PRESS RELEASE
Drilling with maximum mobility:
New ALFRA Drill Stand
for nearly unlimited
possibilities
Hockenheim/Germany, 7 November 2016:
At the Hardware Fair "Eisenwarenmesse" in March 2014, ALFRA launched a new
permanent magnet technology to the market. Our company is the worldwide license
holder for this patented magnetic system that has become an amazing story of
success over the last two years. The new technology is increasingly gaining in
popularity among operators.
As a pioneer of the metal core drilling technology, ALFRA now presents another
innovation that offers metal processing professionals enormous benefits: The mobile
drill stand SP-V weighs just 6.8 kg (15 lbs) and provides a multitude of advantages.
As the leading manufacturer of tools and machines for industry and craft, ALFRA is
now putting another iron in the fire of metal processing.
The lightweight and easy-to-handle drill stand SP-V is equipped with a permanent magnet.
Despite its low use of material, the ALFRA magnet provides an enormous power.
Plane surfaces can be treated without any effort starting from a material thickness of just 3
mm. Even on thin-walled materials with such a low thickness, the magnet's adhesion is
sufficient to work safely and trouble-free.
The performance rises with increasing sheet thickness and maximum adhesion is already
achieved on 8 mm. With the same weight, the SP-V’s permanent magnet is at least 30 %
stronger than an electromagnet.
Conventional magnetic drill stands are used starting from a material thickness of 6 -8 mm.
Below this thickness, they cannot generate a sufficiently stable magnetic field.
Electromagnets achieve their highest performance on about 20-25 mm and usually get
weaker during longer periods of activation.
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What can you expect of a mobile drill stand?
Optimal handling for mobile use and maximum flexibility. When working with stationary
machines, the work piece needs to be moved to the drilling machine. With the new SP-V,
however, the machine is moved to the work piece.
The SP-V is the perfect tool to fulfil this requirement and offers another special advantage:
The patented magnet is pre-tensioned. As soon as the magnet is put onto the magnetic
material, the drill stand holds as if by magic but it can still be moved to the desired position.
Once aligned, a short hand movement is enough to fix the magnet. Detaching can be done
as easily, in just one second. After the first operations, one does not miss any switch to
activate the electromagnet and quickly gets used to this smart mechanism.
Markus Döring, owner of Döring Holding GmbH, parent company of Alfred Raith GmbH in
Hockenheim, says: "We talked to selected end customers at an early stage of development.
In some way, they were co-developers. Their constructive criticism, their suggestions and
their experiences were extremely useful and finally lead to the creation of a professional
product for professional users."
Who are the users of a mobile drill stand and what are the conditions of its use?
Over the years, certain standards were established for electric hand-operated drilling
machines, e.g. a collar with a diameter of 43 mm (the so-called Euro standard). For this
reason, the ALFRA SP-V drill stand is equipped with a clamp for this diameter.
Nearly every craftsman can use this device for his applications. The only requirement is a
metallic, ferromagnetic material with a minimum thickness of 3 mm. In container construction,
facade engineering, sheet metal working, steel construction, shipbuilding or tank
construction–nearly every metal worker will sooner or later be glad to use the ALFRA SP-V.
"The operator is free to decide whether he wants to drill, counterbore or cut threads. Our
solution is intended to be highly variable, that is what the V stands for in the product name
SP-V. We deliver the essential tool but which machine the operator is going to use is up to
him." emphasises Markus Döring.
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Do you really need a drill stand to achieve good results?
Of course many borings can also be carried out manually depending on material and drill
diameter. After a few holes, however, this method of working can no longer be described by
as "ergonomic" or "user-friendly". „Sometimes drilling can be a real torment!" underlines one
of the operators who assisted us during the development.
"Our screw taps constantly break off all either because the workers do not hold the machine
straight or because they push too hard." is another frequently heard comment.
