MAPAL Ltd

Time-consuming ramping processes or pilot bores are frequently the order of the day when milling pockets. In order to save these machining steps, MAPAL has developed the solid carbide OptiMill-Uni-HPC-Pocket milling cutter for the highly efficient universal machining of steel, stainless steel and cast iron.

Markets such as the aerospace industry include cutting tools from MAPAL, who have successfully established themselves for high-performance machining operations like trochoidal milling. MAPAL is going to rely on the Safe-Lock pull-out protection system from HAIMER, in order to prevent damaging single work pieces or the machine itself.

As part of its on-going commitment to improving processes and quality while containing costs, Produmax Precision Engineering, recently approached precision cutting tool expert MAPAL for advice on improving boring operations on stainless-steel brake housings

MAPAL has developed a range of CVD-coated cutting materials that increase tool life by up to 300% for boring operations in cast metals, including GJL, GJV and GJS. The new HC720, HC725, HC730 and HC735 cutting materials incorporate an extremely heat resistant alpha-aluminium oxide coating with excellent adhesion characteristics, and differ only in the carbide substrate used.

Tools with ISO elements (inserts) are first choice when it comes to the boring of cast materials. As the need for high cutting speeds and better cooling technologies rises, the demands on the tools and cutting edges increase, too. Very good friction and wear behaviour and high hot hardness of the coating are therefore elementary. Until now boring operations have been widely performed using PVD-coated cutting edges.

For the production of homokinetic joints of hardened steel, numerous automotive manufacturers and suppliers rely on ball nose milling cutters from the MAPAL CPMill programme. For years, these have been successfully used for pre-machining (soft milling) and finishing (hard milling with PcBN). They are subject to continuous improvement. A new, comprehensive development of the milling cutter for pre-machining now allows users to enjoy a significant increase in efficiency. 

MAPAL has developed a new solid carbide step drill that is specifically optimised for producing screw and tap bores on connecting rods. By allowing the bores to be produced in a single machining step, rather than the two steps previously needed, the new drill significantly reduces both machining time and costs.

Mapal has added laser-sintered indexable insert drills with diameters as small as 9 mm to its highly regarded QTD drill range. Drills of this type have previously been available in larger diameters, but until now it has been impossible to provide an adequately sized coolant channel in drills with diameters smaller than 13 mm without unduly weakening the drill core.

Tooling specialist MAPAL has developed their own type of chemical vapour deposition (CVD) coating that doubles tool life for reamers in even the most challenging applications. In addition to extended life, reamers coated with the new HC418 material produce excellent surface finish with outstanding dimensional tolerance.

MAPAL has developed a tool concept that makes the machining of bores with medium to large diameters and long projection lengths more productive and significantly more reliable. MAPAL’s spring-loaded guide pads offer smooth running and high cutting speeds, which translate to significant timesaving, machine stability and process reliability.

MAPAL has launched a new range of spiral-fluted PCD step drills that allow machining time reductions of up to 75% to be achieved by combining multiple machining operations in a one-shot solution. Ideal for applications in automotive manufacturing, the new drills feature a unique chip transport system that offers particular benefits for drilling and boring processes in aluminium parts.

MAPAL UK, has recently launched its new range of CFK hand drills, which have been specifically developed for use with lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre reinforced plastics and composites. The new drills guarantee tolerances in the range of IT8 in a single shot, thereby reducing costs for assembly processes by eliminating one work step. The robust design of the drills, which feature PCD-tipped inserts and special diamond coatings, provides long tool life even when working with extremely abrasive materials. 

A mechatronic system, specifically developed as a self-contained drive system for adding an extra NC axis to machine tools, is now being offered in a compact version. MAPAL's TOOLTRONIC mechatronic system is available in just one-tenth the physical size of its predecessors. This makes it a particularly attractive option for retrofitting in the control panels of existing machines, where the available space is often very limited.

Machining turbocharger impellers presents many challenges – high precision is required for the axial bore, and the thin impeller blades must also be machined accurately and without distortion. MAPAL, a world leader in high precision machining solutions, has collaborated closely with Doncasters, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of impellers, to meet these challenges. In response to the growing demand from automotive customers for finish machined parts, just over ten years ago, Doncasters set up a machining operation.

Users of MAPAL reamers and fine boring tools with HX indexable blades no longer need to manually set the back taper on the blades, thanks to a new and innovative cassette design that inherently takes account of back taper. Not only does this significantly reduce the time needed for tool setting, it also means that different back tapers can be selected simply by changing the cassette.

More cutting teeth for a given tool diameter, allowing much higher feed rates to be achieved, is the key benefit of the new range of FeedPlus multicut reamers from MAPAL. By using a completely new design principle for these groundbreaking tools, MAPAL has created more space for blades, which means, for example, that it is possible to have ten teeth on a 14 mm tool, compared with just six teeth on a conventional reamer of this size.

Approached by Mayr Faserverbundtechnik for help in optimising milling operations on a composite component, MAPAL developed an innovative solution that not only quadrupled tool life but also significantly reduced machining time and eliminated the need for manual reworking and finishing.

The introduction of the new ModulBore-Carbon range of bridge tools by precision cutting tool expert MAPAL means that achieving accurate machining of large bores up to 3,500 mm in diameter, while maintaining high productivity, is now straightforward. The new tools, which feature carbon fibre reinforced polymer bodies, are unaffected by temperature fluctuations during use, and therefore consistently maintain the highest levels of accuracy without the need for adjustment.

New products that including milling cutters with ISO indexable inserts, replaceable-head end mills and PCD-tipped face mills are at the heart of the new and comprehensive PerformanceMill range of milling solutions from precision cutting tool expert, MAPAL. The new range, which now embraces all of the company’s innovative milling solutions, also includes established products that are already setting the highest standards for performance and economy.

Designed specifically for efficient and cost-effective machining of steel and cast iron, the new MEGA-Speed-Drill from MAPAL enables users to achieve up to three times the productivity of conventional drills without any significant increase in tool costs.