Application Areas

The electronics industry is one of constant change, and manufacturers continuously improve and evolve to control costs and integrate new technology that empowers that constant change. Following that same path of constant improvement, Mazak MegaStir continues to innovate and lead in in the development of FSW applications. The company has supported customers in this market segment on FSW applications involving materials from 0.030" to 0.5" in thickness.

Aerospace manufacturers pioneered Friction Stir Welding (FSW) technology in the late ’90s, realizing its value in time-savings and in the reduction of weld defects when producing large aluminum structures. The technology also offers a better solution for the constant struggle with strength-to-weight ratio for aerospace components and assemblies.

Weight reduction through FSW translates to greater payload capabilities; a reduction of the slight weld distortions over a given length that typically occur with competing weld technologies; and significant increases in propellant volume. The results are aircraft capable of higher speeds and/or reduced fuel consumption.

FSW continues to evolve along with the materials designed to improve vehicle performance, and its ability to join dissimilar materials makes FSW a critical process. Mazak MegaStir continues to improve the process and open doors for its customers to implement and explore new applications for FSW as they build the aircraft of the future.

As the automotive industry increases its use of aluminum to help improve fuel efficiency, FSW offers many potential benefits. In contrast to most other joining processes, FSW handles the variations inherent in high-volume production while simultaneously providing improved mechanical properties. The process delivers distinct benefits and cost savings superior those of other welding alternatives.

With pressure to development greener, more fuel-efficient vehicles capable of meeting increasingly strict fuel economy standards, automotive manufacturers must engineer lighter, more efficient car bodies. FSW allows these manufacturers to easily avoid problems such as the porosity in casting assemblies, which creates significant scrap due to frequent defects. Instead, FSW passes through affected areas to resolve defects and improve material properties with a more refined gain. Joining thinner high-strength automotive steels, aluminum and magnesium alloys, automakers can reduce weights far below what was once thought possible.

To meet the growing transportation needs of countries around the world with the least possible environmental impact, the rail industry has worked to improve the efficiency of car designs. As a result, suppliers are evaluated on their ability to provide efficient solutions while meeting the national and international safety standards. To achieve this, many railcar companies have turned to FSW and use it to create car bodies with extrusions designed for stiffness and lightness without any sacrifice in the ability to endure the long service life required for rail applications.

With a long history in the oil and gas industry, Mazak MegaStir assists customers with welding applications for petroleum-grade steel, nickel and stainless alloys. Constructed and installed both onshore and offshore, pipelines can require welding applications that range from 12" to 42" in diameter, with wall thicknesses up to 1.75" thick. With FSW, oil and gas industry suppliers can handle walls up to 1.25" thick while also minimizing defects.

For down-hole drilling and service equipment, FSW enables the joining of dissimilar high-temperature or high-wear alloys. It does so with a single-pass thermoplastic joining process that reduces or eliminates post-weld heat treatment.

The need for lightweight and more efficient ships requires shops use FSW technology to develop creative aluminum extrusions into panels for several different seafaring applications. The low heat input minimizes stress and creates a superior microstructure, minimizing distortion and eliminating the need for further operations to improve flatness or remove defects.