What Test Building does

prüfbau Dr.-Ing. H. Dürner GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of specialized testing equipment, laboratory printability instruments, and custom special-purpose machines, founded in 1954 by Dr.-Ing. Herbert Dürner in Pähl near Munich and now headquartered in Peissenberg. The company designs and builds in-house across optics, electronics, fine mechanics and mechanics, operating more than 50 CNC machining centers and producing over 80 different device types used by security-document producers (including Bundesdruckerei for German passport holographic features), graphic-industry printers, research institutes (Fogra, PTS, universities) and environmental/process industries in more than 130 countries. Core hardware products include the MZ II/MZ E and TDR/TDH printability testers for offset, rotogravure and inkjet digital printing, the patented KAM contact-area measuring device and Deltack tack-measuring system, plus folding, scoring, abrasion, drying-time and blocking test instruments; on the software side, Print Target and Vision Target deliver image-analytical evaluation (dot, dirt, mottling, topography, defect and process-control analysis). Revenue is generated through direct sales of equipment, recurring global service/repair/calibration and spare-parts supply (with centers in Munich, Tokyo and Chicago), training and workshops, and project cooperation with research institutes and corporate clients. Marketing runs through DRUPA and other industry trade shows, a bilingual German/English website, and direct technical consultation under a bank-independent, self-financed ownership structure.

Name

Test Building

Legal name

prüfbau Dr.-Ing. H. Dürner GmbH

Website

https://pruefbau.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned German manufacturer of specialized printability testing instruments, substrate and ink/coating quality devices, and image-analysis software for security-document producers, graphic-industry printers, and research institutes across more than 130 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Testing Equipment / Printability Testing Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Printability testing equipment
• Laboratory printing testers
• Substrate testing instruments
• Image analysis software
• Special purpose machines

Headquarters

HQ city

Peißenberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of testing equipment, printability testers, special purpose machines, and analytical devices for graphic industry, security technology, and environmental engineering
2. Service and Maintenance: Global service, repair, calibration, and maintenance for all delivered products. Spare parts supply guaranteed for all products ever delivered
3. Training and Workshops: Device and software training, complaint processing, printing methods basics, defect analysis training in German and English
4. Project Cooperation: Project-oriented cooperation with research institutes and companies for problem analysis, testing strategies development, and custom solutions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Test Building designs, manufactures, and services laboratory-scale testing equipment, printability testers, substrate and ink/coating testing devices, evaluation software, holographic systems, security technology systems, environmental engineering instruments, and custom special purpose machines. Offerings are sold to industrial customers in the graphic/printing industry, security document production, environmental monitoring, and research sectors, with global service, maintenance, calibration, spare parts, and training support delivered from facilities in Germany, Japan, and the United States.

Product overview

prüfbau (Dr.-Ing. H. Dürner GmbH) is a globally leading company in testing equipment and special purpose machine manufacturing. The company produces over 80 different special measuring device types and offers five main product categories: Graphic Industry (measuring and testing devices, printability testers, evaluation software including Print Target and Vision Target), Holography, Environmental Engineering, Security Technology, and Special Purpose Machines. The product portfolio includes laboratory printability testing systems (MZ II/E, TDR, TDH), substrate testing equipment (folding testers, abrasion testers, contact area measurement), ink and coating testing devices (tack measurement, drying time testers, blocking test devices), sheet formation systems (Haage), and digital printing test machines. The company also develops holographic optical elements, security document systems, and custom machines for thin-layer applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Print Target: Image analysis software package for evaluating prints on high resolution scans, used for dot analysis, dirt counting, mottling, topography, reflectivity measurement, inkjet evaluation, and coating testing.
• Vision Target
• Deltack
• INKOMAT 200 T
• Rillomat
• WZ-I
• Quartant Abrasion Tester
• Deltack

