What QC Electronics does

QC Electronics is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of industrial corona treatment systems, founded in 1988 by Ken and Jeannine Klein and headquartered in a single integrated facility in Portage, Wisconsin, where all design, machining, welding, assembly, and testing occur in-house. The company's core product line consists of custom-engineered corona treaters — including the patented TNT Covered Roll, Advantage Bare Roll, Narrow Web, Advantage Sheetfed, Vacuum Table, and DocuDyne Lab systems — paired with the proprietary NEXTGEN-i power generator featuring automatic watt density control. These systems use high-voltage electrical discharge to raise the surface energy of polymer films and other substrates, enabling reliable ink adhesion, coating bonding, and laminating in converting, printing, and packaging operations across industries including flexible packaging, labels, extrusion, and specialty substrates such as medical and automotive films.

QC Electronics generates revenue through a direct, engineer-led sales motion with no distributor or reseller layer, selling custom-configured capital equipment on a quote basis alongside a growing aftermarket ecosystem of ceramic electrodes compatible with all major OEM brands (3-day delivery), roll coatings and recovery services, and recurring services including free lab testing for equipment customers, contract toll corona treatment, technical consulting, and treater restoration. Customer segments span film extruders, flexographic and digital printers, narrow web label converters, coating and laminating operations, specialty applications, and R&D laboratories — a horizontal segmentation approach that diversifies exposure across the converting value chain. The company serves a global customer base, maintains CE certification for European market access, and is now led by the second generation of the Klein family, with Carl Klein overseeing mechanical engineering and Alyxandria Klein leading marketing and sales.

The business model combines project-driven capital equipment revenue with consumable aftermarket parts and services that are designed to extend customer relationships across the full equipment lifecycle. Proprietary technology includes a patented covered roll design, a proprietary ceramic electrode formulation, the industry's only counter-weighted swinging electrode assembly for on-line maintenance, and splice detection sensors for automated web protection. As of 2024, QC Electronics reported a record year in corona treatment system shipments, accompanied by new product introductions including redesigned treatment heads, ozone destruction systems, and a separate waterjet cutting service that extends manufacturing capacity beyond the core surface treatment market.

Name

QC Electronics

Legal name

QC Electronics, Inc.

Website

https://qcelectronics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

QC Electronics is a family-owned Wisconsin manufacturer of custom-engineered corona treatment systems used to improve surface adhesion on films and substrates for converters, printers, extruders, and specialty industrial customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corona Treater Equipment Sales: Custom-engineered corona treatment systems sold as complete units. Products include Advantage Bare Roll, TNT Covered Roll, Narrow Web, DocuDyne Lab, Advantage Sheetfed, and Vacuum Table systems. Revenue from initial capital equipment purchase.
2. Aftermarket Parts & Consumables: Replacement ceramic electrodes (compatible with any brand), roll coverings (ceramic, epoxy, silicone), silicone sleeving, and spare parts. Electrodes ship within 3 days. Consumable/repeat purchase model.
3. Lab Testing Services: Free lab trials for equipment customers; production-scale testing on actual substrate using QC equipment. Standalone testing services available for non-customers.
4. Contract Corona Treatment: Toll treatment service where customers ship material to QC facility for treatment to exact specifications. 1-2 week turnaround, expedited to as little as one day.
5. Technical Services & Consulting: Treater restoration, upgrades, electrode reconditioning, power supply upgrades, roll strip and recoat, and consulting for troubleshooting and optimization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

QC Electronics designs, manufactures, and sells custom-engineered corona treatment systems that increase the surface energy of polymer films and substrates to enable adhesion of inks, coatings, and adhesives. The portfolio includes bare roll, covered roll, narrow web, sheetfed, vacuum table, and lab-scale treaters, plus a complete aftermarket ecosystem of ceramic electrodes, roll coverings, lab testing, contract toll treatment, and consulting services.

