NIDEC MACHINE TOOL AMERICA to Showcase at 10th Annual Military Additive Manufacturing Summit

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NIDEC’s Three Essential Attitudes: The Operating System Behind Purpose-Driven Manufacturing

In an era of rapid change, tighter targets, and rising expectations for speed and quality, the companies that endure pair a clear purpose with decisive action. At NIDEC, our philosophy is straightforward and ambitious: design ever more efficient products and improve people’s lives.

Our Three Essential Attitudes, or the “NIDEC Way”—Passion, Enthusiasm, Tenacity; Working hard and smart; and Do it now, do it without hesitation, do it until completed—are more than values on a wall. They guide our teams, our projects, and our partnerships every day.

Below is how these attitudes take shape across our operations, and why they matter for our customers’ competitiveness and for a better industrial future.

Passion, Enthusiasm, Tenacity: Fuel for Innovation

Complex manufacturing challenges rarely resolve in a single sprint. They demand cross-functional collaboration, patience, and the will to iterate. Passion drives ambitious goals. Enthusiasm sustains energy through setbacks. Tenacity ensures we finish the job.

How this shows up at NIDEC:

  • Engineering depth with customer empathy: We don’t just tune specs. We understand throughput constraints, floor layouts, workforce skills, and maintenance cycles.
  • Iteration without fatigue: Whether refining hobbing parameters for micro-geometry accuracy or stabilizing thermal behavior on a machining center, we pursue precision with persistence.
  • Lifecycle commitment: From installation to optimization, we support the full lifecycle, not just the handoff.

Working Hard and Smart: Effort Meets Evidence

Advantage comes from pairing effort with data, process discipline, and the right tooling. That’s how we reduce variability and increase productivity without compromising quality.

How this shows up in our solutions:

  • Application engineering and prototyping: At the NMTA Gear Technology Center, we use our latest gear cutting machines in real-world trial cuts and prototyping to dial in optimal processes before they reach your production floor.
  • Gear inspection and data feedback: State-of-the-art gear inspection equipment verifies quality and feeds measurement data back into process adjustments, tightening tolerances and improving repeatability.
  • Rebuilding, reconditioning, and control retrofits: By rebuilding systems and modernizing older equipment, we extend the life of proven NIDEC platforms while elevating accuracy, reliability, and ease of use.
  • Lifecycle optimization: Through installation, training, maintenance, and ongoing process support, we keep machines running at peak performance and continuously identify opportunities for improvements in cycle time, quality, and uptime.

Outcome: Shorter cycle times, fewer rejects, lower operating costs, and more stable production windows, especially in high-precision environments.

Do It Now; Do It Without Hesitation; Do It Until Completed: A Bias for Action

Delayed decisions defer value. We move decisively, aligning stakeholders, clarifying requirements, and executing with urgency. That discipline accelerates learning and delivery.

How we put action first:

  • Rapid discovery: We define the problem precisely, from target tolerances to surface finish, and get aligned quickly.
  • Prototyping and validation: We run trials, gather data, and iterate to de-risk production.
  • Finish the job: Implementation is the start, not the end. We stay engaged through ramp-up, operator training, and process stabilization until performance holds.

Outcome: Faster time to value, fewer surprises during launch, and sustained performance in real production, not just in a demo.

Why This Matters Now

Manufacturers are navigating:

  • Labor constraints and the need for intuitive, reliable machines
  • Pressure to compress lead times while increasing customization
  • Tighter tolerances for gears and precision components

NIDEC’s Three Essential Attitudes speak directly to these pressures. Passion, enthusiasm, and tenacity keep teams moving through complexity. Working hard and smart grounds improvements in data and repeatability. A bias for action cuts time-to-outcome and keeps initiatives from stalling.

The result is better manufacturing systems: efficient, resilient, and ready for what’s next.

A Better Future, Built One Completed Task at a Time

NIDEC’s corporate philosophy guides our daily decisions. The Three Essential Attitudes turn that philosophy into action on the factory floor and in the boardroom. When teams embrace them, projects move faster, machines perform better, and the long-term impact compounds.

If you are pursuing aggressive performance targets, we’re ready to help. Explore how our manufacturing solutions can support your goals. See our full product line here: https://www.nidec-machinetoolamerica.com/products/.

2025 Year in Review: Advancing Manufacturing with NIDEC

As 2025 comes to a close, NIDEC MACHINE TOOL AMERICA is reflecting on a year that combined strong technical progress with deeper collaboration across our customers, partners, and global NIDEC teams.

From gear machining and broaching to advanced metal additive manufacturing, our focus remained constant: deliver reliable, production-ready solutions.

Meeting Customers Where They Are: A Year on the Road

In 2025, our team spent a significant amount of time in the field, at trade shows, technical conferences, and customer facilities. These interactions shaped how we think about the next generation of manufacturing challenges.

