FLORENCE, Ky., March 4, 2020 – Mazak Corporation recently hosted NASA’s new administrator James Frederick “Jim” Bridenstine and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky at its Florence, Kentucky, North American Manufacturing Headquarters. The administrator and congressman made a special trip to Mazak after attending a high-level round-table event with Mazak President Dan Janka, representatives of local aerospace manufacturers and educational leaders as well as three Ohio state congressmen and other area politicians. The event highlighted the large number of aeronautical-based companies that operate within the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region and rely on suppliers such as Mazak for new and innovative manufacturing technology.
At Mazak, Bridenstine and Massie toured the company’s Mazak iSMART Factory™ as well as its National Technology Center. The two paid particularly close attention to Mazak’s HYBRID Multi-Tasking systems, which incorporate multiple part-processing capabilities such as Additive Manufacturing (AM), Friction Stir Welding (FSW) and Auto Gear (AG) automated gear production. These and other Mazak technologies coincide with Bridenstine’s round-table presentation on NASA and his plans for the agency, including the incorporation of technology that will enable astronauts to make a return trip to the moon by 2024 for potentially a year-long stay.