What von Hagens Plastination does

von Hagens Plastination, operating through its legal entity Gubener Plastinate GmbH, manufactures real human anatomical specimens for medical education and research using the proprietary plastination technique invented by its founder Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977. The company produces six core product categories — Silicone Plastinates (HP), Flexible Plastinates (HPF), Sheet Plastinates (HS), Anatomy Glass (HG), Casts (HC), and Bones (HB) — alongside bespoke and pathology specimens and curated collections, all processed at the world's largest plastination facility in Guben, Germany, with corporate headquarters in Heidelberg. The underlying technology replaces bodily fluids and soluble fats with reactive resins and elastomers (silicone, epoxy) cured with gas, light, or heat, yielding dry, odor-free, durable specimens safe to handle in any environment and lasting indefinitely with proper care.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of specimens to verified educational institutions, with quote-based pricing, 25% non-refundable deposits on order acceptance, and production lead times of up to 18 months for complex specimens requiring 1,500–2,000 hours of skilled labor. Its go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, supported by a named direct sales team that manages enquiries, custom orders, and post-sale repair and training services, alongside an active presence at international anatomy conferences (Anatomical Society, ISP, IFAA, ISCAA, UAE Anatomy Conference). Human-tissue products are restricted to qualified educational users, while Anatomy Glass and Casts are sold without restriction.

The company serves more than 450 universities and educational institutions across 80 countries, drawing on a 20,000+ registered donor body donation program managed by the affiliated Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg. The business is family-owned and privately held with no external investors, operating alongside affiliated brands including BODY WORLDS exhibitions (55M+ visitors globally), the PLASTINARIUM public exhibition in Guben, and BIODUR which supplies plastination consumables and equipment to 400+ medical schools worldwide. Headcount is approximately 100–115 employees, led by Managing Director Rurik von Hagens since 2012.

Name

von Hagens Plastination

Legal name

Gubener Plastinate GmbH

Website

https://vonhagens-plastination.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

von Hagens Plastination produces real human anatomical specimens using the proprietary plastination technique invented by its founder in 1977, serving more than 450 universities and educational institutions across 80 countries through six core specimen product lines and custom orders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anatomical Specimens for Medical Education

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)

Keywords

• Plastinated anatomical specimens
• Medical education resources
• Human anatomy preservation
• Anatomical teaching tools
• Anatomy specimen manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plastinated Specimen Sales: One-time sale of plastinated anatomical specimens (Silicone Plastinates, Flexible Plastinates, Sheet Plastinates, Bones) to qualified educational institutions. Revenue comes from production costs (person time, equipment, consumables, facilities), research, development, and administrative services. No charge is made for human tissue itself.
2. Custom/Bespoke Specimen Orders: Custom-designed Silicone Plastinates created to perfectly match customer curricular and educational needs. Bespoke orders are priced based on complexity and work hours required.
3. Anatomy Glass and Casts: Sale of acrylic cross-sections (Anatomy Glass) and polymer casts that do not contain human tissue. Available to anyone without qualified user restrictions.
4. Repair and Maintenance Services: At-cost repair and refresh maintenance service for specimens. Also provides free one-hour online specimen repair training sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

von Hagens Plastination manufactures and sells plastinated human anatomical specimens — Silicone Plastinates (HP), Sheet Plastinates (HS), Flexible Plastinates (HPF), Bones (HB), Anatomy Glass (HG) and Casts (HC) — for medical, dental, nursing and allied-health education. Products are produced using the proprietary plastination process invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens and are sold directly to qualified educational institutions worldwide, with custom (bespoke) dissections, pathology specimens and curated collections available on request.

