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    • Contact partners/contact details

      The relevant contact partner for your issue (products, purchasing, processes, materials, recycling options, delivery deadlines etc.) can be found here.

    • What’s new

      What’s new at Feinhütte Halsbrücke? You can find out about the company’s most important news right here.

    • Quality

      For us, success also means: systematically and clearly putting the issue of quality at the center of our actions - every day.

    • History

      Nowadays, Feinhütte Halsbrücke GmbH is a family-run, medium-sized company. Our story begins with the historical “smeltery on the Halsbrücke Spar”.

    • Commitment

      We are happy to be playing our part in giving something back to this region and our home. We support carefully selected social projects and regional partners and encourage our employees’ commitment.

    • Anniversary

      25-year company anniversary celebrating 405 years of metallurgy at the site. Feinhütte Halsbrücke held a fabulous anniversary event on 6 October 2017.

  • Products

    Formats

    There’s a perfect format for every application. Have a look through our comprehensive range of products! Our experienced experts will gladly advise you if you are not sure which product would be best suited to your needs.

    Anodes
    Ingots & Blocks
    Studs
    Balls, Pellets & Sticks
    Solder Wire & Cored Solder Wire
    Sticks & Rods

    Materials

    From hard lead to all standard soft-solder alloys and special alloys. We produce our products based on customer specifications to the highest quality.

    Sectors

    Our customer base includes an extremely wide range of different sectors, from the automotive industry to electrical engineering right through to sliding bearings, mechanical engineering or sanitation.

    Automotive
    Electronics
    Industry
    Metal Finishing
    Instru­ment Manu­facture
    Arts and crafts / jewellery industry
    • Cooperation EMIL OTTO

    • Formats

    • Materials

    • Sectors & applications

    • Product configurator

  • Recycling
    • Purchase of metals & scrap

      Metals and scrap containing tin, lead and antimony are valuable raw materials that can be re-used in an optimal manner with the necessary expertise and technologies.

    • Voluntary return of used solders

      For us, modern material management is far from being a one-way street: Taking back residual material or waste and treating it in an environmentally responsible way are inextricably linked.

    • Disposal advice

      In the field of tin and lead smelting, environmentally responsible disposal solutions are essential, and need to be implemented not only in compliance with the legal requirements, but also in way that helps develop innovative and sustainable concepts.

  • sustainability
    • GreenTin+

      The sustainable tin made from 100% recycled material Made in Halsbrücke.

    • Certified Environmental Protection

      Environmental protection is a top priority at Feinhütte. We have been proving this for a long time through our energy and environmental management system and are always working on further improvements.

    • Environmental responsibility

      Preventing the emission of harmful substances is a key issue for us. That’s why we use the very latest filter technology and actively drive innovation in the reduction of particulates.

  • Services

    Laboratory diagnostics/analyses

    In modern laboratory diagnostics in the fields of metallurgy and industry, there is a heavy focus on product quality, legal constraints and environmental regulations: Metal and alloy compositions are therefore determined accurately to within a fraction of a gram.

    Solder bath analysis & solder bath management

    Solder bath analyses provide an accurate snapshot of the particular chemical material composition, using optical emission spectroscopy to obtain the material analysis data that is essential for continual quality control.

    Reprocessing & conversion

    The reprocessing and conversion of materials provide an intelligent alternative to the provision of new material from both an environmental and economic perspective, while also helping to conserve natural resources. This applies both to contaminated materials and to residual material from processing. 

    • Laboratory diagnostics

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    • Solder bath analysis & solder bath management

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    • Reprocessing & conversion

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  • Jobs
    • Apprenticeship

      Fascinating topics, countless opportunities to get involved and a successful future here with us. An apprenticeship at Feinhütte Halsbrücke will open up all sorts of opportunities for you.

    • Students and Graduates

      Are you planning your project or final thesis? Or have you recently completed your studies? Let's talk with each other!

    • Current vacancies

      Are you looking for a new career challenge? As a large employer within our region, we offer attractive working conditions and the ideal prospects for a fulfilling career.

Traditionally good. Since 1612.

