Aurion Anlagentechnik GmbH was founded in 1996 and is located in Seligenstadt, next to Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Since beginning of 2025, the company has a second location in Berlin. The company’s main business is vacuum process systems for multiple applications like coating, surface activation, cleaning or dry etching. Beside complete coating systems, Aurion also provides components like impedance matching networks, filters, switches, RF-generators etc. for radio frequency and plasma applications. The company’s high RF- and plasma expertise is also used for workshops, consulting and development projects which Aurion offers as services to customers.
Interview with Michael Schneider, Managing Director at Aurion Anlagentechnik GmbH.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Michael Schneider: Aurion has strong engineering capabilities. With the expertise of employees from different technical and scientific disciplines from chemistry and physics over electrical and mechanical engineering to software programming the whole range from process development and simulation to the commissioning of a complete coating system can be covered. Main focus of activities is the provision of complete plasma systems. Aurion’s aim is to satisfy its customers by creating a solution which fulfills as exact as possible their needs. Extensive consulting in the very beginning of each project is crucial to understand the customer’s real demands and transfer them into requirements for the targeted solution.
If necessary first trials or even process development are offered in Aurion’s application lab in the headquarter in Seligenstadt. As soon as the requirements are defined, the conceptual design of the solution begins. If no standard product fits to fulfill all requirements, Aurion designs a system tailored exactly to meet the specified requirements. Several design reviews with the customer are held to ensure not to run into a wrong direction for too long. This leads to the final solution which gains most customer satisfaction. Due to lean administrative organization, Aurion is able to offer those tailored solutions at competitive prices.
What’s the news about new products/services?
M.S: One of Aurion’s latest products is MeCoSput which is an atmospheric pressure sputtering source for local coating of substrates. The handy sputtering head can e.g. be guided by an industrial robot to apply defined functional coatings. One possible application are harsh environment sensors. The detecting part and the evaluation unit of the sensor are separated by a e.g. ceramic insulator to protect the sensible electronics. Aurion’s MeCoSput can be used to “print” conductive circuit paths even on the 3D shaped substrate to connect detecting part and evaluation part of the sensor.
What are the ranges of products/services?
M.S: Aurion is a full-service provider in the vacuum process business. The offered products reach from small plasma systems like the MeCoSput up to large inline or cluster systems for mass production in industries like sensor technology, medical technology or semiconductor. Many Aurion systems are also located at labs of universities and research institutes and contributed to the success of lots of scientific projects. The Aurion application lab is available to carry out trial processing and process development. The results can be analyzed in the inhouse lab with different analytical devices.
Simulation, engineering, assembly and commissioning of the systems is done by Aurion’s specialists. Customers receive trainings and workshops whether to enable them to operate or maintain their production devices or to gain more insights into the basics behind the processes. Aurion offers worldwide service and spare part supply as well as upgrades and retrofits for Aurion and other company plasma systems.
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
M.S: Especially driven by international crises, the international market is overwhelmed by uncertainty. Investments are postponed and companies hesitate to proceed with their projects. On the other hand, the technology Aurion offers has already a large number of applications with still a lot of growth potential and new applications still to unveil.
What can you tell us about market trends?
M.S: We see a trend in the market that customers no longer only buy machines or systems but whole processes. Service becomes more and more important. Starting with process development, simulation and trial processing, customers ask their suppliers to support them up to proactive service, operator and maintenance training to offer full lifetime and service support. This puts companies like Aurion into the focus who are capable to offer all these services all in one place.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
M.S: Making use of its strong expertise in RF-technology, Aurion started several years ago to also provide components for particle accelerators. Within those products, high electric power levels need to be controlled extremely fast and precisely. Quality and reliability are crucial for those systems which need to interact with lots of other subsystems to enable the operation of a particle accelerator. Aurion is very proud to contribute to such big science projects.
What estimations do you have for the beginning of 2026?
M.S: A lot of interesting and promising projects are on the horizon. We hope that the general uncertainty in the market will be overcome soon. First signs of positive changes are already noticeable and we hope they will become stronger during 2026.