Product overview

QC Electronics is a family-owned manufacturer of corona treatment systems based in Portage, Wisconsin, established in 1988. The company produces a complete line of corona treaters including bare roll systems (Advantage Bare Roll), covered roll systems (TNT Covered Roll with patented design), narrow web treaters for flexographic printing, sheet-fed treaters, vacuum table systems for ultra-thin substrates, and lab-scale DocuDyne units. The portfolio centers on industrial surface treatment equipment that increases surface energy on polymer films and substrates to enable ink, coating, and adhesive adhesion. Beyond equipment manufacturing, QC Electronics offers a full lifecycle support ecosystem including ceramic electrodes compatible with all major OEM brands (3-day delivery), roll coatings and recovery services, lab testing with KRUSS surface analysis, contract toll treatment services, technical consulting, and treater restoration/upgrade services. The company also provides power supplies with automatic watt density control and specialty products like ozone destruction systems. Related services include waterjet cutting, custom mounting brackets, electrode reconditioning, and operator training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advantage Bare Roll Corona Treater Bare roll corona treater engineered for converting, printing, coating, and laminating lines. Treats both conductive and nonconductive substrates including metallized films.
• TNT Covered Roll Corona Treater Patented covered roll corona treater designed for blown and cast film extrusion lines. Provides high-efficiency treatment on nonconductive substrates with minimal heat generation.
• Narrow Web Corona Treater Compact, high-power corona treater for flexographic and digital printing applications with seamless integration into narrow web presses including Mark Andy and other OEM systems.
• DocuDyne Lab Corona Treater Benchtop corona treater for research laboratories designed to simulate production-scale parameters and replicate customer processes before committing to full-line equipment investments.
• Advantage Sheetfed Corona Treater Corona treater designed for rigid and semi-rigid sheet materials providing uniform treatment across the full sheet width for reliable adhesion in sheet-fed applications.
• Vacuum Table Corona Treater Precision corona treatment system for ultra-thin and delicate substrates featuring vacuum hold-down technology to ensure consistent contact during treatment.
• NEXTGEN-i Generator Power generator with automatic watt density control technology for corona treatment systems, enabling precise power management and load compensation without manual adjustment.
• Ozone Destruction Systems Systems for destroying ozone generated during corona treatment processes, addressing environmental and workplace safety requirements.
• Ceramic Electrodes Aftermarket ceramic electrodes compatible with virtually every major corona treater brand. Proprietary high-temperature rated ceramic formulation with custom conductor design for maximum power output. Custom sizing up to 137 inches.
• Corona Treater Rolls and Coatings New roll manufacturing, strip and recoat services, and silicone sleeving for any brand of corona treater. Includes ceramic, epoxy, and silicone coverings with 100% dielectric testing before shipment.
• Contract Corona Treatment Toll treatment service where customers ship material to QC's Portage, Wisconsin facility for corona treatment to their exact specifications on production-scale equipment.
• Lab Testing Services Free production-scale lab trials using KRUSS surface analysis and dyne testing to optimize treatment parameters before equipment investment. Capabilities include widths up to 60 inches and roll diameters up to 24 inches.
• Corona Treatment Consulting Technical consulting for troubleshooting adhesion problems, evaluating and replacing competitor equipment, new line integration, process optimization, and operator training.
• Treater Restoration Services Restoration and upgrade services for aging corona treaters, including electrode reconditioning, power supply upgrades, roll strip and recoat. Restores treaters to like-new operation.
• Waterjet Cutting Waterjet cutting services for line upgrades and general manufacturing applications beyond corona treatment customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ceramic electrodes ship within 3 days of order confirmation
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Plasmatreat GmbH: Plasmatreat specializes in atmospheric plasma surface treatment as an alternative or complement to corona treatment for adhesion, cleaning, and coating applications. It represents an emerging competitive technology for the same converter and printer end-customers that QC Electronics serves with corona systems.

Direct peers

• Tantec A/S: Tantec is a Danish manufacturer of corona and plasma surface treatment equipment for plastic, rubber, and metal substrates. It overlaps with QC Electronics across corona treating systems for converters and extruders, and brings an adjacent plasma technology portfolio that competes for the same R&D and specialty application budgets.
• Vetaphone A/S: Vetaphone is a Danish manufacturer of corona treatment systems for film extrusion, converting, and printing lines. It competes directly with QC Electronics' Advantage Bare Roll and TNT Covered Roll product lines and is explicitly named by QC as an OEM whose electrodes QC supplies as aftermarket replacements.
• Enercon Industries Corporation: Enercon is one of the largest global manufacturers of corona and plasma surface treatment systems for film, sheet, and molded parts. It is QC Electronics' most direct head-to-head competitor across bare roll, covered roll, narrow web, and lab treater categories serving the same converting and printing end markets.
• ARCOTEC GmbH: ARCOTEC is a German manufacturer of corona and plasma treatment equipment for plastic films, profiles, and molded parts. It competes directly with QC Electronics in film and profile surface treatment and serves many of the same European extrusion and converting customers.
• Softal Corona & Plasma (3DT): Softal is a German manufacturer of corona and atmospheric plasma treatment systems serving film extrusion, converting, and printing customers globally. It competes head-to-head with QC Electronics' Advantage and TNT product families and is named by QC as a compatible OEM for aftermarket electrodes.
• Corotec Corporation: Corotec manufactures corona treatment equipment and electrodes for film, foil, and paper converting applications. It is a direct competitor to QC Electronics' corona treater and aftermarket electrode product lines, and is listed by QC as an OEM whose electrodes QC supplies.

Broad incumbents

• Sherman Treaters (Baldwin Technology): Sherman Treaters, now part of Baldwin Technology, manufactures corona and flame treatment systems for printing, coating, and laminating lines. It is a direct competitor in the printing and converting space and is listed by QC Electronics as an OEM whose electrodes are compatible with QC's aftermarket parts.
• Pillar Technologies (Illinois Tool Works): Pillar Technologies is the ITW-owned legacy manufacturer of corona treaters for converting and extrusion lines. As part of a multi-billion-dollar industrial conglomerate, it competes across the same equipment categories as QC Electronics but benefits from ITW's broader capital, engineering, and global service scale.

Regional players

• Ferrarini & Benelli: Ferrarini & Benelli is an Italian manufacturer of corona treatment systems primarily serving European extrusion and converting customers. It is a direct equipment competitor to QC Electronics and is explicitly named in QC's compatibility list for aftermarket ceramic electrodes.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QC Electronics