Develops and manufactures complex precision castings in steel and aluminium using the investment casting process (lost wax) for international industry.
CIREX BV
Almelo (NL) · Soest (DE) · Koprivnice (CZ) · Stara L'ubovna (SK)New on Amplifa
About CIREX
CIREX is a development partner and manufacturer of high-quality precision castings in steel, produced using the investment casting process (lost wax). In the fully automated foundry in Almelo (Netherlands), complex steel components are cast in series with low process variation and tight tolerances; surface roughness is Ra 1,6–6,3 µm depending on the alloy. CIREX Foundry DE in Soest (Germany) specialises in aluminium investment casting including wax and prototyping models, particularly for the aerospace industry. Small series are produced in the foundry in Koprivnice (Czech Republic); blasting, sawing, grinding, heat treatment, CNC machining (including Chiron machining centres with up to 3.000 components per day) and final inspection take place in the finishing plants in Koprivnice and Stara L'ubovna (Slovakia). The material range includes case-hardening steels, structural steels, tool steels and stainless steels. Customer industries include automotive, aerospace, pump and fluid technology, petrochemicals, medical technology as well as the food and pharmaceutical industries. Since 2019, CIREX has belonged to Signicast (Form Technologies).
- Site
- PB Almelo
- Processes
- Investment Casting (lost wax / precision casting), SOPHIA® process (Investment Casting), Aluminium casting (investment casting, incl. prototyping patterns), Prototyping / 3D printing (wax, PLA, PMMA models), Machining / CNC machining (Finishing & Machining), Blasting, sawing, grinding, Heat treatment (case-hardened, carburizing, quench & temper, soft annealing, hardening, tempering), Surface treatment (e.g. electrolytic polishing)
- Materials
- C15 / GS38, 14NiCr18, G15CrNi6, 15Cr3, G16MnCr5, C45, C30, G20Mn5
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001, EN 9100:2018, NADCAP NDT, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, EN 9100
- Industries
- Automotive (passenger cars), Commercial vehicles (trucks), Aerospace, Lifting and transport technology, Industrial components, Tools
- 01
Engineering/Product development
- 02
Tool development
- 03
Prototyping (wax, PLA, PMMA / 3D printing)
- 04
Investment casting (lost wax) steel (Almelo) or aluminium (Soest)
- 05
Small-series casting (Koprivnice)
- 06
Finishing: blasting, sawing, grinding
- 07
Heat treatment
- 08
CNC machining
- 09
Surface treatment
- 10
Final inspection/testing
Materials & Processes
Investment Casting / SOPHIA® process
Fully automated precision casting process for complex 3D geometries with tight tolerances and low roughness (Ra 1,6–6,3 µm).
C15, 14NiCr18, G15CrNi6, 15Cr3, G16MnCr5
For wear-resistant components with a tough core, including case-hardened and carburised.
C45, C30, G20Mn5, 34CrNiMo6, 37Cr4, 25CrMo4, 34CrMo4, GS42CrMo4
Components with high tensile strength and wear resistance, usually quenched and tempered.
GX38CrMoV5-1, X91CrMoV18, X100CrMoV5, 105WCr6, X210CrW12, 142WV13,
Highly wear-resistant tool steels for heavily stressed tools and components.
GX7CrNiMo12-1, GX20Cr14, GX46Cr13, GX22CrNi17, X2CrMnNiN21-5-1 (LDX 2101), AISI
Stainless steels for corrosive environments, including pump, fluid and chemical technology.
Aluminium investment casting
Produced at the Soest site, common in aerospace, including prototyping wax models.
Prototyping model materials
Models made of wax or 3D-printed from PLA and PMMA for efficient prototype and series ramp-up.
Case hardening, carburising, quench and tempering, soft annealing, hardening,
Integrated heat treatment for setting hardness, strength and toughness.
Electrolytic polishing among others
Additional surface treatment for even lower roughness values and corrosion protection.
