Rancilio Product Line

Rancilio is an espresso machine manufacturer, founded in 1927 by Roberto Rancilio in Parabiago, Italy.

In 1950, Rancilio released a horizontal boiler machine, the Invicta Horizzontal, showing evidence of the postwar shift toward spare, modern styling. The machine however, still used the same forced-steam brewing method from the early 20th century. By 1953, Rancilio adopted lever piston technology introduced by Gaggia. In 1957, Rancilio released a model which automated the lever process, the H/L Automatica. The company followed new technological trends towards continuous deliver brewing introduced by Faema in 1961. In the 1965, Rancilio commissioned design work from industrial designer Marco Zanuso, beginning with the Rancilio Z8, and continuing with the Z9 in 1974. Rancilio continued with several Z-series machines, with the Z11 being the last. The S-series machine would become popular in the 1990s, and become well known in the North American marketplace.

In 1997, Rancilio created a home kitchen sized espresso machine based on their commercial offerings. This was initially only available as a thank-you gift to importers and vendors of Rancilio’s restaurant-grade coffee machines. This machine was later sold to consumers as the Silvia. The Silvia is a one group machine with a vibratory pump from ULKA and a single brass boiler that’s controlled by 3 thermostats for both steam and hot water. It is frequently sold with its companion Rocky grinder that is available in doserless and dosing models with stepped settings.

-directly from wikipedia