulds, for the production of semi-finished products or granulating. We did not see the development of additive manufacturing technologies based on metal powders as a competitor to investment casting, but as an additional opportunity. More than ten years ago we started developing and manufacturing systems for the production and classification of metal powders.
INDUTHERM and BLUE POWER 

Our systems are used in many different industries that require in-depth industry-specific know-how from our employees. That is why our machines are sold under two different brands, which are backed by appropriately specialized employees in the areas of advice and sales: Under the INDUTHERM name, we supply the watch, jewelry and precious metals sectors. Our subsidiary BLUE POWER CASTING SYSTEMS is responsible for all other applications such as in the automotive and supplier sector, medical technology, machine and device construction. In North America, all sectors are supplied under the BLUE POWER label. 

Every product is only as good as the customer service supporting it. 
Every product is only as good as the customer service supporting it. Pleas go to "Sales partner" Here you will find a qualified sales partner for almost every region of the world.   

Our history

1996 – The Story begins

The three young casting machine specialists, Peter Hofmann, Klaus Schmidt and Eckhard Scheer, together found Indutherm Erwärmungsanlagen GmbH to develop casting machines mainly for the jewellery industry. The company’s head office is based at the home of the Hofmann family and the garages and former agricultural store rooms are converted into production workshops.
The three founders have a clear concept. As opposed to machines built by the majority of competitors, they develop all the main components themselves and produce them in-house – tailor-made to the application and the requirements of the target group. Above all, the development of proprietary induction generators – the core of each machine – secures a technological lead right from the start. Peter Hofmann is responsible for the overall concept and takes on the sales and acquisition of international sales partners. Klaus Schmidt is responsible for electronics development and Eckhard Scheer is the right man for mechanical design and production.
1997

The first appearances at international trade fairs: Indutherm shows its machines at the Basel trade fair.

1998

For the first time, Indutherm joins research projects such as the European CRAFT project which is backed by the EU. Focus of the CRAFT projects is quality and process improvement in gold and silver casting.

1999
The airplane becomes Peter Hofmann's second place of work to make Indutherm known around the world - the international dealer network begins to grow.

2000
The Indutherm team is launching the first company homepage under the domain www.indutherm.de  

2001
The original company premises have long become too small. The new company building is built in Walzbachtal-Wössingen and inaugurated on 1 December 2001 in the presence of customers, suppliers and business partners. 

2002
The sales division is expanded to cater for other branches of industry. Indutherm attends an industrial trade fair for the first time, Euromold in Frankfurt.

2005
Indutherm develops a vibration system for vacuum pressure casting. It considerably improves mould filling as well as overall casting quality – an absolute novelty in this machine category. The new top-of-the-range model, the VC 600 V with vibration, not only wins awards but also becomes an international market success. 
In the same year Indutherm joins a very interesting new CRAFT project: the development of metal printing technology using molten droplets / microgranulation – the first step into the world of Additive Manufacturing.  

2006

The MC 15 is the first compact bench-top casting machine comprising complex technology to be launched onto the market. Its function is based on the tilting casting principle and quickly finds numerous convinced users in the jewellery industry, in R&D, in rapid prototyping and in dental labs. The MC 15 forms the cornerstone of an entire family of MC machines. 
On the other end of the Indutherm portfolio the large Vacuum Pressure Casting Machine VC 12000 creates new options for the high precision casting of large objects. 

2008

At the Basel Show Indutherm presents two important innovations: the first Vacuum Continuous Casting Machine VCC 400 and the Quattro Drive drawing unit for the large continuous casting machines.  
Also in 2008 Indutherm starts a new R&D project in collaboration with the TU Freiberg: the development of a horizontal continuous casting technology. 

2009

The existing company building is extended by an additional building providing almost double the surface area.

 

2010

New processes and machines, such as a tilting casting machine for highly reactive metals are developed in several research projects in collaboration with a number of universities.

2011
The VTC series Tilting Casting Machines for casting of steel, platinum, titanium is launched.

New large melting units, equipped with a motor driven tilting system are presented. They are developed especially for recycling melting processes.

2013
A new era begins: in a new research project (in collaboration with the University of Bremen), a powder atomization plant is developed for the production of small metal powder batches. 

2014
The first Atomizer, the AU 1000, is brought to production maturity and is presented to the specialist audience at the end of 2014. 

2015
In the meantime, Indutherm is represented by sales and service partners in 65 countries. 

2016

BluePower Casting Systems GmbH is founded as a subsidiary to enhance our services to the specific requirements of the industrial casting and additive manufacturing segments./span>

As an additional tool for the metal powder production, Indutherm develops an Air Classifier for the classification of metal powders into fine and coarse fractions. 

2017

Klaus Schmidt, one of the founders, is leaving Indutherm. With Jan Hofmann, the son of Jutta and Peter Hofmann, the next generation joins the company.  
 
The compact MC series tabletop casting machines are completely renewed and equipped with a digital control system.

2018

As next of the three founders Eckhard Scheer is retiring at the end of the year.

2019

An important step to the Industry 4.0 standard: the new DMS solutions for process optimization, remote access and remote control.

A new large granulating unit, the GU 12000, is launched.

2020

Eckhard Scheer dies suddenly and unexpectedly, only one year and a half after leaving the company.
The corona pandemic and its effects on the global economy are also being felt by Indutherm, its sales partners and customers. The team uses the free capacities for intensive development work. At the end the year, a completely new Ultrasonic Atomizer for smaller productions of high quality metal powder can be presented, as well as high temperature versions of the Gas Atomizer.

2021

25 years after it was founded, the family-run company is better positioned than ever before: with over 45 employees, with a comprehensive product portfolio in the different fields of technology, with strong development partners and a global network of competent and committed sales partners - and of course with a steadily growing customer base.


THANK YOU
to everyone who contributed to this wonderful story!

2023

A completely new shop system including a new online presence is launched. 

The participation in currently 13 research projects promises exciting new developments! The story goes on...

You want to find out more?

Further Informations are in our catalogue


Download catalogue (pdf)

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