Milestones in Pump Development
Erich Becker once described KNF’s secret to success as “viability through flexibility.” For it is never the larger series that drive innovation at KNF, but rather the custom requests from a variety of sectors. KNF develops its very first pump for the laboratory and medical sectors. It is used in hospitals in the 1960s to drain wound secretions. In 1972, KNF develops the double diaphragm system, in which a second diaphragm runs parallel to the driving diaphragm, earning the company its breakthrough into the industrial sector. If the first diaphragm fails, the second one prevents the medium being transferred from leaking out.
Another major milestone is the heated diaphragm pump designed in 1974 to handle gas temperatures of up to 240 degrees Celsius. These pumps are primarily used for analysis, where preventing condensation is critical. In 1980, KNF launches its universally corrosion-resistant 100% Teflon diaphragm pump for aggressive gases and vapors for use in the chemical industry. A diaphragm pump for transferring and dosing liquids follows in 1982.
In the 1990s, structured diaphragms open up new opportunities thanks to their improved vacuum and the option for miniaturization. KNF launches its first laboratory pump systems in 1994 and the first electronically controlled diaphragm pump in 1998.
KNF continues producing innovations and setting new standards in the 2000s, including the explosion-proof pump developed in 2001 and the world’s smallest diaphragm liquid pump, which is only 2.5 cm tall and weighs just 32 grams. In 2006, KNF introduces its first solenoid-operated pumps.
Today, experts in medical technology, the food industry, the laboratory and measuring and control sectors, water resource management and from nuclear power stations – to name just a few fields – all rely on KNF pumps. These pumps owe their unique flexibility to KNF’s modular system, which allows KNF to produce custom-fit pumps using individual key components based on the application for which they will be used. The product range now includes over 100 series models which can all be transformed into tailor-made solutions. KNF now makes about 3,000 customized products per year for a wide variety of applications. Viability through flexibility, thanks to years of experience and an open ear for customers’ individual needs. It was true then, and it is true now.
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