HTGF invests in WPX Faserkeramik

According to the venture capital firm, the European market for industrial heat treatment is worth more than €25bn per year.

Kiln equipment for industrial furnaces is traditionally made of metals and ceramics. However, as both metals and ceramics waste a significant share of thermal output due to their heat capacity, they cause heavy costs because of energy inefficiency, equipment downtime and wear.

Company
WPX Faserkermik is a spin-off from the Institute of Materials Research of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). The centre developed a high-performance ceramics fibre composite material – Whipox – for heat shields and combustion turbine components, which are made to withstand mechanical, thermal and chemical strains. Whipox is designed to combine the best properties of metals and ceramics while avoiding their high temperature disadvantages.

While being incubated at the DLR, Whipox reached proof of concept and is currently being used by several players in the automotive industry.

People
Mathias Kunx is CEO of WPX. Kay Balster is an investment manager at HTGF and led this investment.

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• Topics
• Expansion
• DACH
• Industrials
• High-Tech Gründerfonds
• Germany