Franz Morat Holding GmbH & Co. KG
About us
Two Specialists, One Strong Group
The Franz Morat Group unites two companies that deliver the best of both worlds: development and production from specification to series, metalworking and plastic injection molding from a single source, and manufacturing of individual components and complete systems—for both industrial and automotive applications. Our expertise lies in high-precision gears, gear components, and complete drive systems. For over 60 years, we have collaborated with our customers to create customized drive solutions from technical thermoplastics, covering the entire process from concept to series production. With efficient international logistics and strategic locations in the USA, Mexico, Poland, and Turkey, we remain close to our customers worldwide and tightly connected to key industrial hubs.
Gear Components and Drive Systems for the Automotive Industry
F. Morat specializes in the development and production of gear components and drive systems for the automotive industry. We transform high-performance plastics into customized motion solutions that are lightweight, quiet, and powerful. This enables us to meet customers' growing demands for greater comfort and automation without compromising driving dynamics or energy efficiency.
Our expertise is reflected in a broad portfolio that includes precision plastic gear components for seat adjustments and window regulators, gears with metal inserts for wiper drives, and technical housing parts used in liftgate drives or pump controls. These injection-molded components are characterized by exceptional precision, high durability, long service life, and quiet operation. Their lightweight design significantly contributes to improving vehicle dynamics.
Why choose F. Morat as your partner? We offer comprehensive solutions from a single source: extensive research into plastic gears, precise development, and the manufacturing of technical precision components using a state-of-the-art, automated machinery park. With advanced technology, flexibility, and innovative drive solutions, we supply renowned global players and shape the future of mobility. Our IATF 16949:2016-certified quality management system ensures the highest standards in product and process quality.
Plastic Injection Molding Solutions for Industrial Applications
Framo Morat, our specialist for industrial applications, develops innovative drive solutions for a variety of industries and applications. The product range includes gears, gear components, and complete electromechanical drive systems, all precisely tailored to your specifications.As a reliable partner, Framo Morat supports industrial customers through every stage of the process, from development and design to prototyping, testing, assembly, and series production in both metal and plastic. This seamless collaboration is evident in the ongoing expansion of our product portfolio.A notable example is the introduction of FRP hybrid components (fiber-reinforced plastic composites), which offer significant weight reduction, high load capacity, and corrosion resistance. These components are manufactured in a single process step, reducing production times and increasing cost efficiency.
In addition, Framo Morat serves a wide range of industrial sectors, including traditional mechanical and plant engineering, rehabilitation and medical device technology, intralogistics, automation and robotics, as well as energy and agricultural technology. Examples of our applications include ball-bearing actuators for valve control, precise spindles for mobile phone antennas, robust swing gears and actuators, durable gear components for stairlifts, and resilient contact housings for step switches in transformers. Each component is manufactured with precision, combining durability, long service life, and optimal functionality to meet the specific requirements of our customers.
With a modern, flexible injection molding machinery park and in-house execution of all quality-critical processes—from tool design and construction to final inspection—we guarantee consistently high quality and precision for all injection-molded components.
Products & services
Plastic gear parts
With 60 years of experience in the production of a wide variety of gearing parts, F. Morat is one of the pioneers in precision plastic injection molding. We know the advantages and peculiarities of each type of gearing and can therefore find the right individual solution. By optimizing the gearing geometry, our products offer you an advantage that gives you a competitive edge in the global marketplace. In the production of technical injection-moulded parts, we process all thermoplastics such as POM, PA6/66, PA11/12, PA 4.6, PBT, PC, PEI, PPA, PPE, PPS or PFA and make the best possible use of their specific properties. F. Morat is one of the few manufacturers that can also process a wide range of fillers and reinforcing materials as well as the high-temperature-resistant plastic PEEK. This material is preferred when high mechanical and thermal strength as well as resistance to chemicals and hydrolysis are required. Over the past 30 years, we have acquired an enormous wealth of experience in this area. The material PEEK with its enormous strength can only be used for precision plastic injection molded parts by adhering to the narrowest process windows and optimal tool concepts. Mastering this wide range of materials ensures that the most suitable material is used for each application.