Products and services

• MZ II / MZ E Multipurpose Printability Testing Instrument Laboratory-scale measurement and analysis tool that emulates the full-scale chemical-physical printing process with modular integration of different printing and coating operations in a single instrument; intended for offset printing R&D, substrate qualification, and ink testing in the graphic industry.
• TDR Laboratory Rotogravure Press Rotogravure laboratory print testing machine performing rotogravure prints with high correlation to production prints; printing size 115 mm x 300 mm, maximum speed 5 m/s; supports ink and substrate out-of-the-box testing with automatic evaluation.
• TDH Manual Rotogravure Printability Tester Manual rotogravure hand-printing device for fast comparability of inks directly at the rotogravure printing press; requires only small ink amounts, is easy to clean, and is optionally available with pneumatic drive.
• FG II Precision Folding Device Laboratory folding device for testing substrates up to 750 µm thickness; folding force adjustment considers substrate thickness to deliver a constant folding force for repeatable creasing/folding quality tests.
• Rillomat (Scoring Testing Device) Precision laboratory device for the production of creasing in cardboard, board, paper, and compound materials; features accurate adjustment of creasing depth and variable creasing knife width for repeatable scoring tests.
• Quartant Abrasion Tester Testing device for abrasion qualities of printed paper, cardboard, and plastic foils; tests up to four samples simultaneously under 0.5 N/cm² contact pressure using rotating and reciprocating motion.
• WZ-I Glue Line Strength Tester Instrument for objectively testing the strength of glue lines for corrugated board packages; provides reproducible measurements of adhesive bond strength in packaging applications.
• Deltack (Multipurpose Tack Measuring System DX) Patented testing system for determination of adhesion and cohesion forces of thin and flowable media in dynamic transfer processes including offset printing, foil processing, and nano-particle transfer; used for R&D and quality assurance.
• INKOMAT 200 T Tack-measuring device for research and development, quality assurance, and production control; features calibrated measuring speeds and accurate temperature control for reproducible tack values of printing inks.
• TZ 8 Drying Time Tester Device to determine absorption behavior and drying time of inks on paper, carton, plastic, or metal foils; equipped with 8 test stations with 25 mm wide pressure application rollers.
• Blocking Test Device Testing device for blocking behaviors of inks and varnishes depending on substrates; supports testing in standard atmosphere or in a drying oven up to 100°C with 2 cm² or 6 cm² testing areas.
• KAM Contact Area Measuring Device Patented measuring device for contact area measurement of substrates under different contact pressures against light-conducting surfaces; particularly suitable for banknote qualification and differentiation of smooth materials; also measures plasticity of substrates.
• Print Target (Image Analysis Software) Image analysis software for high resolution pictures or scans; modules for surface and transmission structure analysis, dirt counting, dot quality measurement, reflectivity measurement, mottling, formation, topography, missing-dot and inkjet evaluation, and coating testing; used for control of digital and flexo printing machines.
• Vision Target (Image Analysis Software) Image analytical evaluation software for high-resolution scans or digital images across industrial fields; includes form, surface and transmission structure analysis, AoI measurement, structure measurement with topographical measurement, defect determination, process control, and particle analysis for security, textile, pulp fibers, and biological applications.
• Haage Sheet Former Sheet forming systems following the Rapid-Köthen principle for rapid production of wood pulp, mechanical pulp, composites, and paper stock inspection sheets; continuously manufactured for more than 70 years.
• Inkjet Digital Probedruckmaschine (Digital Printability Tester) Multipurpose printability testing machine for digital printing and inkjet printing; features a proprietary application head for any inkjet inks, prints on papers, films, cardboard, textiles, glass, and other materials; UV curing available; continuously developed since DRUPA 2016.
• hygronic Humidity Measuring Devices Humidity and temperature measuring devices for professional use; available as portable, compact, or floor-mounted instruments with optional data-logger functionality for environmental monitoring and process industries.
• Holographic Systems Production of holographic diffusion screens, optical elements, holograms, hologram masters, holographic volume gratings, precision surfaces, cylindric surface mirrors, and exposure machines for laboratory and production; used for security features and optical components.
