Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Mazak partnered to develop a convergent metal additive manufacturing platform. It unifies metal additive manufacturing and high-precision machining within production-relevant workflows.
The technology features two of Mazak’s VC-Ez 20X Vertical Machining Centers. Manufacturers can thus deliver high-mix, low-volume parts with shorter lead times while maintaining an effective strategy for low-mix, high-volume production.
“We will showcase this innovative platform during IMTS 2026 in The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT)’s Emerging Technology Center,” said Dan Janka, President of Mazak. “This system represents Mazak’s longstanding relationship with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in terms of machining research and the advancement of hybrid additive manufacturing technology.”
Combining WAAM with five-axis machining
This manufacturing platform combines a high-accuracy Mazak VC-Ez 20X 5-axis machining center with a Fronius International Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) system.
The Fronius WAAM system provides a highly efficient, large-scale metal 3D printing capability. It uses electric arcs and standard welding wire to deposit metal layer by layer. According to Mazak, it excels in speed, cost-effectiveness and design freedom compared to traditional manufacturing and powder-based 3D printing.
The system is designed for emergent operations and performs both additive and subtractive part processing operations. After the additive operations, parts move to the standard full 5-axis VC-Ez 20X milling machine for finish machining.
A Mazak automated palletized transfer system moves common pallets between each process to enable repeatable workpiece fixturing and efficient production. The platform also supports applications ranging from structural repair to rapid tool production and near-net-shapes.
Machine capacity and programming
Mazak’s VC-Ez 20X machines accurately process small complex parts via 3+2 or full 5-axis machining. They use a 5-axis rotary/tilt trunnion table with roller gear cam technology. Axis travels measure 31.49″ in X, 20.07″ in Y and 20.07″ in Z (800 mm x 510 mm x 510 mm). All three axes have a rapid traverse rate of 1,260 ipm (32,000 mm/min).
The machines accommodate maximum workpiece dimensions of 27.55” in diameter and 23” tall and weighing up to 880 lbs (400kg). The ergonomically designed machine requires only 104.21” x 146.32” of floor space. Its footprint is therefore 26.5% smaller than other models, making it perfect for the WAAM system.
Mazak outfits the VC-Ez 20X machines with its MAZATROL SmoothEz5 CNCs to streamline programming. Within the control, EIA/G-code and MAZATROL Conversational programming languages provide a full range of programming options directly on the machine.
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