About DAPRA Corporation
For more than 55 years, Dapra has been supplying our manufacturing based customers with high performance cutting tools, workholding equipment, rotary positioning products and direct part marking solutions.
Dapra Cutting Tools specializes in high-performance indexable carbide milling tools and inserts for a broad range of operations, including contouring, facing, slotting and ramping. Tools include Ball Nose and Back Draft finishers, Square Shoulder mills, Toroid cutters and SSPM series production milling tools. Inserts feature a unique combination of substrates and coatings. Dapra also offers workholding and positioning equipment for the most demanding applications; Servodex indexing tables, HydraVise vises, Allmatic precision vises and tombstones and Biax power scrapers and air tools.
Dapra Marking Systems offers a full line of standard and custom-engineered, permanent direct part marking solutions, including dot peen, laser, electrochemical technologies and DataMatrix reading and verification, for the aerospace, automotive, defense, general metalworking and fabrication, medical and plastics industries. These systems can mark alpha-numeric text, symbols, logos and 2D symbologies on almost any material from plastics to hardened steels. Solutions are offered as stand-alone benchtop workstations, portable/hand-held systems or integrator units for semi or full production lines.
Dapra Cutting Tools are sold through distribution in North America. Sales and applications support personnel are located throughout the United States. In addition, both domestic and international support are located at Dapra's Bloomfield, Connecticut headquarters. Please click here for a full company directory.
Dapra understands the performance and cost challenges facing today's cutting tool and workholding equipment users. Our goal is to develop innovative application-based solutions that will result in true value for the end user. This is why we believe each generation of Dapra's cutting tools and workholding equipment will exceed your expectations.
Mission Statement
We are committed to identifying, understanding and meeting current and future end-user requirements with products and service of superior performance and value through:
- developing and maintaining partnerships with suppliers and distributors who share our commitment;
- pursuing continuous improvement in everything we do, using input from every resource available to us;
- taking pride in honoring every commitment we make by performing each task right the first time and on-time with accountability, responsibility, honesty and integrity;
- productive use of our human and financial resources;
- respect for the time and the views of others;
- using effective listening, written and oral communications skills;
- learning and growing as individuals and members of the Dapra team.
Company History Timeline
Download this timeline as a printable PDF file (45k).
- 1955
- Rudi Wetzel forms Wetzel Tool Corporation, an industrial machine tool accessory distributor, selling Biax Scrapers, cutting tools and related products. With a secretary and two salesmen based in East Hartford, Connecticut, Wetzel Tool Corporation distributes its products throughout New England.
- 1958
- With the birth of his first grandson, David L. Pratt, Jr., Rudi Wetzel establishes DAPRA Corporation. (Hence the name DAPRA). Wetzel Tool Corporation now becomes the Northeast distributor for DAPRA, selling its own high-quality cutting tools and workholding equipment nationally.
- 1983
- Wetzel Tool Corporation adds dot peen marking equipment to its product line and becomes a division of DAPRA Corporation.
- 1984
- Upon the death of Rudi Wetzel, his daughter, Marie-Louise Pratt, assumes ownership of both Wetzel Tool and DAPRA Corporation.
- 1996
- Wetzel Tool is officially renamed DAPRA Marking Systems.
- 2005
- DAPRA celebrates its 50th anniversary as a leading supplier of superior quality cutting tools, part-marking solutions, and workholding and rotary positioning products. DAPRA's products are sold through distribution in North America with sales and applications support personnel located throughout the United States. Both domestic and international support are provided by DAPRA's home office in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
- The DAPRA Division specializes in providing high-velocity, high-performance cutting tools, offering maximum value in difficult metalworking applications. Continuing to improve and expand its product line to meet more demanding performance requirements, DAPRA also imports workholding and positioning equipment from Europe. Examples include Servopress Indexing Tables, HydraVise Machine Vises, Allmatic Precision Vises, Tombstone Fixtures and Biax Power Scrapers.
- The DAPRA Marking Systems division sells a full range of programmable Dot Peen (dot matrix) Marking Machines for permanent, direct part marking. Developed for the aerospace industry, these systems can mark alpha-numeric text, symbols, and logos on almost any material from plastic to hardened steels. These units are offered as standard, off-the-shelf machines, or can be provided as custom-engineered, turnkey systems. DAPRA Marking Systems also offers self-contained Diode-pump Laser Marking Systems.