One of the oldest business locations in the region. Lived tradition. Processes and technologies still used today. With a history of over 400 years, Feinhütte Halsbrücke shapes our region like almost no other company. And we have always been characterised by contrasts: We are rooted in the local region but known far beyond borders. We see ourselves as both traditional and modern. We retain a lot of tried-and-tested ways of working while also using innovative, state-of-the-art processes. Find out more about four hundred years of Feinhütte – and more.

  • 1600
  • 1700
  • 1800
  • 1900
  • 2000

23 May 1612

Leipzig incoming

Thomas Lebzelter, councillor and tradesman from Leipzig, receives the high office approval from Elector Johann Georg I to construct a smelting plant with four smelting furnaces – exclusively on the Halsbrücke plot. And with this historical “smeltery on the Halsbrücke Spar”, our story begins.

1661

Furnace off. And then on again.

The delayed effects of the 30-year war cause the Halsbrücke smeltery to shut down for two years. From 1663, the smeltery is re-opened and upgraded by the Freiberg Chief Smelting Office under the ownership of the Electorate of Saxony: it now has two lead shaft furnaces, two single-blast furnaces, three smelting furnaces and a cupellation furnace.

1771

A touch of glamour in the smeltery

Russian tsar Peter the Great visits the Ore Mountains mining region, which includes a trip to the Halsbrücke smeltery. But Halsbrücke is also an interesting destination for natural scientists, with Alexander von Humboldt visiting the smeltery’s amalgamation works in 1797, for example.

1791 - A world first

1791

A world first

Establishment of the Halsbrücke smeltery’s amalgamation works. This is seen as a model establishment for European barrel amalgamation – a method based on the work of Christlieb Ehregott Gellert and that originated in Halsbrücke and was adopted in countries such as Russia and America.

1794

After the fire

Following a fire in 1792, the amalgamation works is re-constructed in 1794 and then enjoys 63 years of uninterrupted operation.

1815

The lamp of Lampadius

Smeltery engineer, chemist and inventor Wilhelm August Lampadius establishes the first ever gas lighting system on the European continent. It was first used in a kitchen at the Halsbrücke smeltery, then a few months later in the amalgamation chamber of the amalgamation works.

1826

Site plan of the Halsbrücke smeltery

Former site plan of the Halsbrücke smeltery site

1826 - Site plan of the Halsbrücke smeltery

1845

The innovation workshop

Change in production methods due to the introduction of English reverbatory furnaces.

At the same time, Wellner’s double furnaces also start to be used for the smelting of lead ore. Production increases three-fold to 30,000 tonnes per year by 1865.

1845 - The innovation workshop
1866 - Increasing output. And more emissions into the air.

1866

Increasing output. And more emissions into the air.

Gay-Lussac towers are used at the Halsbrücke smeltery for the sulphuric acid lead-chamber process. In the same year, the first Pilz furnaces are introduced for the processing of lower-grade ores. The “Plattner gold extraction” process using chlorine gas is introduced in 1885. However, the continual increase in production volumes leads to increased environmental impact.

1889

The Hohe Esse smokestack stands tall

At 140 metres, it was the highest chimney stack in the world: the “Hohe Esse”. Combined with its geographical location, this means that exhaust gases are emitted at a height of over 500 metres above sea level, which is a huge help in the dispersion of harmful substances out of the Muldental valley. Feinhütte Halsbrücke is still responsible for the full functionality of the Hohe Esse today.

Almost all of the emissions are now guided to the Hohe Esse via a 500-m-long flue gas duct. The smokestack is still literally one of the biggest attractions in our regions, and continues to be a proud symbol of the Halsbrücke smelting history.

1889 - The Hohe Esse smokestack stands tall
1890 - The pride of the region

1890

The pride of the region

This and other postcards show how proud the region was of the “Hohe Esse” smokestack.

June 1890

On track for export

In June of this year, the region becomes connected to the rail network. The timetable now includes expansion, and ores from all over Europe and overseas start to be processed. Over the following years, lead solder technicians from Halsbrücke also construct industrial systems throughout Germany and in Russia, Holland and even Sumatra.

16 July 1892

An important visit for the Hohe Esse smokestack

On 16 July 1892, King Albert of Saxony visits the Halsbrücke smeltery to demonstrate his deep connection to the mining and smelting site of Halsbrücke. (The original bronze casting is exhibited in the administration building.)

