What ImpulsTec GmbH does

ImpulsTec GmbH is a German industrial engineering company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Radebeul, Saxony, that develops and manufactures custom electro-hydraulic shock wave fragmentation (EHF) systems for material-selective separation of complex composites. The core technology generates high-voltage electrical discharges (up to 50 kV) between electrodes submerged in a fluid medium, producing shock waves of several thousand atmospheres that fracture materials preferentially at phase boundaries between dissimilar substances. This non-contact process enables separation of complex industrial composites — including e-waste, lithium-ion battery cells, solar panels, carbon fiber composites, metal slags, mining products, and high-purity ceramics — with metal contamination below 1 ppm and without chemical inputs.

The product portfolio consists of two main system types: laboratory-scale Batch Plants (1-30l vessels, 30-50 kV, 1-50 pulses/s) for research and feasibility testing, and Continuous Shock Wave Systems (5-100l vessels, 3-12 electrodes, 50-500 kg/h throughput, up to 1000 t/a annual capacity) implemented in container construction for industrial-scale operation. Both systems use PLC-based control with touchscreen interfaces. The company also sells pulsed power generators, measurement technology (Rogowski coils), and control subsystems, and offers professional services including tailored maintenance contracts, employee training, customer-specific process development, contract fragmentation campaigns (up to 500 kg sample sizes), and upstream/downstream process integration.

ImpulsTec operates as a privately held GmbH under the HOCH.REIN Group, managed by three Geschäftsführer (Stefan Eisert, Tim Müller, Thomas Neußner) and employs approximately 11 people. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting e-waste recyclers, mining/metallurgy operators, composite material processors, battery recyclers, and high-purity material processors — primarily in Germany and Europe. The company reports no external funding rounds, derives revenue from one-time custom plant licenses plus recurring service and process development contracts, and counts Hansgrohe Group and sister company REELEMENTS GmbH among its named customers.

Name

ImpulsTec GmbH

Legal name

ImpulsTec GmbH

Website

https://impulstec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ImpulsTec GmbH, founded in 2014 in Radebeul, Germany, designs and builds custom electro-hydraulic shock wave fragmentation systems for material-selective separation of complex composites. It serves industrial recyclers in e-waste, battery, mining, and high-purity materials sectors, primarily in Germany, with a small 11-person engineering team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Recycling Equipment

akta.pro primary industry

Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders) (IMAHALAL)

Keywords

• Shock wave fragmentation
• Electrohydraulic fragmentation
• Electronic waste recycling
• Battery recycling equipment
• Industrial material separation

Headquarters

HQ city

Radebeul

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Plant Sales: Sale of custom-built industrial shock wave fragmentation systems, including batch plants for research applications and continuous systems for industrial-scale operations. Plants are designed to customer-specific material and separation requirements.
2. Plant Service and Maintenance: Tailored maintenance contracts for the entire service life of systems, employee training, process development for specific materials and applications, customer-specific adaptation of system technology, maintenance and repair of high-voltage pulsed power systems.
3. Fragmentation Campaign Services: Contract fragmentation of small to medium sample quantities up to 500 kg for feasibility studies and specific customer material testing.
4. Plant and Process Development: Custom plant and process development including upstream and downstream treatment steps for specific materials and applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ImpulsTec GmbH develops, manufactures, and sells industrial shock wave (electro-hydraulic) fragmentation systems for material-selective separation of complex composite materials. The portfolio comprises Batch Plants for research and laboratory-scale use and Continuous Shock Wave Systems for industrial-scale production, complemented by service and maintenance contracts, contract fragmentation campaigns, and custom plant and process development. Applications span e-waste, lithium-ion battery, solar panel, composite, mining/metallurgy, and high-purity material processing.

