EMAG KOEPFER Gear Hobbing Machines: K 160, K 160 Longbed XL, K 300, HLC 150 H
Horizontal gear hobbing machines for small-module gears, shafts and worms.
We match the model to your workpiece, module and batch size, and arrange supply, spare parts and tooling.
K 160: hobbing centre for small modules
Horizontal machine for steering pinions, armature shafts and planetary gears. The MINERALIT® polymer concrete base in a slant-bed layout damps vibration and simplifies chip and coolant removal. Direct drives on spindle and head give high speeds even on parts with few teeth.
- Module 0.3–2.5 mm; workpiece dia. up to 100 mm; length up to 1,000 mm
- Automatic loading: dia. 60 mm, 90 mm optional; length 300 mm
- Work spindle up to 4,000 rpm, hob up to 5,000 rpm, head ±50°
- Hobbing length 200 mm (480 mm on the long bed), shift 160 mm
State module, number of teeth, diameter and length of the part.
K 160 Longbed XL: for long motor shafts
Extended-bed version for shafts and pinions up to 1,000 mm long and 25 kg. Automatic loading, direct drives and up to 15 programmable axes; a fit for replacing ageing manually loaded hobbers.
- Module 0.2–2.5 mm; dia. up to 100 mm; length up to 1,000 mm
- Changeover to another geometry in 15–20 minutes, per EMAG
- Conversational and block programming
- Hobbing time 50–70 % shorter than earlier cycles (EMAG data)
State shaft length and weight and the batch size.
K 300: workpieces up to 200 mm in diameter
Horizontal machine with nine CNC axes and a closed rigid frame. MINERALIT® base with roller bearings on the linear axes; the diagonal head position gives good chip flow in dry and wet machining.
- Workpiece dia. up to 200 mm; length up to 800 mm (300 mm with standard loading)
- Hobbing length up to 300 mm, shift 160 mm, head ±45°
- Work spindle up to 800 rpm; hob 200–2,500 (optional 400–4,000) rpm
- Tailstock clamping force 15 kN; footprint about 8 m²
State part diameter and length, technology and loading type.
HLC 150 H: hobbing and worm milling
Horizontal centre with an integrated chamfering unit: gears, armature shafts, worms and transmission shafts up to 500 mm long. Worms are milled with a disc cutter by the single-index method. Water-cooled direct-drive spindles extend tool life; optional quick-clamping systems shorten set-up.
- Module 0.3–3.0 mm; dia. up to 150 mm; length up to 500 mm
- “Virtual Y-axis”: head −45° to +135°, 220 mm shift
- Head up to 4,000 rpm (optional 12,000), 28 kW, torque 140 Nm
- FANUC control; tools up to Ø120 mm; direct-driven water-cooled spindles
State whether worms are needed and the maximum module.
Steering pinions, armature shafts, planetary gears
Typical K 160 workpieces. Steering pinion in 14NiCr14 steel: soft pre-milling to DIN 7–8 and hard finishing by skiving; an integrated gantry handles loading.
- Pre-milling 30–40 s, skiving 40–50 s per part
- Planetary gears: cycle under 8.5 s (EMAG data)
- Armature shafts: 8–10 s instead of 20–25 s (EMAG data)
- HLC 150 H: electric power steering parts — worm, worm gear, pinion
Attach the part drawing and the required accuracy class.
Rotor shafts for electric cars
A single-speed gearbox in an electric car has many gear elements, and a quiet motor demands clean tooth surfaces. The HLC 150 H cuts rotor shafts; the K 160 handles parts of assembled shafts.
- HLC 150 H: parts up to 500 mm and 10 kg; 35 s cycle, DIN Q7 quality
- K 160: parts of assembled rotor shafts up to 300 mm and 2.5 kg
- Rigidly suspended head; shift is an interpolation of two axes
- Horizontal layout keeps chips from piling up
State shaft length and weight and annual volume.
Flexspline for harmonic reducers
Thin-walled flexible gears for robot reducers are hobbed on the K 160. A wall under one millimetre calls for hydraulic expanding mandrels and tight runout control.
- Module 0.15–1.5 mm; 100–400 teeth; dia. 25–140 mm
- Class 4 to DIN 3960/62 or ISO 1328; runout up to 5 µm
- Mandrels with 3–5 µm runout, carbide hobs
- B and C axes: water-cooled direct drives
State module, number of teeth, diameter and wall thickness.
Technologies: hobbing, skiving, dry machining
The K 300 combines hobbing, soft and hard machining, skiving, high-speed, radial and tangential hobbing. Dry machining pays off on large batches and removes washing before hardening.
