Mazak and Oak Ridge Team Up on WAAM Hybrid Manufacturing Platform

A joint push into convergent metal manufacturing

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Mazak have built a new hybrid manufacturing platform that combines wire arc additive manufacturing with five-axis machining in a single automated line. The system is built around two Mazak VC-Ez 20X Vertical Machining Centers and a Fronius WAAM unit, and it is scheduled to appear at IMTS 2026 inside AMT's Emerging Technology Center.

The two-stage workflow is straightforward. The Fronius WAAM system grows each component by depositing standard welding wire layer by layer using an electric arc. Once the near-net shape is complete, the part moves to the VC-Ez 20X for full five-axis finish machining. Mazak's automated palletized transfer system shuttles workpieces between stations while keeping them on common pallets, which preserves fixturing accuracy and keeps throughput consistent.

What the VC-Ez 20X brings

The VC-Ez 20X uses a five-axis rotary/tilt trunnion table built on roller gear cam technology. It handles 3+2 positioning or continuous full five-axis motion. Axis travel reaches 31.49 inches in X, 20.07 inches in Y, and 20.07 inches in Z, with rapid traverse up to 1,260 ipm. The machine accepts workpieces up to 27.55 inches in diameter, 23 inches in height, and 880 pounds, yet its footprint is 26.5% smaller than comparable models. Programming runs through Mazak's MAZATROL SmoothEz5 control with both EIA/G-code and conversational MAZATROL options.

Speed, cost, and design flexibility

Fronius's wire arc approach claims advantages over both conventional manufacturing and powder-bed printing on speed, cost, and design flexibility. The joint platform targets structural repair, rapid tooling, and near-net-shape production, with the ability to scale from flexible small batches up to higher volumes without re-tooling.

This is the kind of additive-subtractive convergence that has been promised for years. Pairing a low-cost metal deposition method with a precise five-axis mill in a single palletized line is a practical answer to the low-volume, high-mix problem that has slowed industrial adoption.