Mazak’s Variaxis j-600AM (Additive Manufacturing) vertical machining centre is the newest member of the company’s growing additive machine family.
The machine features a wire arc-type metal deposition system, which the company says takes additive technology to a new level in terms of speed, allowing shops to quickly and easily grow part features. The wire arc system incorporates a standard wire arc-welding head mounted on the machine’s headstock to deposit material layer by layer and grow near-net-shape 3D forms. The system deposits material faster because it uses wire instead of metal power.
Machines capable of both additive and subtractive operations offer many advantages. Such machines significantly slash production time and conserve large amounts of expensive raw materials typically machined away when parts are completely produced using only subtractive operations. Plus, they reduce the number of machines required in a facility and save floor space.
The Variaxis j-600AM features a 12,000 rpm B axis tilt sindle and C axis indexing table, making the machine well suited to a wide variety of applications, including the produciton and repair of aerospace parts, moulds and dies, and oil drilling components.