During mobile use on location, the SP-V offers the same advantages as a drilling machine
with incorporated stand: guided drilling at 90° with minimal effort. The cut is made exactly
where it should be done–and not "close, but no cigar" as it happens easily when drilling by
hand and without any guidance.
This system is not only extremely reliable, it is also energy-saving
Accident prevention and occupational safety are essential parts of our world of work. In this
respect, the SP-V sets new standards: Most drill stands with an electromagnet are sooner or
later brought to the service workshops. Power failures or mains that were inadvertently cut
through or pulled out are just a few problems that lead to involuntary failures and, depending
on the application, can even cause the dropping of the devices.
The SP-V's permanent magnet constantly stays in its position, the name says it all. Thanks to
the permanent magnet the machine will remain safely on the work piece, if the user needs to
interrupt the operation. He can resume work without any time pressure since the magnet
works independently from the power supply and does not create any electricity costs.
... some more interesting facts
The drill stand is completely thought-out: Its stable carrying handle is ergonomic and has a
nice heft. The weight distribution is well-balanced. If the stroke is not sufficient (depending
upon cutter length and machine type), the collar can easily be adjusted by means of the
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guide slide. Due to its high flexibility, the SP-V is suitable for different drilling and threadcutting tools.
The TiN-coated magnetic contact area is extremely rigid and wear-resistant and allows for
the effortless elimination of swarf, chips and welding spatter.
Coil fatigue is a well-known problem that may occur during the lifetime of electromagnets but
with an SP-V or the ALFRA magnetic technology in general this problem now belongs in the
past.
In the long run, this leads to further significant cost savings. Conventional magnetic drill
stands need to be repaired on average two or three times during their lifetime. The costs for
the replacement of the electromagnet can easily attain 30-50 % of the acquisition costs. This
does not apply for the permanent magnet technology of ALFRA. The installed magnets can
be used between -30°C and +60°C and will not lose their power even after years of use.
They are low-maintenance.
"The SP-V offers a multitude of advantages." commends Markus Döring the machine
manufactured in his own production site. "The metal industry always strives for innovations to
ease and improve the daily work. That is why professionals are fascinated by our new drill
stand. At the Euroblech exhibition (International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition)
in Hannover, we received again an excellent feedback for our products and as expected
especially for the SP-V."
Press photos
Printable photos and further motifs are available upon request.
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A short company profile of the Alfred Raith GmbH
The Alfred Raith GmbH develops and manufactures machines and tools for drilling,
punching, cutting, lifting and deburring. It is the worldwide leading in the production of tools
for metal processing and metal core drilling technology because ALFRA tools are "Made in
Germany". The associate company of the Alfred Raith GmbH is Sägen-Mehring GmbH.
Together these companies produce saw bands and blades as well as circular saws, machine
saws or hand saws, metal core drilling machines and cutting tools for the metal working
industry and tool trade. These products are sold under such brands as ALFRA, RIX or
ROTABEST. Furthermore, the Sägen-Mehring GmbH maintains one of the biggest CNC tool
grinding shops in Germany for repairing cutting tools.
Sägen-Mehring and Alfred Raith are part of the Döring Holding GmbH & Co.KG, a company
rich in tradition that was founded in 1913 in Dresden. Today, the group is headquartered in
Hockenheim, a town that is famous for its motor-racing course “Hockenheimring”. Further
sites are located in Stahnsdorf (Germany, near Berlin), Sheffield (England), Chicago (USA)
and sales offices in the Netherlands and Singapore. In all, the group employs approximately
150 people. Its annual revenue was about 22 million Euros in 2014; the export share was
approximately 65 %.
Contact person for editors:
Alfred Raith GmbH
Ulrich Adam
II. Industriestraße 10
D-68766 Hockenheim
Telefon: +49 (62 05) 30 51-120
Telefax: +49 (62 05) 3051-150
Internet: http://www.alfra.de
E-Mail: [email protected]
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