Emuge-Franken a leading manufacturer of rotary cutting tools, is celebrating its centennial.
Emuge was founded in 1920 by Richard Glimpel, a German engineer and master craftsman. Glimpel invented a single-finishing tap with a spiral point that revolutionized the machining of internal threads, rendering the 3-part tap set obsolete.
The new tool was so successful it helped secure a large order and growth for the fledgling company that consisted of Glimpel and three employees.
100 years later, the company has more than 1,900 employees with locations worldwide.
Many tool innovations and product expansions followed, including the addition of tool holders in 1928, special workpiece clamping in 1950, and in 1953, the development of the patented steep spiral-fluted tap, a tool that to this day features the same geometry for machining threads in blind holes throughout the industry. In 1956, Mr. Helmut Glimpel, son of the founder and current owner, joined the company, and in 1958 they acquired Franken, a manufacturer of milling tools, changed the name to Emuge-Franken.
Glimpel focused not only on the expanded product range of the company, now positioned as a full tool system provider, but also on establishing new sales and production facilities to closely serve customers throughout the world, beginning with the U.S. This vision took shape in 1983 via Emuge Corp., which today is a newly expanded 50,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in West Boylston, MA with a Technology and Training Center, tool reconditioning and manufacturing, including end mills for advanced aerospace machining applications. The facility provides additional capacity to domestically manufacture special solid carbide tooling and other standard solutions within the milling tools portfolio.
The company says it is “fully committed to innovation and continued expansion.” Construction is now underway to build a new state-of-the-art 215,000 square foot production facility opposite the current global headquarters in Lauf, Germany. The facility, slated to be fully operational by 2023, will enable significant manufacturing capacity increases.