Product overview

ImpulsTec GmbH develops and sells industrial shock wave (electrohydraulic) fragmentation systems for selective material separation and recycling. The product portfolio consists of two main systems: Batch Plants (for research/laboratory applications with 1-30l vessels) and Continuous Shock Wave Systems (for industrial-scale continuous operation in container construction with 5-100l vessels). Both systems use electrically generated shock waves in a fluid medium to selectively break materials at phase boundaries and interfaces, enabling contact-free fragmentation with minimal contamination. The technology targets composite materials, e-waste, batteries, slags, mining products, and high-purity materials across recycling, mining, metallurgy, and materials processing industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Batch Plants (Research) Laboratory-scale shock wave fragmentation systems featuring movable single or multi-electrode arrangements with adjustable electrode spacing, operating at 30-50 kV working voltage and 1-50 pulses per second. Vessel volumes range from 1-30l. Designed for research, material testing, and feasibility studies with automatic lifting and clamping devices and PLC control with touchscreen interface.
• Continuous Shock Wave System (Industrial) Industrial-scale continuous shock wave fragmentation systems implemented in container construction. Features 3-12 high-voltage electrodes, 5-100l vessel volumes, 30-50kV working voltage, 50-1000 J pulse energy, and 1-50 discharges per second. Achieves 50-500 kg/h throughput (100-1000 t/a depending on material) with PLC control and touchscreen interface for individual fragmentation parameter adjustment. Material-specific throughput examples: mobile phones 75-125 kg/h, printed circuit boards 50-150 kg/h, solar panels 75-200 kg/h, semiconductor materials 100-300 kg/h, metal slags 200-400 kg/h.
• Plant Service and Maintenance Tailored maintenance contracts for the full service life of shock wave fragmentation systems, including employee training, process development for specific materials and applications, customer-specific adaptation of system technology, and maintenance and repair of high-voltage pulsed power systems.
• Fragmentation Campaign Services Contract fragmentation of small to medium sample quantities up to 500 kg for feasibility studies and specific customer material testing using ImpulsTec's shock wave fragmentation systems.
• Plant and Process Development Custom plant and process development including upstream and downstream treatment steps for specific materials and applications, delivered as part of ImpulsTec's engineering capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Metal contamination levels <1 ppm achievable during fragmentation process
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• REELEMENTS GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021REELEMENTS GmbH (formerly MAB Recycling GmbH) is the application-focused sister company of ImpulsTec and serves as a modern recycler and large-scale user of shock wave technology. The company is building innovative shock wave-based plants for high-quality recycling of lithium-ion batteries and aims to become the leading recycler of energy storage systems. REELEMENTS and ImpulsTec jointly refine the unique shock wave recycling process, with REELEMENTS deploying the technology for commercial-scale battery recycling operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Umicore SA: Belgian materials technology and recycling group with large-scale battery recycling operations and closed-loop material recovery. Operates as a customer-side incumbent in the lithium-ion battery recycling market that ImpulsTec/REELEMENTS target.
• Hosokawa Alpine AG: German-based manufacturer of industrial processing and separation equipment including shredders, granulators, and classifiers serving recycling and materials processing markets. Broader incumbent participant in the same fragmentation/separation equipment category.
• BHS Sonthofen GmbH: Established German industrial machinery manufacturer providing shredding, crushing, and sorting equipment for recycling and mineral processing. Competes with ImpulsTec in mechanical fragmentation and downstream separation, though using conventional rather than shock wave technology.

Regional players

• ROSED - Recovery of Substances from Waste: Also a German/Saxon-region participant in advanced recycling technology development, indicative of the local innovation cluster in which ImpulsTec operates through Circular Saxony. Comparable regional ecosystem player in advanced recycling R&D.

Emerging players

• Duesenfeld GmbH: German battery recycling start-up using low-temperature processes to recover black mass and active materials from lithium-ion cells. Competes with REELEMENTS/ImpulsTec in European Li-ion battery recycling but uses a different processing approach.
• Cyclic Materials Inc. Canadian company developing rare earth element recovery from end-of-life magnets and electronics using hydrometallurgical processes. Adjacent emerging player in advanced materials recycling target markets such as e-waste and EV components.

Direct peers

• Bullfinch (RCS GmbH): German competitor offering electrohydraulic fragmentation plants for e-waste recycling, particularly for printed circuit boards and capacitors. Direct technological overlap with ImpulsTec's continuous shock wave systems and serves similar European e-waste recyclers.
• SELFRAG AG: Swiss company founded as a spin-off from ETH Zurich that pioneered electrodynamic (electrohydraulic) fragmentation for recycling and mineral processing applications. Most direct competitor to ImpulsTec's shock wave fragmentation technology, targeting e-waste, printed circuit boards, and composite materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/impulstec

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 ImpulsTec GmbH