- K 300: pump pinions of module 4.0 finish-hobbed to class 6 (DIN 3960/62), no shaving
- K 160: worm gears by radial or tangential milling
- HLC 150 H: chamfering, single-index milling, Conikron, skiving
- Automatic orientation for skiving; skip a damaged hob section
State the part material and required tooth quality.
Process and tooling: from drawing to cutting data
The process starts from the drawing and specification sheet: quality class, adjacent operations, quantities. Variants are then compared; on large batches dry machining with multi-start carbide hobs beats wet machining.
- A shank hob costs more than a bore hob but is longer and cuts more parts before regrinding
- Hob material, number of starts and profile set the cutting data and tooth quality
- Cutting data are tried out in simulation software, seeking the lowest unit cost
- Automatic-transmission planetary gears: under 9 s in soft machining (EMAG data)
Attach the drawing and specification sheet if you have them.
Automation and production lines
K 160 loading gantry with a double rotary gripper, K 300 V-grippers, chain magazines, oscillating conveyors and storage systems. Paired with the VL 3 DUO turning machine and TrackMotion, a blank becomes a finished gear in one work area.
- K 300: gravity loading rail, unloading belt, triple distributor
- K 160: chain magazine for workpieces of different diameters
- HLC 150 H: gantry with double gripper (up to 2 kg) or linear V-gripper (up to 10 kg)
- Link to TrackMotion and robot cells
Describe the blank, batch size and desired autonomy.
Control, axes and diagnostics
A touch panel replaces keyboard and mouse; complex hobbing tasks are programmed in dialogue, with built-in diagnostics. Each axis is a separate drive and measuring unit; the control connects to MES and external handling systems.
- K 160: EMAG Dialog software; axes A, B, C, W, X, Y, Z and V; the K 300 has nine axes, adding Q
- HLC 150 H: FANUC control; travel X 0–130, Y 70–290, Z 100–500 mm
- K 300: 1 MB program memory — over 750 workpieces; online access for KOEPFER service
- Direct drives for hob and workpiece — no belts or gearboxes
State the machine model, the axes you need and interface requirements.
Hob arbors and hydraulic chucks
Arbors for hobs of 8–32 mm and ½–1¼ inch bore, shank hobs in hydraulic expanding chucks, counter supports with cylindrical or SK30 tapered interface.
- K 300: arbors also Ø40 mm, hob width up to 195 mm
- K 160: hob width up to 220 mm; tool spindle HSK-C 50
- Shank hobs: two chucks, or a chuck plus tapered counter support
- Order with number, quantity and machine serial number
State bore diameter, width and type of hob.
Workholding: collets, mandrels, centres
Collet fixtures to DIN 6341, Hardinge 3C/5C and Schaublin W20/W25, expanding mandrels, clamping between centres, tailstock bushings, carbide and rotating centres.
- Spring chambers for fully and semi-automatic modes
- Carbide-tipped centre points, withdrawal nuts
- Rotating tailstock inserts, fixed or spring-loaded
- Retractable arbors and stop sleeves
State the part shape and clamping method.
Grippers, loaders and distributors
Gripper jaws, shaft loaders and distributor centres are matched to the machine model and the workpiece variant; quote the machine serial number when ordering.
- K 160: jaw widths 10–40 mm, steel or plastic
- HLC 150 H: jaw widths 20 and 40 mm, steel or plastic
- Shaft loaders in steel and plastic versions
- Deburring devices and standard parts: separate catalogue sections
State part diameter and length and the jaw material.
Which model to choose
- HLC 150 H: module up to 3.0 mm, dia. up to 150 mm, length up to 500 mm; gears, worms, shafts.
- K 160: module up to 2.5 mm, dia. up to 100 mm, length up to 1,000 mm; small parts in series.
- K 160 Longbed XL: same dia. and module, for long shafts; automatic loading.
- K 300: dia. up to 200 mm, length up to 800 mm; larger parts, wider choice of technologies.
Who builds the machines
EMAG KOEPFER GmbH of Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany, builds hobbing machines for high-precision gear profiles and has been part of the EMAG Group since 2005. Customers include makers of power tools and geared motors and tier-1 automotive suppliers. EMAG operates a worldwide service network.
Spare parts and service
We supply spare parts, tooling and wear parts for KOEPFER machines, including earlier series, identified by nameplate and documentation. Diagnostics and repair on request. Describe the symptom — rising runout, vibration, axis error, leak or noise — and we will work out which assemblies to check.
What we do not confirm
Availability, prices, lead times and dealer status are set at quotation. Technical data comes from EMAG materials; part compatibility is confirmed against the machine serial number.
