Apparatus engineering, pressure vessels and contract manufacturing: laser cutting, sheet metal working, machining and welding in Pratteln
Aerni AG
CH-4133 Pratteln (Dürrenhübelstrasse 9)New on Amplifa
Family company with production in Switzerland
Aerni AG is an owner-managed family company based in Pratteln (canton of Basel-Landschaft) that has been active in metalworking since 1957. Its core business is plant and apparatus engineering as well as contract manufacturing: the company manufactures pressure vessels, bioreactors, kneader reactors, agitator vessels and shell-and-tube heat exchangers up to 3000 litres capacity or 20 m² cooling surface, complemented by barrier systems and wine storage systems. The high level of vertical integration includes laser cutting (up to 6 x 2 m), bending (up to 6 m, 600 t), rolling, shearing, CNC and conventional turning and milling as well as welding (TIG, MIG, MAG, spot, stud) and grinding including measurement and documentation of roughness. All common materials are processed, in particular rust- and acid-resistant steels (316, 316L), Hastelloy, nickel-based alloys, steel, aluminium, brass and copper. Customers come from the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, oil and machinery industries. The quality management system is certified to ISO 9001, PED 2014/68/EU (Module H/H1), EN 1090-2, ASME (U/UM-Stamp) and NBBI R-Stamp; pressure and dye penetrant testing are carried out in the in-house acceptance room.
- Site
- CH-4133 Pratteln
- Processes
- Shearing (guillotine shear), Laser cutting (fibre laser), Bending (press brakes up to 600 t), Rolling (plate rounding), Turning (CNC and conventional), Milling (CNC and conventional), Welding (TIG, MIG, MAG), Spot welding
- Materials
- Stainless steel 316, Stainless steel 316L, Hastelloy, Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium, Brass, Copper
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, PED 2014/68/EU Annex III Module H, PED 2014/68/EU Annex III Module H1, Manufacturer's approval + AD 2000-HP 0, EN 1090-2 (load-bearing components of steel structures), ASME U and UM-Stamp, NBBI R-Stamp, Chinese Manufacture License Level D1 Category I, ISO 9001, PED 2014/68/EU Module H/H1, AD 2000-HP 0, EN 1090-2, EN 9100
- Founded
- 1957
- Employees
- 40
- Industries
- Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, Food, Oil, Machinery industry
- 01
Consulting
- 02
Design engineering (3D-CAD)
- 03
Laser cutting
- 04
Bending/rolling/shearing
- 05
Turning and milling
- 06
Welding
- 07
Grinding
- 08
Assembly
- 09
Pressure and dye penetrant testing
- 10
Acceptance
Materials and processes
Stainless steel 316
Material for pressure vessels and apparatus up to 3000 litres capacity.
Stainless steel 316L
For vessels and apparatus with increased requirements on corrosion resistance.
Hastelloy
Nickel-based alloy for difficult-to-machine and corrosion-resistant apparatus in chemistry and pharma.
Steel
Sheet metal working, laser cutting, bending, welding and construction of steel load-bearing structures to EN 1090-2.
Aluminium
Laser cutting, welding and mechanical machining of aluminium parts.
Brass
Laser cutting of brass sheets up to 15 mm thickness.
Copper
Laser cutting of copper sheets up to 12 mm thickness.
Laser cutting (fibre laser)
Two fibre laser systems for sheet formats 2.0 x 6.0 m and 1.5 x 3.0 m to EN ISO 9013.
Welding (TIG, MIG, MAG, spot, stud)
All welding processes in aluminium, steel, stainless steel and Hastelloy, including circumferential automatic welding.
Grinding
Manual and machine grinding of plant components and vessels with calibrated measuring instruments.
Pressure vessel construction (ASME, AD 2000, PED)
Manufacture and testing of pressure vessels and bioreactors up to 3000 litres according to recognised codes.
