Kalenborn Kalprotect

Kalenborn Kalprotect GmbH & Co. KG is a German industrial company specializing in universal wear protection for pipes and industrial plants. Headquartered in Vettelschoß, roughly 30 km south of Bonn, the company develops and manufactures custom-fitted linings that shield industrial equipment from abrasion and impact wear. Its wear-resistant materials and pipe systems are designed to secure material flow and prevent premature production stoppages for customers in sectors such as cement, coal-fired power generation, iron and steel, metallurgy, recycling and food processing. The company traces its origins to 1921, when Schmelzbasalt AG was founded in Linz am Rhein as a joint venture between the French Compagnie Générale du Basalte and Basalt AG. Production of fused basalt began at the Kalenborn works in 1924. After a period of economic difficulty and a restart under the Mezöly company in the 1930s, the business was renamed Schmelzbasaltwerk Kalenborn – Dr.-Ing. Mauritz KG and the site was purchased outright in 1942. Fused basalt production peaked during World War II and resumed after 1946. As the product range expanded beyond fused basalt into mineral, metallic and elastomer materials, the company was renamed Kalenborn Kalprotect – Dr. Mauritz GmbH & Co. KG in 1990, and again Kalenborn Kalprotect GmbH & Co. KG in July 2007. Fused basalt production at the Kalenborn site ended in 2000 and was relocated to Polish subsidiaries. Today Kalenborn offers a broad portfolio of wear-protection materials, including fused basalt, zirconia corundum, oxide ceramics (KALOCER), silicon carbide ceramics, hard ceramics (KALCERAM), metallic hard cast (KALCAST), rubber and plastic materials, and cement-bonded lining compounds. The company positions wear protection as environmental protection: reusable linings save resources, reduce CO2 emissions and support sustainable operations across the value chain. It uses environmentally friendly energy in production and relies on natural, renewable raw materials such as basalt and ceramics. Kalenborn operates branches and representatives in more than 50 countries, with North American sales organized through its subsidiary Abresist Corporation in Urbana, Indiana.

The origins of Kalenborn Kalprotect lie in the basalt-rich Vorderer Westerwald region of Germany. In 1921, the French Compagnie Générale du Basalte approached Basalt AG in Linz am Rhein with the idea of building a joint plant for producing fused basalt. On 7 September 1921, Schmelzbasalt AG was founded in Linz with a share capital of 15 million marks. The French partners contributed their patents, while Basalt AG provided capital and the factory site. In spring 1922, preparatory work began for the plant in the Kalenborn district of the municipality of Vettelschoß, built according to plans by the architectural firm Mattar & Scheler. The site was conveniently located on the Linz (Rhein)–Flammersfeld railway line, which had existed since 1912, and close to Basalt AG's quarries. Production of floor tiles and insulators began in 1924, and by 1928 the Kalenborn plant employed 125 people. Due to sales difficulties during the ongoing economic crisis, production was shut down again on 31 December 1929. In 1935, a company called Mezöly, Gesellschaft für Verschleißschutz KG was founded in Düsseldorf. It leased the entire plant facilities from Schmelzbasalt AG and resumed operations there in 1936. Following internal disputes in management, two managing directors left in 1937; the company was renamed Schmelzbasaltwerk Kalenborn – Dr.-Ing. Mauritz KG and its headquarters moved to Kalenborn. Mauritz purchased the plant facilities from Basalt AG in 1942. A second melting furnace was commissioned in 1942, and in 1944 fused basalt production—which replaced iron and steel in many industrial applications during World War II—reached its peak at the Kalenborn plant. With the American advance across the Rhine, work halted in 1945 and production resumed in 1946. Statistics show that in 1955 more than 7,000 tonnes of fused basalt products were produced. Until about 1960, raw basalt was transported from nearby basalt quarries to the plant via Basalt AG's industrial railway system; finished products were shipped by Deutsche Bundesbahn and later Deutsche Bahn AG until 1995. As new, more resilient materials and combinations of mineral, metallic and elastomer substances were increasingly produced alongside fused basalt, the company was renamed Kalenborn Kalprotect – Dr. Mauritz GmbH & Co. KG in 1990. In 2000, fused basalt production at the Kalenborn site was discontinued and relocated to Polish subsidiaries. In July 2007, the company was renamed again as Kalenborn Kalprotect GmbH & Co. KG. Today the company is headquartered in Vettelschoß, Germany, about 30 km south of Bonn, and operates branches and representatives in more than 50 countries. Its subsidiary Abresist Corporation in Urbana, Indiana, organizes sales in the United States and Canada. The product range spans mineral and ceramic wear protection, metallic wear protection, and materials made of rubber and plastic. Kalenborn positions wear protection as environmental protection, emphasizing reusable linings, resource savings, CO2 reduction and the use of natural, renewable raw materials such as basalt and ceramics.

