Production

Making a ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS Knife

Even and precise production quality
The new 1 piece forging process allows far greater perfection to be achieved throughout production. The bolster is now a precision-engineered component. J.A. HENCKELS is made with greater accuracy than previously possible. The result: improvements in performance and appearance.

Innovative knife production at ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS
Precision engineering at every production stage is of decisive importance for the quality of the knife. By the time a chef´s knife by ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS´ is finished, it will have passed through more than 40 different working cycles.

Honing
Honing gives the knife its sharpness. Today honing is being done with fine grindstones on special machines or on a felt disc. Thus the honed area achieves a degree of evenness from the tip to the bolster which, in combination with the hardness of the steel, ensures an unprecedented degree of cutting edge retention. Monitored by laser, each knife is getting its optimum cutting angle. This is why knives today are sharper and retain their cutting properties much longer.

Hardening
The hardening process is an important step in the production of cutlery since it is crucial for the final quality of the steel. The correct hardening temperature and the duration of the treatment are subject to narrow limits and must be precisely maintained. The cutting abilities and corrosion resistance of the blade depend entirely on the right heat treatment.

FRIODUR®
ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS has optimized the hardening process. FRIODUR®, a protected brand name of ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS, identifies products whose steel has been specially ice-hardened. This process involves four important stages of heat treatment:


Heating up the steel to more than 1000°C
Heating up improves the molecular structure for the benefit of higher hardness.
Higher hardness = longer lasting sharpness

Cooling down to room temperature.
The cooling harmonizes the molecular structure, takes pressure off the material and ensures an especially flexible stability. This adds safety when used and prevents blades from breaking.

Freezing to -70°C.
Ice-hardening strengthens the corrosion resistance and thus protects better against rust.

Reheating twice to just below 300°C.
The reheating harmonizes the molecular structure and takes pressure off the material.

The result: Exceptional hardness, high durability and very high corrosion resistance.

Further processing
Final shaping is achieved by grinding. Surface treatment, producing the desired finish, is accomplished by:

• grinding
• finish-grinding
• dry-fine grinding
• polishing

Assembly
The assembly involves joining the blade and handle to complete the actual knife.