MAPAL Sales Representation in Portugal: ÁLAMO Ferramentas

ÁLAMO Ferramentas’ customers come from many backgrounds. In addition to companies in the automotive industry, general machine engineering and the aerospace industry, the commercial agency primarily serves companies from the die & mould sector, which has a long tradition in Portugal. Manufacturing high-quality dies and moulds began in the 18th century with the manufacturing of glass products. With the advent of polymers and their industrialisation in the 1940s, mould making for glass evolved into mould making for plastics. Using the existing expertise in this area, many new companies broke into the Portuguese market, benefiting from the great expansion of this new industry. There are currently around 600 companies operating in the die & mould sector in Portugal, most of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. Portugal is the eighth largest manufacturer of moulds in the world and number three in Europe, behind Germany and Italy.

ÁLAMO Ferramentas has been supporting its customers in the development of efficient and resource-saving manufacturing processes for years now. The entire MAPAL tool portfolio is used for this. If required, the experts develop customised machining concepts for the customers and support them in optimisation tasks. “We strive to achieve optimal results and select tools that meet the high demands of our customers”, emphasises Moreira. MAPAL and ÁLAMO Ferramentas work hand in hand together, particularly in the die & mould sector. “Aside from the tools typical for mould making, such as ball nose, corner radius and high-feed milling cutters, the drills from the ECU drill series are in high demand in the sector”, reports Moreira. These drills can be used to machine different workpiece materials. Drill reamers from the MEGA-Drill-Reamer series, which are used for both drilling and reaming, are also frequently used. With the support of MAPAL, ÁLAMO expanded its range of end milling cutters. The new products are based on standard products from MAPAL, but are optimised with mould-specific features, for example for machining corner radii or for relief cutting. The first series of these tools, with machine workpiece material hardnesses of up to 48 HRC, was an instant success. In the meantime, end milling cutters for workpiece materials up to 58 HRC are also available. The tools in the OptiMill-Uni-HPC-Pocket and OptiMill-Tro series are also popular, as are drills from the Tritan series and HighTorque Chuck hydraulic chucks. “With these products, our customers achieve optimal results. They prove our high level of competence in the die & mould sector. We’re very proud that the customers appreciate this”, emphasises Moreira.

ÁLAMO Ferramentas hat auch sein Serviceangebot ausgebaut und bietet den Kunden seit zwei Jahren einen CAD/CAM-Service an. Dieses Angebot sei nicht selten ein Türöffner, denn in diesem Bereich sei man in Portugal konkurrenzlos, sagt Moreira. Die Experten von ÁLAMO Ferramentas planen die Bearbeitungsstrategie für das gesamte Bauteil und definieren die zu verwendenden Werkzeuge sowie deren Schnittparameter. Anhand der Simulation erkennt der Kunde auf Anhieb den zeitlichen Aufwand für die Fertigstellung eines Bauteils und kann in einem früheren Stadium entscheiden, ob sich die Bearbeitung des Bauteils für ihn rechnet. Die Rückmeldungen der Kunden zu diesem Service seien sehr positiv, berichtet Rui Moreira. 

Marktforscher sagen der portugiesischen Werkzeug- und Formenbau-Branche gute Wachstums­perspektiven voraus. Produkte aus Kunststoffen und Recyclaten werden in allen Lebensbereichen zunehmend präsenter. Mehr denn je sind daher innovative Bearbeitungskonzepte und effiziente Fertigungsprozesse gefragt. ÁLAMO Ferramentas will seinen Kunden auch in Zukunft einen wirtschaftlichen Mehrwert bieten und ihnen helfen, sich vom Wettbewerb abzuheben. Die Handelsvertretung baut die Kapazitäten am Hauptsitz in Marinha Grande aus. Dort hat das Unternehmen eine neue Halle erworben. „Nach Fertigstellung der Bauarbeiten werden wir unser Büro dorthin verlegen und ein technisches Zentrum mit einer Demo-CNC-Bearbeitung sowie einem Schulungsbereich für Kunden einrichten“, kündigt Rui Moreira an.