16 July 1892 - An important visit for the Hohe Esse smokestack

1920

The “Golden” Twenties

In the 1920s, new branches of production emerge: these include precious metal salts such as auric chloride, bright gold, silver nitrate and finished and semi-finished products for the jewellery and watchmaking industry. This is also a reaction to the fact that the Freiberg ore-mining plant has been shut down since 1913. Modernisation is now also on the cards. In 1922, for example, gas cleaning starts to be performed based on the Cottrell method using electrostatic technology. In 1923, the excess heat from two melting furnaces is used to produce steam. In 1925, a giant of technology is decommissioned: the “Schwarzenberg” blowing engine that has been in use since 1862.

1931

New challenges

Halsbrücke starts performing the process of lead electrolysis, which is used here as a refining method until 1991. From 1937, ore is once again mined from the Freiberg galleries and processed in the Halsbrücke smeltery.

1940

Before the end

The Nazi dictatorship and the ongoing war lead to a massively increased strain on the site, both socially and economically. In the final months of the second world war, Halsbrücke suffers attacks and destruction by low-flying aircraft. And then the surrender. Shortly after, the supply of steam and electrical energy is shut off.

1946

New masters. New names.

The Halsbrücke smelting works is initially allocated to “Industrieverwaltung 5” [industrial management 5] for non-ferrous metals and is therefore under the control of a department for state-owned companies within the Ministry for Economic Affairs. In 1949, the company changes its name to VEB Hüttenwerk Halsbrücke – a name it keeps until 1956. VEB Freiberger Bleihütten is then formed from Halsbrücke and Muldenhütten.

1961

In conglomeration with “Albert Funk”

The smeltery becomes part of the new “Albert Funk” publicly owned mining and metallurgical works. The foundation of this conglomerate marks a new direction for Halsbrücke: the smeltery is now primarily focused on the mining of precious metals and the expanded production of precious metal and lead products.

1990

A turnaround. Into the future.

After the reunification of Germany, the Freiberg mining and metallurgical works continues to operate as a state-owned enterprise under the responsibility of the Trust Agency. However, the “smeltery” production area is only seen as a component of the Muldenhütten smelting works – and is soon considered unsuitable for restoration or privatisation. The smeltery is therefore on the brink of permanent shut-down just in time for the 380-year anniversary in May 1992.

1992

A new start

The determination of the founders of Feinhütte Halsbrücke GmbH pays off: The new GmbH (private limited company) is established on 7 August 1992. Production starts just 3 months later. With eight remaining employees and no external or other investors. Despite all doubts and resistance from the Treuhand (‘Trust Agency’) and other sceptics, proper operation is restored in record time and new customers in Germany and Europe are won over by the “Made in Halsbrücke” quality over the following years. It’s no coincidence that many customer and supplier relationships have existed for over 25 years.

1992 - A new start
2012 - On the mend

2012

On the mend

Re-founded and never standing still: With investments in the high tens of millions, all processes are continually optimised. And further investments are made in the company every year. The current status: The Feinhütte Halsbrücke smelting plant now produces practically every tin and lead alloy, in an almost unlimited number of variants and formats. And for customers from all branches of trade and industry. The results: “Made in Halsbrücke” metallurgical quality is once again synonymous with top quality, individual solutions and innovations all over the world.

2013

Raising the roof

1638 m² roof area, 250 kWp: With its own latest-generation photovoltaic system, the Feinhütte Halsbrücke smelting plant becomes more independent, and more green. It is making an active contribution to the energy revolution and reducing CO₂ emissions.

2013 - Raising the roof
April 2017 - And so it continues

April 2017

And so it continues

When Tobias Patzig enters the company, one thing is clear: Family tradition is key here. After passing his degree in Dresden and spending a year gaining practical experience abroad, the young industrial engineer decides: He’s going to join the company founded by Lothar Patzig. Grandson Tobias probably already knew that long before as he carried out internships and holiday work in every department while his interest in the smelting craft continued to grow.

