Hofmann Handtuft-Technik GmbH

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Research notes

The "Hoffman" hand-tufting gun is made by Hofmann Handtuft-Technik GmbH, An der Lach 27, 86720 Nördlingen. The company's history page gives this timeline: 1969, trials with hand-tuft technique; 1973, Scholz Handtuft-Technik KG founded in Allersberg near Nuremberg, managing directors Hartmut ("Harmut") Scholz and Heinz Hofmann; 1979, Scholz leaves (he died in 1989) and Heinz Hofmann becomes sole MD of Hofmann Handtuft-Technik KG, still in Allersberg; 1983, the firm moves to Nördlingen, Polizeigasse (German page only); 1992, it becomes Hofmann Handtuft-Technik GmbH with Heinz and Michael Hofmann as MDs; 2012, it acquires Münsinger GmbH, Knittlingen (shearing machines). Company catalogue material says the first hand-tufting machines were made in 1973, with market launch in 1975. Products include the VML 16 pneumatic hand-tufting machine for cut and loop pile (in cut-pile mode a blade cuts the yarn and an air jet blows the tuft through), the SML mini and SML 10-PP loop-pile machines (loop pile up to 80 mm; 8 bar, 300 l/min air), MTS 300 and MS 40-A carving machines, and TS 120 U and TS 300 S shearing machines. Patents (checked against USPTO scans): Scholz's US counterparts are US 3,968,758 (1976), a pneumatic gun with an air-fed hollow needle and a synchronised cutter that cites the 1960s US hand-gun patents, and US 4,029,031 (1977), a manual two-arm needle-and-blade tool in the Ross / Susan Burr line. Patents: no patent or Gebrauchsmuster in the name of Hofmann was found. The lineage is in co-founder Hartmut Scholz's name: DE2356585C2 (1973), DE2511266C3 (1975) and probably EP0026492A1 (1979). DEPATISnet could not be reached to search "Hofmann" as applicant, so a Hofmann utility model may still exist. Australian Wilcom patents (EP2077348, US8225727) call "Hofmann™ or Hartleb™" the traditional hand tufting guns. Conflicts: Bayern International gives the founding year as 1975, which matches the company's market-launch date, not its 1973 founding. Don't say Hofmann "invented the tufting gun": US hand-gun patents go back to the 1930s–60s (see pat-us3142276a), and Tai Ping motorised a gun by 1973. The company's site says it has "30 years of experience" (older copy) and that the VML 16 is used in carpet production worldwide. Spelling is Hofmann, one f and two n's. It is unrelated to the Hoffmann Group (tools) and to Hofmann balancing machines (Pfungstadt). Independent sources: https://www.bayern-international.de/en/company-database/company-details/hofmann-handtuft-technik-gmbh-3299 · https://heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/exhibitor-search.detail.html/hofmann-handtuft-technik-gmbh/mf_1_0010286540_4913646_10000000202601.html · https://app.implisense.com/en/companies/hofmann-handtuft-technik-gmbh-noerdlingen--DE7ZJSE1X522 · https://patents.google.com/patent/US8225727 Research note (Oct 2026): found through search results; the patent document itself wasn't opened. The Patent drawings job fetches the document from Google Patents; if drawings appear on this record, the number is confirmed.