Plastic-metal compounds
The combination of plastic and metal is often an alternative for innovative drive solutions. This makes it possible to utilize the advantages of such different materials in direct combination. An appropriate technical design of the combination and the individual parts is essential. Our work therefore often begins with the design of the connecting parts, the design of the tool concept or the selection of the optimum materials. The result is products with properties that are only possible through the combination – developed, optimized and manufactured from a single source.
Technical parts
The particular strength of F. Morat lies in the precision that we achieve not only for gear parts, but also for many technical parts, such as complex housing parts, delicate sealing elements and even miniature bearings for the automotive industry, which are manufactured in their millions. With 2K technology, we increase customer benefits by combining the properties of two materials. The result is, for example, a pinion with enormous rigidity paired with an elastic gear wheel, whereby the opposing properties of rigidity and elasticity or smooth running can be combined in one component.
Actuators and transmission assemblies for automotive production
Our actuator components can fulfil numerous functions in your vehicles: - Seat adjustment - Window shade systems - Window regulators - Door locking systems - Liftgate closing systems - Windscreen wiper drives - Ventilation and air conditioning adjustment We combine all of our expertise gained from developing gearwheels, shafts, and housings in our components for actuators and assemblies to create products that precisely fulfil the requirements of your application. This includes characteristics such as positional precision, performance, and noise performance. But you can also benefit from our experience in other areas: By using high-performance plastics, we can reduce the size and weight of our systems considerably–helping you to develop lightweight vehicles and deliver more efficiency and dynamics on the road.
Gear system design and transmission development
Our development process begins with a detailed specification phase, where we collaborate closely with you to identify the specific requirements of your drive solution. This includes factors such as load spectrum, gear ratio, efficiency, noise levels, installation space, weight, backlash, and interfaces to motors, sensors, and control systems. Based on this information, we proceed to the design phase, developing an initial functional prototype. Key decisions are made regarding the appropriate types of gearwheels, materials, and the number of transmission stages required for your application. In the gear system design stage, we define both the macro and micro geometries, tailoring them to your specific needs. Given the lack of standardized calculation methods for plastic gear systems, we rely on our extensive empirical data accumulated over many years to ensure optimal performance. Material selection is critical; we work with a variety of thermoplastics, including POM, PA6/66, PBT, and high-temperature plastics like PEEK, often enhanced with fillers and reinforcing materials. This approach allows us to develop plastic gear components, plastic-metal composites, and technical parts with complex geometries that meet the highest standards. Throughout the development process, we emphasize injection-mold-friendly part design. We consider factors such as draft angles, injection points, and the warpage and shrinkage characteristics of the plastic to ensure efficient and high-quality production. By adhering to this structured development process, we ensure that the drive solutions we create meet the highest technical, economic, and qualitative standards, providing significant added value for you.
Our production processes
Our production processes are fully integrated, covering everything from development and toolmaking to injection molding, assembly, and quality control. This ensures efficient, flexible, and transparent manufacturing tailored to our customers’ needs. A high level of vertical integration allows us to respond quickly to changing requirements and deliver customized solutions. The close collaboration between development and manufacturing ensures gentle handling of injection-molded parts and consistently high quality. With our in-house tool and mold manufacturing, we offer significant advantages: developers and toolmakers work closely together to ensure production-ready component designs and material-optimized tool configurations. This reduces lead times and accelerates time-to-market for new products. Our advanced machinery includes 75 injection molding machines worldwide, processing a wide range of thermoplastics and high-temperature polymers. Automated handling systems and integrated camera technology during injection molding enable high-volume production with systematic quality assurance. Our assembly facilities in Southern Germany, Poland, and Mexico operate according to the local-to-local principle, ensuring proximity to our customers. From partially assembled modules to ready-to-install actuators, we offer a wide range of post-processing options. Process-oriented inspections and end-of-line testing with batch traceability ensure the highest quality. These comprehensive and integrated processes provide our customers with premium-quality products, flexible manufacturing, and quick response times—key advantages in a dynamic market.
