65 years of thermoforming tools at Marbach. From pioneering work to intelligent tool solutions.

65 years of thermoforming tools at Marbach. From pioneering work to intelligent tool solutions.

Marbach Toolmaking, manufacturer of thermoforming tools for the plastics industry, is celebrating a special anniversary this year: In 1960, Marbach produced its first thermoforming tool, laying the foundation for a development that sets standards today. From humble beginnings, Marbach Tooling has developed over the past 65 years into one of the leading suppliers of thermoforming tools and stands for innovation, quality, and intelligent solutions in the thermoforming sector.

The origins of this success story date back to 1926, when Willy Nupnau, owner of a storefront advertising company in Heilbronn-Böckingen, was looking for a regional supplier of steel rule dies. Karl Marbach Senior accepted the challenge and began manufacturing the first cutting dies. Nupnau's request thus laid the foundation for a completely new business segment.

Nupnau also played a decisive role in the 1950s: in the middle of the decade, the company was looking for a way to produce three-dimensional hollow letters from thicker plastic. An engineering firm was commissioned by Nupnau to design the thermoforming machine required for this purpose. Nupnau then commissioned Illig to produce the machine. This laid the foundation for plastic forming.

In 1957, Marbach established its own toolmaking department. At that time, the employees initially specialized in the production of operating equipment such as hand benders and cutting scissors, which were used internally for die cutting technology.

When the first Illig R650 finally came onto the market in 1960 – now able to process plastic rolls – the sales manager at Illig at the time turned to his former schoolmate Karl Marbach Junior. At a meeting, he said: "Karl, can you produce a tool like this for the new machine? Is that possible?“ – A question that marked the beginning of a new business field. Karl Marbach Junior sat down at the drawing board and designed the first single-row thermoforming tool with just a few cavities. This marked the beginning of a new era for the company.

”What was once an opportunity or challenge has developed into an entire market. Marbach Werkzeugbau is now an established brand in the industry," says managing partner Peter Marbach.

With the founding of Marbach Werkzeugbau GmbH around 30 years later, this division was spun off and developed into an independent company with around 300 employees today with locations in Heilbronn, Poland, and the USA. The company has never stood still: “We attach great importance to continuous development. We have also diversified our product range and range of services. Today, we can say that our tools are used to process 50% fiber materials and 50% plastics, and that we offer our customers tailor-made solutions for all aspects of tooling,” explains Managing Director Markus Britsch.

Another leap forward in innovation came with the introduction of the intelligent tool system CONNECT|M. This enables the monitoring of tool and machine parameters. With this technology, customers receive detailed process data in real time – measured by sensors directly in the tool (e.g., pressure, temperature, force, and movement).

What began in 1960 with a simple single-row tool is now high-tech: Marbach currently produces tools with up to 140 cavities and a mold surface of approx. 1332 x 1016 mm – tailor-made for individual customer requirements.

65 years of thermoforming tools at Marbach stand for innovative strength, technological leadership, and partnership-based cooperation with customers worldwide. An anniversary that not only invites us to look back, but above all sharpens our focus on a successful future.

Marbach will also be offering a glimpse of this future at this year's K trade fair in Düsseldorf: From October 8 to 15, the company will be presenting new developments in thermoforming at Booth C50 in Hall 3, with a clear focus on efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. Marbach looks forward to welcoming many visitors to its booth.

Caption
Left: Model of the first thermoforming tool for Christmas 1973
Right: Thermoforming tool today: From 250 kg back then to 10 tons today