Reishauer RZ 260 CNC Gear Grinding Machine

The Reishauer RZ 260 is a continuous generating gear grinding machine capable of producing external cylindrical gears with workpiece diameters up to 260 mm to DIN class 3–5 accuracy. Built around Reishauer's proven continuous grinding worm process — the same technology the company pioneered over a century ago — the RZ 260 achieves the combination of surface finish quality, tooth form accuracy, and throughput that makes it the benchmark machine for finish grinding of automotive transmission gears and precision aerospace pinions.

Continuous generating grinding, where the grinding worm and workpiece rotate in timed mesh simultaneously, produces gear tooth flanks in a single continuous engagement path rather than discrete indexing passes. This process delivers superior surface finish (Ra < 0.4 µm), consistent profile and lead accuracy, and excellent gear noise characteristics — making ground gears from the RZ 260 the specification of choice for quiet, high-efficiency transmissions. The grinding worm is continuously dressed in-process using a CNC-controlled diamond dresser, maintaining geometry without production interruption.

The RZ 260 runs on a Siemens SINUMERIK 840D sl control integrated with Reishauer's NUMROTOplus gear grinding software. The software handles the complete grinding process definition — worm geometry selection, dressing strategy, stock allowance programming, and profile modification specification — allowing gear engineers to define crowning, tip relief, and flank twists directly in the NC program rather than through hardware adjustments. This makes the RZ 260 extremely flexible for producing gears with complex micro-geometry modifications required for NVH optimization.

For automotive production environments, the RZ 260 supports automation with Reishauer's own loading systems and integrates into Statistical Process Control (SPC) networks for real-time quality monitoring. The machine's thermal management system — water-cooled spindle motors, temperature-controlled coolant, and a thermally symmetric grinding column — ensures dimensional stability across multi-shift production runs without warm-up time penalties.