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Plansee

MaterialsReutte, AustriaFounded 1921· One of 1019 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

Specializes in powder metallurgical production of molybdenum and tungsten materials for high-performance applications in extreme environments.

CEO / Founder
Karlheinz Wex (Chairman/Spokesman of the Executive Board)
Team Size
10000+
Stage
Established
Total Funding
Bootstrapped
Latest Round
Bootstrapped
Key Investors
European Union

Technology & Products

Key Products

Molybdenum semi-finished products; Tungsten semi-finished products; Tungsten-based heavy metal alloys; Carbides; Hard materials

Technological Advantage

Full value chain control from ore/powders to finished components; expertise in refractory metals for extreme environments.

Patent position

Plansee filed 2 patent families in 2022-2024, falling 71% from 7 in 2019-2021; tracked AM filings in the same patent offices fell 15%, so Plansee fell more sharply. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
2 families filed 2022–2024, 7 in 2019–2021 (-71%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -15%
Filed in
EP 37%WO 32%CN 32%US 26%

19 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Provides high-performance refractory metal components with extreme heat resistance and durability through advanced powder metallurgy, enabling critical applications in semiconductors and aerospace.

How They Differentiate

Vertical integration from raw material to finished part and specialized focus on refractory metals (molybdenum/tungsten) provides superior material density and performance compared to generalist metal AM providers.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Coating industry, energy transmission, lighting, high-temperature furnaces, semiconductor production, electronics, medical technology.

Industry Verticals

Aerospace/Defense; Industrial; Medical; Electronics/Semiconductors; Energy; Lighting

Competitors

Kennametal, Altra, Barnes

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Global market leader in molybdenum/tungsten PM; expanded from 15 employees in 1922 to a global group with multiple divisions including Ceratizit and GTP.

Major Milestones

1921: Founded by Paul Schwarzkopf; 1929: Carbide breakthrough and patents; 1952: Plansee Seminars established; 1960s: Global expansion to USA, Europe, Japan, India; 1996: Reconstruction after major fire; 2002: Formation of Ceratizit; 2008: Acquisition of Global Tungsten & Powders (GTP); 2011: Investment in Molymet; 2015: Acquisition of Tikomet; 2021: Centennial anniversary

Notable Customers

CERN; Siemens Healthineers; Philips; Applied Materials; Lam Research

https://plansee-group.com

Official records

Filings, certifications, and programme counts AMPulse can show for this company.

  • [F] Horizon / CORDIS · 1 AM awardProject records derived from CORDIS, the European Union research results portal, CC BY 4.0.
  • [F] Scientific basis for tungsten and tungsten alloys tailored for electron beam additive manufacturing · 2026

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
25
Granted
6
Families
19

Leading domains: process (25), material (20), equipment (3)

Filings by year: 2024: 2 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 2 · 2014: 1

  1. ADDITIVELY-MANUFACTURED REFRACTORY METAL COMPONENT, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, AND POWDER2020102832 · WO
  2. ADDITIVELY-MANUFACTURED REFRACTORY METAL COMPONENT, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, AND POWDER113039028 · CN
  3. HOLDING ELEMENT FOR A HIGH-TEMPERATURE FURNACE2022241491 · WO
  4. HOLDING ELEMENT FOR A HIGH-TEMPERATURE FURNACE04341627 · EP
  5. ADDITIVELY-MANUFACTURED REFRACTORY METAL COMPONENT, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, AND POWDER03883711 · EP