2017

Teamwork

Maintaining and expanding the traditional business and continuing it into the future are the key tasks for the entire Feinhütte team, and the foundation for future success and completely new opportunities. It’s the combination that makes the difference. Feinhütte skilfully combines the wealth of experience in its current team with new young team members, guaranteeing a highly dynamic environment and a thirst for knowledge.

06/10/2017

More than just a party

Toasting the first quarter of a new century. With colleagues and 200 invited guests. In an unusual yet magnificent setting. After all, as well as celebrating 25 years of Feinhütte Halsbrücke GmbH, the occasion also marked four hundred years of smelting tradition at the same site. To many more years of successful and reliable partnership. Glück auf!

06/10/2017 - More than just a party
24/12/2018 - Shining bright

24/12/2018

Shining bright

Latest construction site completed: Another piece of history is showcased thanks to the completely renovated administration building and the complex and faithful reproduction of the stone coat of arms that used to adorn the former amalgamation works. And of course it’s a more pleasant working environment too.

01/02/2019

Pure progress

Electrolysis reloaded: With the restoration and optimisation of the in-house electrolysis technology, atomic purification is now used, which allows for the production of outstanding tin-lead alloys. The degree of purity of these alloys far surpasses that of customary solders – companies involved in tin-lead applications all love using the new “Feinhütte Elyt”.

01/02/2019 - Pure progress
06/07/2019 - Traditionally good!

06/07/2019

Traditionally good!

The Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The region applied for the title with 17 component parts on the Saxon side and 5 on the Bohemian side.

With its 800-year history in silver and tin mining and the subsequent ore smelting, Freiberg and the surrounding area is now one component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The decision by the World Heritage Committee underlines the metallurgical history of the entire region.

We at Feinhütte Halsbrücke want to continue to drive forward metallurgical innovations in the future, and to carry on contributing to the success story of the Freiberg/Halsbrücke region. Glück auf!

Spring 2020

Corona Pandemic by Covid19

Due to the pandemic situation and an initial lockdown in Germany, Feinhütte is classified as a system-relevant company because of its unique characteristics. During this time, we were able to supply our customers without disruption, not least thanks to our large stockpiles.

Summer 2020

New storage capacities are built

With the construction of another industrial warehouse, we are responding to the increased demand for tin recycling "Made in Germany". More and more sectors, such as the electronics industry, are recognising the advantages for their companies of shipping their process residues directly to the smelter.

 

Autumn 2020

Introduction of our new 360 degree branding

The trademark symbolises the sustainable smelting process which gives our customers a direct competitive advantage. Quality product - application - consulting - recycling - quality product. From cradle to the cradle! In addition to innovative products, our service includes comprehensive consulting as well as the recycling of the resulting residues.

2021: In honor of Lothar Patzig

"Look ahead, there is always a way."

For almost three decades, he led and expanded our company as a shareholder and managing director with entrepreneurial vision, technical knowledge and responsibility. His actions were characterized by diligence, discipline and courage.

We deeply mourn the loss of a personality who was respected and appreciated by all due to his helpful nature and his technical knowledge and his leading abilies.

His unwavering willpower allowed him to look ahead with focus and find solutions for seemingly unsolvable tasks. This ability was appreciated by employees, suppliers, customers and especially by our family.

We will continue to run the company in his spirit and also in the future as a reliable partner for all customers and suppliers as well as a responsible employer.

Tobias Patzig, who has been working for the company for many years and lastly as commercial manager, is appointed as managing director.

2021: In honor of Lothar Patzig - "Look ahead, there is always a way."
Quality product - Application - Consulting - Recycling - Quality product

From cradle to cradle! In addition to innovative products, our service includes application-specific advice and support as well as the recycling of process residues. 360 degrees and everything from one source for your competitive advantage!

Recycling

Responsible recycling has been an important topic for Feinhütte Halsbrücke GmbH for decades. That’s why we don’t just dispose of used materials in a correct and environmentally responsible manner for our customers’ benefit – in this age of increasing demand for raw materials on global markets, reuse by means of recycling is another key factor in the conservation of limited resources.

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Feinhütte Halsbrücke GmbH | Krummenhennersdorfer Str. 2 | D-09633 Halsbrücke / Germany | Tel. +49 3731  295-100 | Fax  +49 3731 295-105 | E-Mail: mail@feinhuette.de

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