Product overview

von Hagens Plastination offers a comprehensive portfolio of plastinated anatomical specimens and teaching tools for medical education. The core product line includes six main specimen types: Silicone Plastinates (HP) for whole-body and regional anatomy, Flexible Plastinates (HPF) for kinaesthetic learning, Sheet Plastinates (HS) for cross-sectional study, Anatomy Glass (HG) as acrylic reproductions free of human tissue, Casts (HC) demonstrating hollow structures, and Bones (HB). Bespoke custom dissections and Pathology specimens provide specialized educational options, while curated Collections offer pre-grouped specimen sets. Products containing human tissue (HP, HPF, HS, HB) are available only to verified qualified users in educational settings, while human tissue-free products (HG, HC) are available to anyone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Silicone Plastinates (HP) Real dissected human anatomical specimens preserved using silicone polymer injection. Dry, odor-free, safe to handle, providing unrivalled views of whole bodies, body regions, systems or single organs for anatomical education. Available to verified qualified users in educational and medical settings.
• Flexible Plastinates (HPF) Real human specimens preserved using a unique plastination technique that maintains soft tissue flexibility, supporting kinaesthetic and exploratory learning. Soft tissues can be moved to reveal underlying structures and permit various joint movements. Available from April 2026.
• Sheet Plastinates (HS) Thin cross-sections of the human body that reveal real sectional anatomy in immersive detail, representing the highest levels of quality, detail, and durability of cross-sectional anatomy available. Contains real human tissue; available to qualified users only.
• Anatomy Glass (HG) Thin cross-sections of the human body presented in durable acrylic form. Free from human tissue, available for use by anyone, scratch-resistant and able to be drawn on with non-permanent pens. Available within 4–6 weeks.
• Casts (HC) Handmade polymer casts demonstrating the shapes, patterns and interconnections of hollow structures within the body. Created via polymer injection of anatomical spaces within real human tissue followed by tissue removal. Do not contain human tissue.
• Bones (HB) Real human bone specimens preserved through plastination for use in anatomical education. Part of the human-tissue-containing product range, restricted to verified qualified users. New 5,000 sqm skeletal material facility opened in 2021 expanded production.
• Bespoke Custom Plastinates Custom-designed Silicone Plastinates created to perfectly match customer curricular and educational needs. Specimens can be designed for specific teaching requirements and customized dissections; pricing based on complexity and work hours required (some specimens take 1,500–2,000 hours to complete).
• Pathologies Specimens Silicone Plastinates, Flexible Plastinates and Bones showing defined pathologies, available on a limited basis due to their unpredictable nature. Provides educational exposure to anatomical variations and disease states.
• Specimen Collections Curated collections of plastinated specimens grouped by anatomical system, region, or educational purpose. Allows institutions to acquire comprehensive sets for teaching programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• With proper handling and maintenance, plastinated specimens will last indefinitely
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Institute for Plastination (IfP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute for Plastination, founded by Dr. Gunther von Hagens and based in Heidelberg, manages the exclusive body donation program that supplies all human tissue used by von Hagens Plastination. This is the ethical cornerstone of the company's operations.
• PLASTINARIUMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PLASTINARIUM in Guben is an open laboratory and exhibition hall where visitors can view dissection live and in progress. It showcases new and historical examples of plastination and hosts special educational events and group tours.
• BODY WORLDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBODY WORLDS is a collection of eleven public exhibitions that have been seen by more than 55 million people globally. Von Hagens Plastination produces the plastinates displayed in these exhibitions.
• BIODUR Products GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIODUR offers polymers, equipment and auxiliaries for plastination. Founded by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, it provides consultation and training for those wishing to set up private plastination laboratories and supplies consumables to 400+ medical schools worldwide.
• Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe company plastinated a 200kg blue whale heart for the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. The project took over two years to complete, with Sales & Special Projects Manager Anja Woitke coordinating all processes and communication.
• International Society for Plastination (ISP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1982 at the first international plastination conference in Texas, USA. The society organizes international plastination conferences every two years.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CAE Healthcare: CAE Healthcare sells simulation-based training solutions for medical schools, nursing programs, and clinical practitioners under the larger CAE aerospace-and-defense parent. It targets the same healthcare-education procurement budgets as von Hagens Plastination but covers a much broader portfolio of simulation modalities.
• Laerdal Medical: Laerdal is the global leader in healthcare simulation and resuscitation training, selling CPR manikins, simulators, and training programs to hospitals and medical schools. It targets the same institutional healthcare-education buyer as von Hagens Plastination but through simulation rather than real-tissue preservation.

Emerging players

• SynDaver Labs: SynDaver Labs develops synthetic human-tissue models and full-body surgical trainers for medical education and device testing. It offers a competing wet-lab and surgical-skills alternative to plastinated specimens, appealing to institutions seeking cadaver-free training.
• Surgical Science: Surgical Science provides virtual reality simulators for minimally invasive surgery and endovascular training, sold primarily to hospitals and medical schools. It targets the same surgical-skills development budget as von Hagens Plastination through digital rather than physical anatomical training.
• Anatomage: Anatomage provides virtual dissection tables and 3D anatomy software used by medical and dental schools worldwide. It represents the digital alternative to physical plastinated specimens, addressing the same teaching need with a different delivery model and overlapping customer base.

Direct peers

• Sawbones (Pacific Research Laboratories): Sawbones is a leading manufacturer of orthopedic anatomy models, fracture simulation kits, and surgical training tools used by medical schools and orthopedic residency programs. It is comparable to von Hagens in producing hands-on anatomical training tools for specialist medical curricula.
• GPI Anatomicals: GPI Anatomicals designs and produces anatomical teaching models and medical training simulators for educational institutions. It competes for the same anatomy-curriculum budgets as von Hagens Plastination with model-based rather than plastinated-tissue solutions.
• 3B Scientific: 3B Scientific is a German manufacturer of anatomical models, charts, and medical training supplies widely used in medical and healthcare education. It is the most direct comparable to von Hagens Plastination in selling real-specimen or model-based anatomical tools to the same university and medical school buyer base.
• Adam, Rouilly: Adam, Rouilly manufactures anatomical models, charts, and clinical-skill teaching aids supplied to medical, nursing, and paramedical schools globally. Like von Hagens, it is a long-standing specialist serving the academic anatomical-teaching market with comparable customer types and curriculum integrations.

Others

• Nasco Education: Nasco Education supplies hands-on teaching tools, anatomical models, and life-science educational materials to K–12 and post-secondary institutions. It is an adjacent distributor and manufacturer overlapping the educational anatomical supplies supply chain rather than a direct competitor in plastinated specimens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vonHagensPlast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gubener-plastinate-gbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/vonhagensplastination

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 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 von Hagens Plastination