In 2005 we added the Konrad Friedrichs product line of our then fully owned Konrad Friedrichs (KF) plant to Ultra Carbide’s offerings in North
America after co-owning and working with Konrad Friedrichs KG for nearly two decades.
At our KF plant more than 85 employees manufacture over 40 tons of carbide per month, primarily supplying the precision tool
industry.
The KF plant has set trends and standards in the carbide industry for many years and continues to do so: A patented extrusion process
and continuous grade development are only a few examples. In recent years new grades like K6UF and the enhanced K55SF have been extremely successful
and also have been made ‘extrude-able’. In fact, the micro extrusion of various grades allows for new innovations in the field of coolant-fed micro
drills.
In 1987, the production of carbide products started in the Upper Franconian town of Kulmbach, Germany, with a focus on the manufacturing of
precision tools. Since that time, hand-formed parts and custom-designed special parts have been manufactured along with rods and flat bars. A major
and trendsetting milestone was the development of carbide rods with integrated straight or helical coolant ducts that meet the increasing demand from
the machine-tool industry for high performance tools.
Rods without coolant ducts, as well as rods with straight and helical ducts, are being produced using optimized manufacturing
processes and fine-tuned successive production steps. The worldwide patented process for manufacturing carbide rods with integrated helical coolant
ducts in conjunction with superior product quality, development know-how, and customer service, allow Konrad Friedrichs GmbH & Co. KG
to maintain an exceptional position in the world market for carbide rods.
Our carbide grades K44UF, K55SF and K6UF have established a worldwide benchmark. We continue to meet and exceed the increasing
performance demands from the machine-tool industry by focusing a major aspect of our R&D activities on the continued improvement of existing
grades, particularly with respect to adapting material properties, e.g. hardness and toughness, to special customer requirements. Most notably in this
context are high-performance cutting as well as high-speed cutting, hard machining, and innovative composite materials. In 2005 we intensified our
research activities in these areas, assigning a significant portion of resources to these projects.
The entire team of Konrad Friedrichs GmbH & Co. KG and Ultra Carbide is eager to further
expand and improve our flexibility, the worldwide distribution net, and our superior development know-how.
Our (DIN EN ISO 9001:2000) certification is the basis for the sustainable production of high-quality sub-micrometer carbide structures.
We completely and consistently maintain the documentation for every process step to allow without exception for any product to be traced back and
reproduced.