Mazak Acquires Supplier of Friction Stir Welding

Mazak Corp. has acquired MegaStir, a supplier of friction stir welding (FSW) tools and technology located in Provo, Utah. The new Mazak MegaStir will provide further system advancements and evolve into an FSW technology center. 

Through several key developmental collaborations and now the MegaStir acquisition, Mazak continues to pioneer its Hybrid multitasking concept. One that extends beyond the combination of additive and subtractive processes to also include others such as FSW capabilities for complete part processing on one machine tool platform and often in one setup.

Mazak first collaborated with MegaStir on the development of the Mazak VTC-800 FSW vertical five-axis machining center. The FSW package adds friction stir welding capability to the spindle via a unique toolholder and includes closed-loop FSW process control as well as FSW programming software that enhances the speed and capability of the process.

According to Dan Janka, president of Mazak Corp., “Our goal is to continuously explore and develop new technologies, processes and product innovation that will keep our customers productive, competitive and profitable, and the various Mazak FSW machines are perfect examples of that, as are the other various machine models within the Mazak Hybrid machine series.”