ElektroPhysik

ElektroPhysik is a company specialising in the manufacture and distribution of high-quality measuring instruments. The company is headquartered in Cologne, Germany. ElektroPhysik is known for its instruments for measuring coating thickness, elasticity, gloss and other technical parameters on a wide range of surfaces and materials.

ElektroPhysik instruments are commonly used across many industries, including the automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, and construction sectors. The company is well known for producing measuring instruments with high accuracy, reliability and durability.

Quality and precision from Germany A trusted partner for 75 years

ElektroPhysik was founded in Cologne in 1947 and laid the foundation for a "Made in Germany" success story. From the very beginning, ElektroPhysik carried out pioneering work in the field of non-destructive coating thickness measurement and remains a key partner for national and international standards committees, research institutes and universities.

For example, SIDSP© technology (sensor-integrated digital signal processing) and the ultrasonic coating thickness measurement we developed in-house have helped us maintain our reputation as a driver of innovation in the industry.

We manufacture a broad range of precision measuring instruments for our customers ourselves. Our quality management system, based on ISO 9001:2015, ensures that we can support customers with an instrument that meets their everyday needs.

History and development

Thanks to its subsidiaries and many international partners, there is hardly a country in which ElektroPhysik is not represented. Precision measuring instruments from Cologne for the whole world: that is ElektroPhysik! Did the physicist Erich Steingroever and his partner at the time, the engineer Hans Nix, suspect in 1947 that their "manufacturing licence" from the British military would be the foundation of a globally expanding group?

Amid the rubble of post-war Germany, raw materials and resources were scarce. Production was determined by demand and availability of supply: that is how the first electrostatic sensor came to be produced in 1947.

Today – 70 years later – ElektroPhysik is one of the world's major manufacturers of non-destructive surface measurement. Represented in more than 50 countries, the Cologne-based company has been able to secure a distinctive position on the global market. The shortage of resources is a thing of the past. Innovation, quality and practicality are the priorities of today. In 2017, ElektroPhysik could look back on a colourful 70-year history and take you along on a short journey through time.

Europe and Germany were struggling to recover from the war. Raw materials and resources were exhausted and the slow reconstruction of West Germany could only take place with the support of the Allied powers.

• 1947: The divide between East and West Germany grew ever wider. While the building of socialism began in the East, the West, with Allied support, was heading towards its "economic miracle".
• 1952: Thanks to the economic miracle, Germany became unrecognisable. Luxuries such as television, cars and travel transformed the country. There were also considerable changes on the political stage. John F. Kennedy delivered his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech while Martin Luther King spoke the celebrated words "I Have a Dream". The young Federal Republic of Germany had Ludwig Erhard as its second chancellor.
  The Cold War drove a genuine surge of innovation. New technologies developed, particularly in the fields of electronics and communications. After the shock of the oil crisis, people became aware of the need to consume resources sparingly.
• 1963: During this period, ElektroPhysik began to specialise in coating thickness measurement. Technology for protective surface finishing with paints, composite materials and enamels continued to develop. Before long, ElektroPhysik delivered its 100,000th MikroTest measuring instrument.
  The trend towards protective surface finishing continued unabated, with positive effects for ElektroPhysik as well. The expansion of sales and distribution activities in Western Europe and abroad was a major success. ElektroPhysik expanded its business in the United States, as it had done two years earlier in the United Kingdom.
  At the same time, ElektroPhysik successfully extended its product range to include microprocessor-controlled MiniTest instruments.
• 1979: The Chernobyl disaster shocked the world. Protests against nuclear energy took place worldwide.
  Global connectivity was no longer a vision of the future but a reality. Thanks to digitalisation, new paths opened up for complex inspection and documentation systems.
• 1986: ElektroPhysik established its position as one of the world's major manufacturers of measuring and testing instruments. Its programme covered the entire field of quality assurance in surface technology, corrosion protection and road engineering.
  As a pioneer in the field of non-destructive coating thickness measurement, ElektroPhysik, in cooperation with universities and research institutions, successfully advanced the development and global standardisation of coating thickness measurement. An in-house development team of engineers and technicians ensures that our instruments work efficiently and to a high quality, with attention also given to design and usability.
• 1997: The new century did not bring the end of the world, but it did bring a number of disasters. Terrorist attacks such as 9/11 marked the still young century and the reality of climate change became considerably clearer. Nevertheless, there were also some positive changes. The German armed forces took a major step towards equality. The Catholic Church elected a German Pope. The United States had its first Black president. Globalisation, due in no small part to mobile phone technology, could not be stopped.
• 2000: ElektroPhysik was the first manufacturer of coating thickness gauges to introduce digital sensor technology: sensor-integrated digital signal processing. SIDSP® = Sensor-Integrated Digital Signal Processing, a trademark registered by us. To this day ElektroPhysik is the only supplier of digital sensors for coating thickness measurement.
• 2007: At the start of the stormy year of 2007, hurricane "Kyrill" raged across Germany, keeping the topic of climate change firmly on the table. At the same time, the little polar bear Knut won people's hearts, and not just those of visitors to Berlin Zoo. The year continued as it had begun, when a housing crisis starting in the United States brought consequences that shook the financial world.
  The United States made history by swearing in its first Black president. Speaking of history: Cologne's historical city archive collapsed during the expansion of the underground railway network, burying valuable documents under the rubble.
  At the beginning of the year, the German Pope Benedict XVI surprisingly announced his resignation and the Argentinian Pope Francis became the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. Equally surprising were the revelations by Edward Snowden published in the "Guardian".
• 2009: ElektroPhysik maintained its reputation as a pioneer and trendsetter in non-destructive coating thickness measurement: one of the first ultrasonic coating thickness gauges for measuring coating thickness on non-metallic materials came onto the market: QuintSonic.
  Only 4 years after developing the QuintSonic, ElektroPhysik revisited the model and equipped it with a digital sensor. With the QuintSonic 7, it is now possible to measure up to five coating layers in a single operation – efficiently and accurately.
• 2013: As a result of the increasingly dangerous situation in several conflict regions, peaceful Europe faced a large number of arriving refugees. There was positive news as well: conservative Ireland voted in a referendum in favour of same-sex marriage and in the same year recorded the decision in law.
  The engineer Nix and the physicist Erich Steingroever received a "provisional manufacturing licence" from the British military authorities. The first magnetic measuring and testing instruments, together with electrostatic sensors, were produced.
  At the request of a paint factory in Cologne, ElektroPhysik developed and produced the MikroTest coating thickness gauge. In the previous year, a patent for the model had been applied for. The instrument, known worldwide as the Banana gauge, is still in use today.
• 2015: ElektroPhysik introduced the SmarTest wireless sensor. The smart wireless sensor transfers all measurements via Bluetooth through an app on a mobile device. In addition, SmarTest is compatible with all SIDSP® sensors, considerably extending its measuring portfolio.