Kistler Group

Last updated
Kistler Group
Company type Private
IndustryMeasurement technology
Founded1959
Founder Walter P. Kistler
Hans Conrad Sonderegger
Headquarters,
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Rolf Sonderegger
(CEO)
Valentin Vogt
VR-Präsident)
Revenue361 Mio. CHF (2019)
Number of employees
around 2,050 (2020)
Websitewww.kistler.com

Kistler Group (legal name: Kistler Instrumente AG), headquartered in Winterthur, is an internationally active Swiss group of companies specializing in the field of measurement technology [1] . The Kistler Group has around 2,200 employees at more than 60 locations worldwide. In 2023, it generated sales of 465 million Swiss francs Approximately 9% of revenue flows back into research and technology every year. [2]

Contents

History

The company was founded by Walter P. Kistler and Hans Conrad Sonderegger in 1959 as the Kistler Instrument Corporation, but the enterprise started in 1950 when Walter Kistler patented a charge amplifier he developed. Hans Conrad Sonderegger is the father of the current (2010) CEO. In 1959 the company became active on the stock market. Since 1961 the company started the in-house production of charge amplifiers and the development of other sensors. The company made several major innovations, some of which would be put to use in the Apollo manned spaceflights,[ citation needed ] and became a world leader in the development of quartz sensors. Walter Kistler left the company in 1970 and moved to Seattle, Washington.

Field of activity

Kistler develops, manufactures and distributes sensors for measuring pressure, force, torque and acceleration, as well as electronics and software. Kistler specializes in piezoelectric and piezoresistive measurement technology.[ citation needed ]

High-temperature and ballistic pressure sensors

Kistler measuring systems allow measuring thermoacoustics phenomena in harsh environments with extreme temperatures up to 700 °C. Applications include monitoring of gas turbines and other turbomachinery, R&D of continuous detonation engines, monitoring, and control of pressure oscillations in pipes and acoustic thermometry. Kistler’s durable piezoelectric sensors based on proprietary PiezoStar® KI100 crystal material have been developed specifically for temperatures up to 700 °C. [3] KI100 crystals have no pyroelectric effect.

The piezoelectric sensors (named "channel sensors") from Kistler are also used by the Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives (C.I.P.) for proof testing firearms ammunition. [4] These sensors require drilling of the cartridge case before firing the proofing cartridge in a specially made test barrel. For NATO EPVAT testing of military firearms ammunition NATO design EPVAT test barrels with Kistler 6215 and HPI GP6 transducers can be used. [5] [6] For testing shotshell ammunition Kistler produces one type of piezoelectric sensor (called "tangential sensor")'

Acquisitions

In recent years, the Kistler Group posted strong organic and inorganic growth (achieved through acquisitions). The following companies are part of the Kistler Group:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pressure measurement</span>

Pressure measurement is the measurement of an applied force by a fluid on a surface. Pressure is typically measured in units of force per unit of surface area. Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of pressure and vacuum. Instruments used to measure and display pressure mechanically are called pressure gauges,vacuum gauges or compound gauges. The widely used Bourdon gauge is a mechanical device, which both measures and indicates and is probably the best known type of gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piezoelectricity</span> Electric charge generated in certain solids due to mechanical stress

Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials—such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA, and various proteins—in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure and latent heat. It is derived from Ancient Greek πιέζω (piézō) 'to squeeze or press' and ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron) 'amber'. The German form of the word (Piezoelektricität) was coined in 1881 by the German physicist Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel; the English word was coined in 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5.56×45mm NATO</span> Service rifle cartridge

The 5.56×45mm NATO is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, and SS111 cartridges. On 28 October 1980, under STANAG 4172, it was standardized as the second standard service rifle cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. Though they are not identical, the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge family was derived from and is dimensionally similar to the .223 Remington cartridge designed by Remington Arms in the early 1960s.

The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several American National Standards that provide safety, reliability, and interchangeability standards for commercial manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. In addition, SAAMI publishes information on the safe and responsible transportation, storage, and use of those products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZF Friedrichshafen</span> German car parts maker

ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German technology manufacturing company that supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. It is headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German state of Baden-Württemberg. Specializing in engineering, it is primarily known for its design, research and development, and manufacturing activities in the automotive industry and is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. Its products include driveline and chassis technology for cars and commercial vehicles, along with specialized plant equipment such as construction equipment. It is also involved in the rail, marine, defense and aviation industries, as well as general industrial applications. ZF has 162 production locations in 31 countries with approximately 168,700 (2023) employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piezoelectric sensor</span> Type of sensor

A piezoelectric sensor is a device that uses the piezoelectric effect to measure changes in pressure, acceleration, temperature, strain, or force by converting them to an electrical charge. The prefix piezo- is Greek for 'press' or 'squeeze'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samson AG</span>

SAMSON AG, founded in 1907 by Hermann Sandvoss, is a German corporation headquartered in Frankfurt. It develops systems and products that can control all types of fluid. Its product line includes valves, self-operating regulators, automation systems, sensors, thermostats, and digital devices, among others.

