Corporate values of the innovative kind: MAPAL patents

MAPAL'S SUCCESS STORY BEGINS WITH A PATENT

MAPAL was founded in 1950. However, the foundations for what MAPAL is today, were laid two years later: In 1952, Dr Georg Kress acquired the Italian patent for a single-edged reamer with an adjustable cutting edge, against the advice of all experts. At the time, he had no idea how much this innovation would positively influence the further prosperity of his company - and how many own further developments would be necessary to make the “MAPAL reamer” a versatile high-performance fine machining tool and thus a successful product.

A major contribution to this is made by two innovations which, after lengthy trials and continuous further development, are ready for the market and significantly improve the performance of the single-bladed reamers: the single-bladed reamer with carbide guide pads patented in 1954 and the reamer with indexable inserts patented in 1962.
Other patented milestones in the optimisation of the single-edge reamer include clamping notches sintered into the indexable inserts, indexable inserts with CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition) coatings and the MAPAL external reamer. Most of the innovations are created from 1975 onwards in the specially established testing and development department, whose long-serving head Frieder Haeberle is involved in more than 100 patented inventions over the course of his long career at MAPAL. It is also he who, in 2002, produces a publication entitled “Patente schaffen Werke” (Patents create works), in which he documents the great importance of Dr Dieter Kress as a technically highly talented driver of innovation using many examples.

Today, the MAPAL Group holds more than 400 patents and utility models. They are not only evidence of an extraordinarily high level of innovative strength. With their protective function, they also form an important basis for the economic success of the company.