Reishauer RZ 800

The Reishauer RZ 800 is a large-capacity CNC continuous generating gear grinding machine from Reishauer AG of Zurich, Switzerland — the company that pioneered the Wälzschleifen (continuous generating gear grinding) process and has refined it over more than 150 years. The RZ 800 targets the upper end of Reishauer's generating grinding range, accommodating large external spur and helical gears for commercial vehicle transmissions, industrial gearboxes, marine drives, and large aerospace gearbox components requiring production-grade DIN 3-4 accuracy.

Continuous generating gear grinding is the defining process of Reishauer's technology. Unlike profile gear grinding, which uses a formed wheel to grind one or two tooth spaces at a time, Reishauer's process employs a threaded worm grinding wheel that meshes with the rotating gear blank in a continuous generating engagement — both the wheel and workpiece rotate in precise synchrony throughout the cycle. This approach places multiple teeth in simultaneous contact with the grinding wheel, delivering far higher material removal rates and superior surface consistency compared to single-flank profile grinding. The result is exceptional throughput combined with the DIN 3-4 quality levels demanded by automotive and aerospace transmission manufacturers.

The RZ 800 extends Reishauer's proven generating grinding principle to gears in the 400-800 mm pitch diameter range, covering large truck and bus transmission gears, industrial gearbox pinions and wheels, and high-precision large-module gears for specialized power transmission applications. The machine accommodates face widths up to approximately 650 mm and module ranges from 2 to 14 mm, making it suitable for a wide spectrum of large gear applications beyond the range of Reishauer's smaller production machines such as the RZ 400 or RZ 550. Wheel options include dressable vitrified CBN wheels and conventional dressable abrasive wheels, selectable based on workpiece material, batch size, and quality requirements.

Control is via Siemens SINUMERIK 840D sl paired with Reishauer's proprietary GearPro software suite. GearPro accepts complete gear parameter inputs — number of teeth, module, pressure angle, helix angle, quality grade target, and all profile modifications including lead crowning, profile crowning, tip relief, root relief, and combined lead-profile modifications. From these inputs, the software auto-generates all necessary machine axes programs and dressing cycles without requiring manual CNC programming. Integrated SPC data collection allows real-time process monitoring and automatic feedback adjustments to maintain gear quality across long production runs. Standard robot loading interfaces support integration into automated manufacturing cells.

The RZ 800 is best deployed in high-volume or medium-volume production environments where the combination of large gear size and DIN 3-4 quality requirements justifies the machine's substantial investment. Reishauer's application engineers provide deep process development support for new gear families, covering wheel selection, dressing strategy optimization, and process parameter development — a critical advantage for manufacturers transitioning from hobbing to grinding or from profile grinding to generating grinding. The RZ 800 represents Reishauer's capability to extend the productivity and accuracy advantages of continuous generating grinding to gear sizes that were previously served only by slower profile grinding processes.