Pratteln site
Pratteln
CHHeadquarters and production: plant and apparatus engineering, sheet metal working, barrier systems
- Part weight / size
- Vessels up to 3000 litres capacity
- Lot size
- Single parts to series
- Materials
- Stainless steel 316/316L, Hastelloy, steel, aluminium, brass, copper
- 2 laser cutting machines (fibre laser, 2.0 x 6.0 m and 1.5 x 3.0 m)
- Guillotine shear up to 4 m
- 2 press brakes up to 600 t / 6 m
- Plate rolling machine up to 8 mm / 2 m
- Cycle lathe ø 750 mm, length up to 3200 mm
- CNC twin-spindle lathe ø 270 mm
- CNC machining centre x 1500 mm
- Conventional milling machine
- Welding turning device for circumferential seams
Plants and apparatus
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shearing (guillotine shear)Machining | – | 4 m | – | – | Steel (sheet 1–6 mm) |
| Laser cutting (fibre laser)Machining | EN ISO 9013 | 6 m × 2 m | – | Single parts – Series | Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium, Brass, Copper |
| Bending (press brakes up to 600 t)Forming | – | 6 m | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel |
| Rolling (plate rounding)Forming | – | 2 m | – | – | Sheet up to 8 mm |
| Turning (CNC and conventional)Machining | – | 3200 mm × ø 750 mm | – | Single parts – Series | Metals, difficult-to-machine rust- and acid-resistant ones |
| Milling (CNC and conventional)Machining | – | 1500 mm × 660 mm × 660 mm | – | Single parts – Series | Metals, rust- and acid-resistant steels, Hastelloy |
| Welding (TIG, MIG, MAG)Joining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Steel, rust- and acid-resistant steel, Hastelloy |
| Spot weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel, Aluminium |
| Stud welding (threads up to M12)Joining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Circumferential automatic welding (circumferential seams)Joining | – | – | – | – | Metals |
| Grinding (manual and machine)Surface | checked and documented with calibrated | – | – | – | Plant components, vessels, sheet metal constructions |
| Pressure vessel construction up to 3000 L (to ASME, AD 2000, PED)Apparatus engineering | – | – | Vessels up to 3000 litres capacity | – | Stainless steel 316/316L, Hastelloy, austenitic materials, nickel-based alloys |
| Bioreactor construction up to 3000 LApparatus engineering | – | – | up to 3000 litres capacity | – | various materials |
| Kneader reactor constructionApparatus engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Agitator vessel constructionApparatus engineering | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel, Hastelloy |
| Shell-and-tube heat exchanger construction up to 20 m² cooling surfaceApparatus engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Plant and component construction (chemical/pharmaceutical/cosmetics/food)Assembly | – | – | – | – | all common materials, rust- and acid-resistant steels, Hastelloy |
| Design engineering with 3D-CADEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Prototype and small-series productionAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pressure and dye penetrant testingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser cutting machine (fibre laser) | – | 2 | Laser 1: 2.0 x 6.0 m; Laser 2: 1.5 x 3.0 m | 2020 (Ersa | Pratteln |
| Guillotine shear | – | 1 | Sheet thickness 1–6 mm, length up to 4 m | – | Pratteln |
| Press brake | – | 2 | Bending length up to 6 m, press force up to 600 t | 2020 (4m-B | Pratteln |
| Plate rolling machine | – | 1 | up to 8 mm sheet thickness, max. 2 m width | – | Pratteln |
| Cycle lathe (conventional/CNC) | – | 1 | ø 750 mm, lengths up to 3200 mm | – | Pratteln |
| CNC twin-spindle lathe with bar feeder | – | 1 | up to ø 270 mm, distance between centres 800 mm | – | Pratteln |
| CNC machining centre | – | 1 | x=1500 mm, y=660 mm, z=660 mm | – | Pratteln |
| Conventional milling machine | – | 1 | x=1050 mm, y=450 mm, z=545 mm | – | Pratteln |
| Welding turning device for circumferential seams | – | 1 | – | 2020 | Pratteln |
Additional services
International quality management
All machines, apparatus and fully assembled systems undergo a thorough quality inspection; pressure and dye penetrant testing are performed by specially trained skilled personnel in the in-house acceptance room. Radiographic testing of pressure vessels is carried out by accredited partners, and the roughness of ground parts is checked and documented with calibrated measuring instruments.
| Evidence | Pratteln |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| PED 2014/68/EU Module H/H1 | |
| AD 2000-HP 0 | |
| EN 1090-2 | |
| ASME U and UM-Stamp | |
| NBBI R-Stamp | |
| EN 9100 |
Since 1957 – committed to progress
- 1957
Foundation of Aerni AG as a metalworking company by Alfons Aerni
- 1965
Start of production of barrier systems for the Basel chemical industry
- 1968
Foundation of Aerni Fenster AG, production of plastic windows
- 1984
Customer orders in high-quality small apparatus engineering for biochemistry
- 1996
Expansion of the machine fleet with a laser cutting machine; launch of the self-developed wine storage rack
- 1997
Quality certification to EN ISO 9001
- 2002
Bernhard and Markus Aerni take over management in the second generation
- 2005
Certification to PED 97/23/EC Module A1
- 2007
50 years of Aerni AG
- 2008
Relocation to the new building in Pratteln; expansion with a 6 m laser and a 6 m bending machine
- 2009
Certification to the welding regulations of Germanischer Lloyd
- 2015
Certification for Chinese Manufacture License Level D1 Category I
- 2016
Certification to PED 97/23/EC Annex III Module H/H1
- 2017
Sale of the window and structural metalwork division; takeover of the team of Moser AG grinding shop
- 2018
Bernhard Aerni becomes sole shareholder
- 2020
Procurement of replacement fibre laser cutting machine, 4 m bending machine and welding turning device
- 2021
Certification to EN 1090-2 for steel load-bearing structures
- 2025
Certification for ASME (U and UM-Stamp) as well as NBBI R-Stamp