Geoff Giordano is a tech journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in all facets of publishing. He has reported extensively on the gamut of plastics manufacturing technologies and issues, including 3D printing materials and methods; injection, blow, micro and rotomolding; additives, colorants and nanomodifiers; blown and cast films; packaging; thermoforming; tooling; ancillary equipment; and the circular economy. Contact him at [email protected].

automated design and simulation of electrical discharge machining electrodes and holders to simplify the creation of intricate or hard-to-machine mold features;

Hexagon Manufacturing has bundled its state-of-the-art technologies into a suite of tools, giving mold and die shops of all sizes a competitive edge.

"We took everything we know about mold-and-die manufacturing, including our best-in-class Hexagon technologies, to build a specialized suite that empowers mold and die shops of any size to get the best results faster," said Chuck Mathews, general manager of production software at Hexagon. "Their competitive edge will be enhanced with Nexus, which connects desktop software via the cloud to provide further automation and collaboration opportunities. It also gives teams an easy way to share 3D models with customers through secure web-based visualization, and consolidates access to libraries for tooling, fixtures, and materials from their desktop apps."

Krones AG has been a long-standing NETSTAL customer that manufactures machines for filling and packaging beverages and liquid foods. Additionally, Krones is also acquiring Netstal Deutschland GmbH, a sales and service subsidiary based in Stuttgart, along with eleven other sales and service units across US, South America, Europe and Asia.

Headquartered in Näfels, Switzerland, NETSTAL provides injection moulding machines in the beverage (PET preforms and caps), medical, and thin-wall packaging markets.

For injection mold makers, the HxGN Mould and Die suite integrates CAD/CAE/CAM workflow to provide data-based insights into mold creation and function through:

Mechanical engineering specialist Krones AG has finalised the acquisition of NETSTAL Maschinen AG, Swiss-based provider of injection moulding solutions, from KraussMaffei for €170 million.

The purchase deal was first announced on 29 January 2024 and signed on February 6, strengthening Krones' position in the beverage, medical, and thin-wall packaging markets.

reverse-engineering tools to efficiently create solid models from scanned data, particularly useful for repairing or redesigning molds;

Although NETSTAL's current revenue sits below Krones' group level at just over €200m in the 2023 fiscal year, the company projects to close this gap in the coming years. Notably, NETSTAL contributed nearly 20% to the KraussMaffei Group's 2023 total sales.

"The HxGN Mould and Die suite is an exciting development, combining our customers’ challenges with our deep domain knowledge to achieve more," said Parth Joshi, chief product and technology officer at Hexagon. "We are refocusing innovation to bring our ecosystem technologies together and help production teams make better-informed decisions, faster."

As part of the agreement, around 530 NETSTAL employees will join Krones from KraussMaffei, ensuring both continuity and valuable expertise. All existing NETSTAL jobs will be retained. NETSTAL will operate as a separate, independent entity within the Krones Group, led by CEO Renzo Davatz.

“This transaction is a milestone in the long history of Netstal. Krones opens up strategic perspectives that were previously not possible. The potential for more customer benefits and growth in the beverage sector is obvious. The opportunities in the medical and thin-wall packaging applications are equally exciting. It is a pleasure for me to continue the strategic direction we have taken together with Krones to an even greater extent," added Renzo Davatz, CEO Netstal.

Mold and die manufacturers just got a powerful new all-in-one tool from Hexagon Manufacturing that bundles the company’s technologies into a suite of tools allowing plastic flow analysis, reverse engineering, modeling of solids and surfaces, and more.

KraussMaffei CEO Chi Zhang said: "The sale of NETSTAL is part of our long-term plan to realign KraussMaffei strategically, organisationally and on the global market. In future, we want to concentrate fully on our core business and new growth markets, strengthen the KraussMaffei core brand and focus the Group accordingly. At the same time, the sale of NETSTAL gives us the leeway to make further investments, for example in digitisation and the development of new machines."

Krones sees significant potential in integrating NETSTAL's technology and market reach, allowing them to offer more specific solutions to customers across the entire beverage and liquid food value chain.