Liebherr LCS 380

The Liebherr LCS 380 is a CNC generating and profile grinding machine that occupies a productive middle ground in the gear grinding market. With a 380 mm maximum workpiece diameter, it covers the automotive transmission range while also reaching into the medium-sized industrial gears used in power tools, robotics reducers, and general industrial gearboxes. The dual capability — both generating (continuous) and profile (single-index) grinding on the same machine — is Liebherr's key competitive advantage over single-method machines.

The grinding spindle runs up to 12,000 RPM, which is faster than many competitors in this size class and allows the use of smaller-diameter grinding wheels and worms for tight spaces. Tool diameter options span 170 to 320 mm, and the 230 mm tool length handles most face widths in the 380 mm workpiece range. Axial travel options of 600 mm or 1,000 mm (extended) let shops choose based on whether they're grinding short automotive gears or longer industrial shaft gears.

Liebherr's grinding head design uses active tool clamping on both ends of the spindle, which provides the rigidity needed for aggressive stock removal rates without sacrificing surface quality. The machine accepts both dressable conventional and plated CBN grinding tools, so shops can optimize for flexibility (dressable) or cycle time (CBN) depending on volume requirements. Shift travel of 320 mm provides ample room for multi-start threaded wheels in generating mode.

The LCS 380 competes directly with the KAPP NILES KX 300 P (which tops out at 300 mm diameter), the Reishauer RZ 260/360, and the Gleason Genesis 200GX/260GX. At 380 mm, the Liebherr covers a slightly larger envelope than most of these competitors. Liebherr's global service network and the machine's flexibility to switch between generating and profile grinding modes make it a strong choice for gear shops that need one machine to cover a wide range of work.