What GCT GmbH does

GCT GmbH is a privately held German specialty tooling manufacturer founded in July 2003 and headquartered in Weingarten, Germany, owned since 2009 by Swiss specialty materials company EXTRAMET AG. The company designs and produces diamond-coated tungsten carbide cutting tools — primarily drills, routers/end mills, chamfering cutters, countersinks, and thread mills — targeted at manufacturers machining difficult substrates including printed circuit boards (PCBs), insulated metal substrates (IMS), carbon- and glass-fiber reinforced composites (CFRP/GRP), and technical ceramics, glass, quartz, and silicon. Its product portfolio is organized around a proprietary MicroSpeed multilayer diamond coating (10,000 HV0.05 hardness) deposited via a Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) process, with application-specific crystalline and nanocrystalline layer architectures and a 100% optical final inspection on every tool. GCT also operates a job-coating service for third-party carbide tools, allowing customers to outsource diamond coating rather than invest in their own CVD infrastructure.

GCT generates revenue primarily through one-time sales of its branded coated tools and, secondarily, through professional job-coating services performed on customer-owned carbide tools. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and contracts are typically multi-year — consistent with an enterprise B2B model serving PCB, power-electronics, aerospace, automotive, and ceramics customers. Distribution combines direct sales from the German headquarters with a long-standing network of regional channel partners and distributors across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, the USA, France, and Spain, supplemented by a dedicated coating-service partner in Shanghai. Marketing is built around technical content (parameter recommendations, application guides, tolerance calculations) and industry exhibitions rather than broad consumer channels.

The company has scaled its production footprint from three diamond coating facilities in 2010 to seven by February 2020, supported by cumulative disclosed capital investment of roughly €5 million and a 44% facility expansion in 2017. It is certified to ISO 9001:2015 (re-certified in 2018 by TÜV SÜD) and holds RoHS and REACh compliance documentation. The most recent material product launch is the GC-2i High Performance End Mill in March 2024, targeting aluminum IMS applications at cutting speeds of 220–250 m/min.

Name

GCT GmbH

Legal name

GCT GmbH

Website

https://gctool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GCT GmbH is a German manufacturer of proprietary diamond-coated tungsten carbide drills, routers, and end mills used by PCB, power-electronics, composites, and technical ceramics producers to machine difficult substrates, with a complementary job-coating service distributed globally via regional partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cutting Tools Manufacturing

NAICS

Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing (333515), Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers (332812)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surface Treatment & Finishing Equipment (Coating, Plating, Deburring, Shot Blasting) (IMAHADAJ)

Keywords

• Diamond coated tools
• Carbide cutting tools
• CVD diamond coating
• PCB drilling routers
• IMS machining tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Weingarten

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Diamond Coated Tools: Sale of proprietary diamond coated drills and routers for PCB, IMS, CFRP, technical ceramics and other difficult-to-machine materials. Product range includes various types optimized for specific applications with MicroSpeed diamond coating.
2. Coating Service / Job Coating: GCT offers diamond coating services for external customers' own carbide tools or other carbide products. This allows customers to expand their product portfolio with diamond-coated tools without investing in diamond coating know-how and infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GCT GmbH manufactures and sells diamond-coated tungsten carbide drills and routers/end mills for machining difficult-to-machine materials including PCBs, insulated metal substrates (IMS), CFRP/GRP composites, technical ceramics, glass, quartz, and silicon. All tools feature the proprietary MicroSpeed multilayer diamond coating applied via CVD. The company additionally offers contract diamond coating (job coating) services for customers' own carbide tools, and publishes technical application guides and machining parameters.

