Mazak MegaStir Brings High-speed Friction Stir Welding Advantages to DISCOVER 2025

July 21, 2025 – Mazak MegaStir will highlight the advantages of high-speed friction stir welding (FSW) during Mazak’s biennial DISCOVER 2025 event October 6-10 in the Shop Solutions Action Area at the Mazak North American headquarters in Florence, Kentucky. Mazak MegaStir FSW technology will be paired with a Mazak VC-Ez 16 CNC Turning Center to show visitors how FSW provides a versatile joining solution for the mechanized welding of dissimilar metals without toxic fumes and molten spatter. The system provides lower setup costs and requires less training than traditional fusion welding.

Instead of current and voltage used in arc welding, FSW joins with heat produced by the rotational downforce and friction generated by a cylindrical shouldered tool and profiled pin. Heat generated between the welding tool and workpiece plasticizes the materials before reaching their melting points, forging a joint that is nearly always superior to conventional fusion-welded methods.

FSW minimizes the heat-affected zone (HAZ), which is typically the weakest part of a weld. Instead of a HAZ, FSW creates a thermo-mechanical zone that retains the base metal's strength because of its refined grain structure. This results in a stronger, more reliable weld. Residual stresses are also lower, reducing distortion and improving overall structural integrity. The process does not require filler wire or shielding gas and joins in a single pass and at all positions and orientations.

Designed and built in Kentucky, the VC-Ez 16 is optimized for fast, easy installation and simple operation that provides Mazak performance and reliability to shops of any size. Heavy base, column and headstock castings are designed for high-speed, high-torque applications, and a Thermal Displacement Control function monitors and reacts to environmental and internal temperature fluctuations to maintain stable machining accuracy for long periods of time.

The machine features MAZATROL SmoothEz CNC that gives shops both MAZATROL G-code and conversational programming capabilities, and FSW software available through Mazak’s MAZATROL Smooth CNC allows real-time monitoring of FSW’s three main processes – plunging, traversing and extracting.