• Security Technology Systems ID card systems, production installations, reading equipment, high security labels, manufacturing installations, and biometric systems for security document production; supplied to printers of passports, ID cards, and high-security documents worldwide.
• Environmental Engineering Products Measuring and testing devices, analytical devices, sounding devices, and sample-taking equipment for environmental engineering applications in pharmaceutical, medical, chemical, paper, and cardboard industries.
• Special Purpose Machines Complex devices in the field of thinnest layers, application and coating technology; custom machine construction for specific industrial applications including foil processing, offset printing, and nano-particle transfer.
• Global Service, Maintenance, Calibration, and Spare Parts Global service, repair, calibration, and maintenance for all delivered products; spare parts supply guaranteed for all products ever delivered; service centers in Munich, Tokyo, and Chicago.
• Technical Training and Workshops Device and software training, complaint processing, printing methods basics, and defect analysis training delivered in German and English; tailored to company-specific needs.
• Project Cooperation and Custom Solutions Project-oriented cooperation with research institutes and companies for problem analysis, testing strategy development, and custom solutions, including active cooperation in Fogra and PTS committees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products in 130+ countries worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fogra (Forschungsgesellschaft Druck e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerprüfbau provides active cooperation in project-oriented committees of Fogra, a leading research institute for the printing industry. Research projects are supported by valuable input from internal research experience and supply of testing equipment.
• PTS (Papiertechnische Stiftung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive cooperation in project-oriented committees of PTS (Paper Technology Foundation). Projects supported through internal research experience and provision of testing equipment.
• Universities and Research InstitutesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing tradition of cooperation with universities and research institutes in physics, chemistry, manufacturing systems engineering, electronics, and optics. Supports bachelor and master thesis work and provides interesting research tasks.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• X-Rite (Pantone): Global leader in color science and print quality measurement instruments serving graphic arts, packaging, and photography - directly comparable to prüfbau's Print Target and Vision Target image analysis software and printability tester portfolio.
• Techkon GmbH: Specialized manufacturer of densitometers, spectrophotometers, and print quality measurement devices for the printing industry - serving the same graphic industry customers with adjacent testing equipment.
• BYK-Gardner (part of ALTANA): Manufacturer of test and measurement instruments for coatings, plastics, and graphic arts - direct overlap with prüfbau in printability testing, surface measurement, and appearance evaluation for industrial customers.
• ZwickRoell: Manufacturer of materials testing machines for纸张/纸板/塑料/纸张材料 - directly overlapping product category with prüfbau's Rillomat folding tester, abrasion testers, and substrate testing devices for printing and packaging customers.
• TESA Technology: Manufacturer of precision measurement instruments and surface metrology equipment - comparable in industrial measurement precision and customer overlap in printing/manufacturing quality control applications.

Broad incumbents

• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen: Global incumbent in printing presses and related equipment serving commercial printers; broader portfolio but overlapping customer base in commercial print and packaging where prüfbau sells printability testers.
• Esko (Danaher): Provider of prepress, color management, and quality control software for packaging and printing - overlapping with prüfbau in print quality and workflow software for industrial printing customers.
• Koenig & Bauer (KBA): Major printing press manufacturer with security printing business unit serving banknote and ID card printers - directly comparable customer base to prüfbau's Bundesdruckerei-facing security technology portfolio.

Others

• De Gruyter / Fogra Research Institute: Fogra is prüfbau's research partner and standards body for the printing industry - adjacent ecosystem player that influences purchasing decisions of the same customer base prüfbau serves with printability testers.

Regional players

• Labthink Instruments: Chinese manufacturer of packaging testing instruments including permeability, tensile, and seal strength testers - directly comparable product category to prüfbau's packaging material testing devices but primarily serving Asian markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Test Building