PCB Piezotronics is a manufacturer of piezoelectric sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultrasonic transducer</span> Acoustic sensor

Ultrasonic transducers and ultrasonic sensors are devices that generate or sense ultrasound energy. They can be divided into three broad categories: transmitters, receivers and transceivers. Transmitters convert electrical signals into ultrasound, receivers convert ultrasound into electrical signals, and transceivers can both transmit and receive ultrasound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electromagnetic acoustic transducer</span>

An electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) is a transducer for non-contact acoustic wave generation and reception in conducting materials. Its effect is based on electromagnetic mechanisms, which do not need direct coupling with the surface of the material. Due to this couplant-free feature, EMATs are particularly useful in harsh, i.e., hot, cold, clean, or dry environments. EMATs are suitable to generate all kinds of waves in metallic and/or magnetostrictive materials. Depending on the design and orientation of coils and magnets, shear horizontal (SH) bulk wave mode, surface wave, plate waves such as SH and Lamb waves, and all sorts of other bulk and guided-wave modes can be excited. After decades of research and development, EMAT has found its applications in many industries such as primary metal manufacturing and processing, automotive, railroad, pipeline, boiler and pressure vessel industries, in which they are typically used for nondestructive testing (NDT) of metallic structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commission internationale permanente pour l'épreuve des armes à feu portatives</span>

The Commission internationale permanente pour l'épreuve des armes à feu portatives, commonly abbreviated C.I.P., is an international organisation which sets standards for safety testing of firearms. As of 2015, its members are the national governments of 14 countries, of which 11 are European Union member states. The C.I.P. safeguards that all firearms and ammunition sold to civilian purchasers in member states are safe for the users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NATO EPVAT testing</span>

NATO EPVAT testing is one of the three recognized classes of procedures used in the world to control the safety and quality of firearms ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brüel & Kjær</span> Danish multinational engineering and electronics company

Brüel & Kjær is a Danish multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Nærum, near Copenhagen. It was the largest producer in the world of equipment for acoustic and vibrational measurements. Brüel & Kjær is a subsidiary of Spectris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silicon Saxony</span> Registered industry association

Silicon Saxony is a registered industry association of 555 companies in the microelectronics and related sectors in Saxony, Germany, with around 40,000 employees. Many, but not all, of those firms are situated in the north of Dresden.

In the field of industrial ultrasonic testing, ultrasonic thickness measurement (UTM) is a method of performing non-destructive measurement (gauging) of the local thickness of a solid element based on the time taken by the ultrasound wave to return to the surface. This type of measurement is typically performed with an ultrasonic thickness gauge.

SensorDynamics was a European semiconductor and MEMS company specialized in developing and manufacturing high-volume micro- and wireless semiconductor sensor products for applications in automotive, industry and high-end consumer sectors. The company was acquired by Maxim Integrated in 2011 for $164 million. SensorDynamics developed and produced custom-made designs and standard components for use in vehicle stabilization, occupant protection, navigation systems, keyless go systems and autonomous energy generators for wireless and battery free controllers for industrial, automotive and high-end consumer application. With its headquarters in Graz, Austria, SensorDynamics had offices in Italy and Germany and a worldwide sales and distribution network. The company employed about 130 people in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepperl+Fuchs</span> German multinational company

Pepperl+Fuchs SE is a German multinational company headquartered in Mannheim, Germany. The company manufactures electronic products for fabrication and process automation. It is specialised in sensor manufacturing, such as sensors used in automatic doors in elevators, encoders, AS interfaces, RFID systems, barcode solutions, and explosion protection, as well as components for the automotive industry, and plant engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">INCA (software)</span> Application software published by ETAS

INCA is a measurement, calibration and diagnostic software published by ETAS. With its large installation base in the auto industry, this development software is deployed during all phases of the development of electronic control units (ECUs) and ECU software programs for measuring, calibration, diagnostics and programming.

Small arms ammunition pressure testing is used to establish standards for maximum average peak pressures of chamberings, as well as determining the safety of particular loads for the purposes of new load development. In metallic cartridges, peak pressure can vary based on propellant used, primers used, charge weight, projectile type, projectile seating depth, neck tension, chamber throat/lead parameters. In shotshells, the primary factors are charge weight, projectile weight, wad type, hull construction, and crimp quality.

Humanetics is the largest manufacturer of anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs), commonly known as crash test dummies, as measured by market share. Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the company is a subsidiary of Humanetics Group, itself owned by Bridgepoint Capital, a private equity firm.

References

  1. "Kistler Group website: About Us". www.Kislter.com. 14 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "The Kistler Group".
  3. https://www.ama-science.org/proceedings/getFile/AQx2 [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. Kistler International ballistic pressure measurement sensors
  5. Type 6215 Quartz High-Pressure Sensor for Ballistic Pressure Measurement to 6 000 bar
  6. HPI Piezoelectric High-Pressure Transducers – GP Series including NATO Approval
  7. "Kistler invests in Big Data". 9 August 2019.
  8. "Kistler announces addition of SMETEC to Kistler Group".
  9. "Kistler announces acquisition of LIK".
  10. "Kistler Group acquires Vester Elektronik - Factory Equipment". www.connectingindustry.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-19.
  11. "Kistler Group announces acquisition of IOS GMBH".
  12. "Search".
  13. "IPE MAGAZINE - Home".
  14. "Kistler Group completes MSC Automotive takeover". 28 January 2009.
  15. "Kistler Group acquires Corrsys-Datron Sensorsysteme".
  16. "Kistler Group Acquires KT Automotive GMBH".
  17. "Kistler acquires German torque sensor specialist".