KOHLHAGE Automotive GmbH & Co.KG

Flexible, modular construction kit

If you look at a car or motorcycle from the outside, you cannot see them: Exhaust gas valves of KOHLHAGE. And yet they are installed in many models of well-known manufacturers.  One might ask the question: Why does a company that is otherwise known in the field of pipe assemblies manufacture such products?  The answer is very simple: Because KOHLHAGE has excellent knowledge of pipe assemblies. This was the reason for the first order years ago, which has been followed by countless others to date.

In the past, exhaust gas valves were produced on the basis of castings. These were relatively heavy and the machining of the parts was complex and expensive. So, when looking for alternatives, it was obvious to use pipe sections instead of castings. KOHLHAGE solutions have convinced the customers, especially because KOHLHAGE technicians have developed a modular system with which large as well as small series runs can be produced cost-effectively. At the same time, the production of KOHLHAGE exhaust gas valves is carried out in fully automated flexible manufacturing cells.

A further advantage: Needless to say, KOHLHAGE keeps the validation equipment necessary for quality assurance readily available.

100% leakproof

It goes without saying that, a tube through which fluid media such as fuel or hydraulic fluid flows must be leakproof. However, especially at the entry point of a tube or on the hose connection side, making it leakproof is particularly challenging.

KOHLHAGE masters the production processes for such products inside out. The product spectrum covers up to 50 mm of outer diameter in steel, stainless steel and aluminium, copper or brass.

The ingenious KOHLHAGE process guarantees the same accuracy from the hundred thousandth to the millionth component.

A special feature: KOHLHAGE can also combine complex geometries such as rolled parts manufactured with wave profile with special attachments such as brazed and turned parts or welded-on mounting brackets. Not everybody can do this, one says at KOHLHAGE.

Safety - made by KOHLHAGE

Safety is the top priority, especially in the automotive sector. A distinction is made here between “crash-relevant” and “safety-relevant” areas of application. KOHLHAGE is at home in both fields. For example, KOHLHAGE manufactures assemblies for steering column adjustment in vehicles. Such assemblies must withstand defined forces and always function.

This results in two essential requirements:

• Quality of the products
• Documentation of the production process

Guaranteeing the consistent quality of an assembly is a matter of course for KOHLHAGE. The company has invested heavily in documentation processes. For a long time now, all the necessary testing facilities have been available in-house and some of them have been integrated directly into the production process. For example, special cameras already check the dimensional accuracy of products during production and ensure compliance with predefined tolerance ranges. The fact that KOHLHAGE can provide micrographs of welds and upsets as well as the results of destructive testing procedures before actual production has even started makes it clear how important safety is at KOHLHAGE.