• 2007

  Company renamed Kalenborn Kalprotect GmbH & Co. KG in July.

• 2000

  Fused basalt production at the Kalenborn site discontinued and relocated to Polish subsidiaries.

• 1990

  Company renamed Kalenborn Kalprotect – Dr. Mauritz GmbH & Co. KG.

• 1955

  More than 7,000 tonnes of fused basalt products produced.

• 1946

  Production resumes.

• 1945

  Work halts as US forces advance across the Rhine.

• 1944

  Fused basalt production reaches its peak at the Kalenborn plant.

• 1942

  Mauritz purchases the plant from Basalt AG; second melting furnace commissioned.

• 1937

  Company renamed Schmelzbasaltwerk Kalenborn – Dr.-Ing. Mauritz KG; headquarters moved to Kalenborn.

• 1936

  Mezöly leases the plant and resumes operations.

• 1935

  Mezöly, Gesellschaft für Verschleißschutz KG founded in Düsseldorf.

• 1929

  Production shut down on 31 December due to economic crisis.

• 1928

  The Kalenborn plant employs 125 people.

• 1924

  Production of floor tiles and insulators begins at the Kalenborn plant.

• 1922

  Preparatory work begins for the Kalenborn plant in Vettelschoß.

• 1921

  Schmelzbasalt AG founded in Linz am Rhein on 7 September with 15 million marks capital.

One of the world's leading companies in universal wear protection, combining mineral, ceramic, metallic, rubber and plastic materials to protect industrial plants and promote sustainability.

• KALCAST metallic hard cast

  A metallic hard cast material with a balance between impact and abrasion resistance that can be predetermined through alloys with varying chromium, nickel and carbon content. Used for bunker inlets, coke ramps, conveyor screws in slag granulation, asphalt and concrete mixers, crushers, grinding rollers and tables of vertical mills, and coal dust lines of power plants. Available in plates, formed parts and cylinders; wall thicknesses for plates, pipes and pipe bends from 15–70 mm; pipes with inner diameters from 40–800 mm; max application temperature 350 °C.

• KALOCER aluminium oxide ceramics

  An oxide ceramic consisting of more than 90% aluminium oxide, ideal for plant parts with extreme sliding wear. Linings from 1.5 mm thickness enable use in confined conditions. Suitable for separators, bunkers, chutes, belt transfers, concrete mixers and cyclones. With KALIMPACT as a hard material-rubber composite, high impact resistance is also provided. Properties: recyclable, high abrasion resistance and smooth surfaces, corrosion resistant, suitable for chemically demanding environments, food-safe, max application temperature 1200 °C (depending on installation conditions), available in plates, formed parts and cylinders, thin wall thicknesses from 1.5 mm, weight-saving solution.

• KALCERAM hard ceramics

  A hard ceramic with high sliding wear resistance and good sliding properties, described as the most economical material for lining plant components that require protection against sliding wear and good sliding properties at higher temperatures. Particularly suitable for lining coal bunkers, chutes and channels in coking plants, chutes of bag loading systems in cement plants, as well as cyclones, separators and classifiers. Properties: recyclable, good sliding properties and sliding wear resistance, good temperature resistance, custom-cut plates or bricks.

• Fused basalt

  A mineral wear protection based on basalt for plant parts. Production at the Kalenborn site ended in 2000 and was relocated to Polish subsidiaries.

• Zirconia corundum

  A cast material made of aluminium and zirconium oxide for plant parts.

• Silicon carbide ceramics

  For plant parts subject to extreme wear as well as high temperatures or temperature changes.

• Cement-bonded lining compounds

  For seamless protection of plant parts subject to wear or high temperature stress.

• Sliding plastic

  With exceptionally good material-specific sliding properties.

• Sliding steel

  Additionally offers good wear resistance with abrasive conveyed materials.

1. 1Verschleißschutz für Rohre und industrielle Anlagenkalenborn.com
2. 2Hartguss KALCAST — Kalenbornkalenborn.com
3. 3Aluminiumoxidkeramik KALOCER — Kalenbornkalenborn.com
4. 4Hartkeramik KALCERAM — Kalenbornkalenborn.com
5. 5Kalenborn Kalprotect — Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Kalenborn Kalprotect — Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org