Product overview

GCT GmbH is a manufacturer of diamond-coated cutting tools, primarily serving the PCB (printed circuit board), IMS (insulated metal substrate), and composite materials processing industries. The product portfolio consists of two core product categories: diamond-coated drills (undercut drills, straight type drills, and inverse diameter drills in types 1625, 1638, 1639, 1835, 1534) and diamond-coated routers/end mills (1-flute and 2-flute end mills, spiral cut routers, diamond cut routers, chamfering cutters, countersinks, and thread mills in types 1312-1328, 1700-1760, 1200-1250, 138x, 1590-1596, 190x-1940). All tools feature the proprietary MicroSpeed multilayer diamond coating technology (including MicroSpeed Plus variant) produced via CVD process. The company also offers a coating service (job coating) for third-party carbide tools. Recent innovation includes the GC-2i High Performance End Mill launched in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drill Type 1638 (Undercut drill) Undercut drill, diamond coated with MicroSpeed multilayer CVD diamond coating for drilling applications in PCB materials.
• Drill Type 1640 (Undercut drill) Undercut drill with optimized undercut design, diamond coated with MicroSpeed coating for PCB and composite material processing.
• Drill Type 1835 (Straight type drill) Straight type diamond-coated drill with MicroSpeed coating for general drilling applications in PCB and related materials.
• Drill Type 1534 (Inverse diameter drill) Inverse diameter diamond-coated drill with MicroSpeed coating, designed for technical ceramics and silicon machining.
• Drill Type 1625 (Undercut drill, thicker coating) Undercut drill with thicker MicroSpeed diamond coating engineered for glass, quartz, and ceramic machining.
• Router Type 1312/1318 (1-Flute End Mill) Single-flute diamond-coated end mill with MicroSpeed coating for routing inner and outer contours in copper-based IMS.
• Router Type 1322/1328 (2-Flute End Mill) Two-flute end mill with center cutting geometry and MicroSpeed diamond coating for aluminum IMS machining.
• GC-2i High Performance End Mill (Type 1328) Newly developed solid carbide 2-flute high-performance end mill with center cutting design and MicroSpeed diamond coating, optimized for aluminum IMS applications. Achieves cutting speeds of 220–250 m/min.
• Router Type 1700/1760 (Spiral Cut, extra fine) Spiral cut router with extra fine cut and MicroSpeed diamond coating for high Tg laminates and halogen-free materials.
• Router Type 1704 (Spiral Cut, square chip breaker) Spiral cut router with square chip breaker and MicroSpeed diamond coating for filled PCB laminates.
• Router Type 1750 (Spiral Cut, thicker coating) Spiral cut router with thicker MicroSpeed diamond coating for ceramic-filled laminates such as Rogers RO 4350.
• Router Type 1200/1204 (Diamond Cut) Diamond cut router with MicroSpeed coating for CFRP/GRP machining and PCB depanelling applications.
• Router Type 1250 (Diamond Cut, thicker coating) Diamond cut router with thicker MicroSpeed coating for PCB solder pallets and CFRP/GRP machining.
• Chamfering Cutter Type 138x Diamond coated chamfering cutter with MicroSpeed coating for scoring high Tg materials, filled laminates, and IMS.
• Countersink Type 1590-1596 Diamond coated countersink with MicroSpeed coating for chamfering and deburring operations in PCB and IMS.
• Thread Mill Type 1940 (IMS) Diamond coated thread mill with MicroSpeed coating for ISO metric screw threads in aluminum and copper-based IMS.
• Thread Mill Type 190x (Technical Ceramics) Diamond coated thread mill with thicker MicroSpeed coating for screw threads in technical ceramics.
• MicroSpeed Diamond Coating (coating service line) Proprietary multilayer CVD diamond coating technology (crystalline + nanocrystalline layers; 10,000 HV0.05 hardness) sold as a job coating service for external carbide tools; delivers 6–20x tool life improvement in PCB, IMS, aluminum, copper, CFRP, GRP, glass, quartz, ceramic, and silicon machining.
• Job Coating Service (third-party diamond coating) Contract diamond coating service applying GCT's MicroSpeed multilayer CVD diamond coating to customers' own carbide tools, enabling tool makers to expand into diamond-coated products without investing in CVD infrastructure or know-how.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tool life increases by factor 6-20 in mechanical processing of PCB materials, IMS, aluminum, copper, CFRP, GRP, glass, quartz, ceramic and silicon
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• GCT Diamond Coating Center Co., Ltd (Taiwan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2008Regional sales partner for Taiwan market. Established as part of Asia market development in 2008. Contact: Sunny Low, Tel. +886 (3) 350 - 1689
• GCT Diamond Coating Center (South Korea)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2008Regional sales partner for South Korea. Established as part of Asia market development in 2008. Contact: Harry Bae, Tel. +82 (31) 274-4048
• Schooner Trading Co., LTD (China)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales partner for mainland China based in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Contact: Sunny Low, H/P: +86 188 6231 - 1348
• Idealnet Products Pte (HK) LtdmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales partner for China/Hong Kong based in Kwun Tong, Kowloon. Contact: Peter Kok, Tel. +852 (29) 52 20 07
• APHTEC suministros tecnicos (France/Spain)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional sales partner for France and Spain market. Contact: Carlos Perez, Tel. +34 (620) 83 31 25
• CARBIDE RELATED TECHNOLOGY, INC (USA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales partner for USA market based in North Haven, CT. Contact: Jim Hudson, Tel. +1 (203) 281 – 1266
• Shanghai Shield Coating Technology Co., LtdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJob coating partner for China/Shanghai area. Contact: Benjamin Zhang, Tel: +86 (21) 6818 8817

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MAPAL Dr. Kress KG: German manufacturer of precision cutting tools (drills, reamers, end mills) with PVD/CVD coating capabilities serving automotive, aerospace, and electronics OEMs. Comparable product mix and German mid-market positioning.
• Kennametal Inc. Global carbide tooling manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, transportation, and electronics. Overlaps with GCT in carbide drills/end mills but operates at much greater scale across multiple industries.
• Kyocera Precision Tools: Division of Kyocera producing carbide drills, end mills, and inserts with diamond-like coatings for aerospace, automotive, and electronics. Comparable coated-tool offering across overlapping end markets.
• Gühring KG: German manufacturer of rotary cutting tools (drills, end mills, taps) with extensive coatings portfolio including diamond-like coatings. Comparable manufacturing base and customer overlap in European precision manufacturing.
• Walter Tools (Sandvik Coromant): Broad-line metal-cutting tool division of Sandvik offering carbide drills, end mills, and tooling for aerospace, automotive, and electronics. Comparable end-market exposure but vastly larger portfolio and global direct-sales footprint.

Direct peers

• OSG Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of taps, drills, end mills, and coated cutting tools with strong global sales network. Directly comparable product category (coated carbide tools) with overlapping aerospace, automotive, and electronics customers.
• CemeCon AG: German manufacturer of CVD/PVD coating equipment and coating services, including diamond coatings. Directly comparable technology stack; was GCT's main shareholder 2007–2009, giving it deep familiarity with the same coating market GCT serves.
• EXTRAMET AG: Swiss specialty materials producer (tungsten carbide products) and GCT's main shareholder since 2009. Operates in adjacent specialty materials/tooling space and shares GCT's customer base in carbide-based industrial applications.
• Union Tool Co. Japanese PCB drill bit specialist with global sales, focused on micro-drills for printed circuit boards. Closest direct competitor in GCT's primary PCB drilling segment and a benchmark for tool-life performance.
• Daetwyler Graphix AG: Swiss manufacturer of precision drill bits for PCB depaneling and electronics; established in GCT's core PCB segment with comparable coating expertise. Direct competitor in routing/drilling tools for electronics manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gct-gmbh-diamond

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 GCT GmbH