Sites
Almelo
NLHeadquarters, knowledge centre and fully automated robotic investment casting foundry for steel
- Lot size
- High-volume series (mass production)
- Materials
- Steel, stainless steel, tool steel
- Fully automated robotic casting plant (2008)
- Automated flexible ceramic production line (2015)
- Prototyping Centre with multiple 3D printers (2021)
Soest
DECIREX Foundry DE – aluminium investment casting incl. prototyping (wax/prototyping models)
- Lot size
- Prototype, small series
- Materials
- Aluminium
Koprivnice
CZCIREX Foundry CZ (small-series foundry) and CIREX Finishing & Machining CZ (blasting, sawing, grinding,
- Lot size
- Small series to high-volume series
- Materials
- Steel, stainless steel
- Chiron machining centre (2015, up to 3.000 components/day)
Stara L'ubovna
SKCIREX Finishing SK – finishing and final inspection of castings from NL and CZ
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investment Casting (lost wax / precision casting)Casting | Ra 1,6–6,3 µm | – | – | – | Steel, Chromium steel, Tool Steel, Stainless Steel, AISI 304, AISI 316, AISI 316L |
| SOPHIA® process (Investment Casting)Casting | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Aluminium casting (investment casting, incl. prototyping patterns)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Prototyping / 3D printing (wax, PLA, PMMA models)Additive | – | – | – | – | Wax, PLA, PMMA |
| Machining / CNC machining (Finishing & Machining)Machining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Blasting, sawing, grindingSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Heat treatment (case-hardened, carburizing, quench & temper, soft annealing, hardening, tempering)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel |
| Surface treatment (e.g. electrolytic polishing)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Stainless steel |
| Product development / Engineering (CIREX Optimized, tool development, Design Freeze, flowEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Final inspection / testing (incl. NADCAP NDT)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machining centre | Chiron | – | – | 2015 | Koprivnice, Czech Republic |
| Fully automated casting plant (robotic) | – | – | – | 2008 | Almelo, Netherlands |
| 3D printer (Prototyping Centre) | – | multiple | – | 2021 | Almelo, Netherlands |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certificates
All sites in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are certified to ISO 9001 and IATF 16949; the German site holds ISO 9001, EN 9100, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and NADCAP NDT. Quality management follows the 'Continuous Improvement' principle with an integrated occupational health and safety and environmental management system.
| Evidence | Almelo (NL) | Koprivnice (CZ) | Stara L'ubovna (SK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |||
| IATF 16949 | |||
| ISO 14001 | |||
| EN 9100 | |||
| ISO 50001 | |||
| NADCAP NDT |
History
- 1947
Establishment of an experimental wax model foundry in the Philips physics laboratory in Eindhoven – the origin of today's CIREX.
- 1963
Founding of the wax model foundry CIREX in Almelo through the merger of Twentsche IJzergieterij (Borne), Wasmodelgieterij Werkspoor (Amsterdam) and Wasmodelgieterij Philips (Eindhoven); owners Philips (60%) and Werkspoor (40%).
- 1964
Start of production in Almelo as an iron and wax model foundry.
- 1967
First delivery of combustion chambers to Volkswagen; reorganisation and focus on the wax model foundry.
- 1987
Philips sells CIREX to Hoogovens; investment in a large casting plant, revenue and automotive share grow.
- 1990
Major fire destroys half of the plant; production resumed after three weeks.
- 1991
CIREX supplies General Motors, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen; automotive share of revenue 60%.
- 1992
Joint venture TATRAREX with TATRA in what was then Czechoslovakia (70% CIREX, 30% TATRA).
- 2000
Sale of CIREX and TATRAREX to Nimbus and Gietburg Group; strategy: mass production (CIREX) and small series (TATRAREX).
- 2001
Renaming of the Czech site to CIREX CZ.
- 2003
Relocation of CIREX CZ to Koprivnice; capacity increased by 50%.
- 2008
Construction of the new foundry hall in Almelo with a fully robotic casting plant; casting capacity +50%.
- 2010
Start of CIREX Finishing & Machining in Koprivnice.
- 2015
Installation of a new Chiron machining centre in Koprivnice (up to 3.000 components/day) and commissioning of an automated ceramic production line in Almelo.
- 2017
Establishment of CIREX Finishing SK in Stara L'ubovna (Slovakia).
- 2019
CIREX is acquired by Signicast (Form Technologies).
- 2021
Establishment of the Prototyping Centre with multiple 3D printers.
- 2022
CIREX GmbH acquires Feinguss Soest GmbH & Co. KG (01.12.2022).