Quality management
The quality management system covers every step of the manufacturing process, starting with the selection of suitable materials and production methods, through the planning and implementation of maintenance schedules, to the final inspection of each component. To monitor product characteristics, optical and tactile measuring machines, as well as various gear measurement methods such as double flank roll testing, are used. Certified to IATF 16949:2016, the system incorporates processes such as Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), process monitoring, Statistical Process Control (SPC), and Machine Capability Analysis (MCA). The focus is on continuous improvement of system and process quality, increasing customer satisfaction, and identifying and eliminating errors and risks. The headquarters in Eisenbach has been certified to IATF 16949:2016 since 2017, with the Lerma location following in 2020. This certification brings together numerous automotive industry quality standards, ensuring the root causes of errors are identified and corrective actions are verified. The guiding principles of the quality management system include: - Continuous improvement - Customer focus - Goal-oriented leadership - Process orientation - Employee involvement - Partnerships with suppliers - Data-based decision-making This quality management system ensures reliable products with long service life.
FRP Hybrid Components
To improve the energy efficiency of drive systems and reduce greenhouse gases, lightweight design plays a crucial role. Fiber-reinforced composites (FRP) are particularly suitable for components that need to withstand high loads and extended use. An innovative method for manufacturing rotationally symmetric hollow structures from FRP is the centrifugal process, researched and further developed by the wbk Institute of Production Science at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). This process allows metallic functional elements to be integrated directly into the centrifugal molding process, eliminating additional joining processes and thereby reducing cycle times and associated processing costs. Framo Morat has successfully tested and validated this process with its extensive experience in the design and manufacture of precision transmission components by producing drive shafts. - Significant weight reduction for high dynamics and inertia control - High load capacity for torsional, tensile, and compressive forces - Flexible component geometry and fiber architecture - Corrosion-resistant FRP elements - Cost-effective with shorter cycles via single-step hybridization - Low investment for moderate volumes using centrifugal process - Industry- and application-specific advantages
speeroX - Smart. Silent. Space-saving.
“How can a helical gear set be fundamentally improved? Or can a single gear set even replace multi-stage gear concepts?” These questions were at the beginning of the development of our innovative speeroX gearing. We developed numerous alternatives and subjected them to extensive testing. We were convinced by a variant that continues to use a worm gear, but shifts the gearing to the flat side of the wheel. Compared to conventional right-angle gear solutions, speeroX offers significant advantages in terms of power density, noise, and service life. It also opens up applications where classic worm gear sets or screw gear sets reach their limits due to installation space or efficiency. We call this technology speeroX, and we offer it in customer-specific development and production. NEW – Also in plastics For applications with high requirements for operating noise and weight reduction, the speeroX material portfolio has been expanded. Based on decades of experience in gearing design, a plastics-compatible speeroX design philosophy has been developed. As a perfectly matched gear set consisting of a plastic wheel and a metal worm gear, the two core areas of expertise mesh optimally in the speeroX wheel set. This enables highly compact, efficient, and economical speeroX plastic gear solutions – especially for actuators in the automotive industry. Your key benefits with plastic–metal speeroX • Lightweight and quiet: low noise and reduced weight for comfort and dynamics • Reduced installation space: shorter shaft distance thanks to flat-side gearing • High power density: more teeth in mesh simultaneously for high load capacity • High energy efficiency: reduced friction due to favourable meshing conditions X-plore your opportunities! We develop speeroX gear sets exclusively tailored to your application – allowing us to prioritise installation space, noise, and efficiency and deliver the best-fit solution for your requirements.