Formnext, ICAM, and Rapid +TCT: Advancing Metal AM

At Formnext in Frankfurt, we met with partners, customers, and additive manufacturing leaders to discuss the future of large-format metal AM, hybrid machining, and how to move directed energy deposition (DED) from the lab to the production floor. Conversations around industrial readiness and process standardization reflected the direction of the broader AM community.

At ICAM and Rapid + TCT, our experts took a closer look at the economics of metal AM, especially when comparing DED and laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) for parts above 300 mm. The takeaway: when the right geometry, material, and application are matched with the right process, DED can open the door to larger, more complex parts with competitive cost structures and shorter lead times.

Motion + Power Technology Expo and EMO

Events such as Motion + Power Technology Expo and EMO Hannover gave us a chance to reconnect with long-time partners and meet new ones.

At these shows, we highlighted technologies including:

  • High-speed hobbing for higher throughput and lower noise gears
  • Internal gear grinding and finishing solutions
  • Broaching systems designed for precision, rigidity, and flexible productivity
  • Cutting tools engineered for consistency, tool life, and surface finish

Gear Manufacturing Highlights: GE25CF, MGC300, and Beyond

2025 was a year of meaningful progress, strong customer adoption, and important new product introductions.

GE25CF: Integrated Hobbing and Chamfering on a Single Platform

A key highlight was the continued momentum of the GE25CF, our hobbing machine that integrates gear cutting and defined chamfering on a single platform. Customers are leveraging the GE25CF to:

  • Combine hobbing and chamfering in one process
  • Achieve precise root chamfers and improved surface quality
  • Shrink floor space requirements with the smallest-in-class footprint for its category

Powered by our ChamferX tooling, the GE25CF is enabling manufacturers to meet demanding requirements, especially for quieter, higher-efficiency gears.

Introducing the MGC300: Multitasking Gear Center for Small-Batch Flexibility

In 2025, we also introduced the all-new MGC300, a multitasking gear center now available. The MGC300 combines a vertical 5-axis machining center with advanced gear-processing functions such as hobbing, skiving, and chamfering, delivering precision and efficiency in a single setup. With:

  • A powerful spindle speed up to 15,000 rpm
  • A compact, rigid gantry design
  • An intuitive interface and seamless process integration

… the MGC300 is designed to reduce operator workload and streamline production for small-batch, high-mix gear manufacturing. By unifying milling and gear cutting processes, it helps manufacturers:

  • Boost productivity without adding multiple specialized machines
  • Reduce changeovers and handling
  • Lower total manufacturing costs
  • Stay competitive in a fast-evolving market

The MGC300 is a key example of how NIDEC is shaping the future of gear machining with multitasking platforms tailored to modern production realities.

End-to-End Gear Machining and Broaching Solutions

More broadly, our hobbing, grinding, shaping, and broaching solutions continued to help:

  • Consolidate legacy machines into smaller, more capable cells
  • Reduce setup and cycle times
  • Improve consistency and gear quality across a wider range of workpieces

For customers, these improvements translated directly into higher productivity, better machine utilization, and stronger ROI.

NIDEC also advanced its portfolio globally with the ZFA series, reflecting our ongoing investment in precision finishing for demanding applications.

Additive Manufacturing with LAMDA

On the metal additive manufacturing side, our LAMDA systems demonstrated what is possible when process expertise and innovation move in lockstep.

  • High-quality metal printing without an inert chamber is made possible by our unique local shield nozzle technology.
  • New material development, including the ability to mix powders and explore custom alloys for high-performance applications.
  • Hybrid and near-net strategies, where DED is used to add features and repair components.

These capabilities are especially relevant for aerospace, energy, and heavy industry applications, sectors where part size, lead time, and material flexibility all matter.

As DED adoption grows, we continue to support customers through application engineering, process development, and collaboration with universities and technology partners. Our goal is to help manufacturers move from pilot projects to repeatable, production-ready metal AM workflows.

One NIDEC in Practice: Global Collaboration and Customer Focus

Internally, 2025 highlighted the strength of the NIDEC family.

Cross-Company Collaboration and Best Practices

Joint meetings and events brought together teams from:

These sessions prioritized practical topics: best practices in service and applications, opportunities for integrated solutions, and strategies for supporting customers as they transition to more automated, data-driven manufacturing environments.

Unified Presence at Customer Events

Events such as GM Innovation Day underscored the breadth of the NIDEC portfolio, from EV drive units and window regulator motors to precision gear-making machines and advanced charging systems. For customers, this means not just individual products, but a cohesive ecosystem of motion and manufacturing solutions.

Focusing on Support and Resources

Building on our technical and commercial advancements, we further enhanced how customers engage with us.

Website Enhancements and Digital Resources

In 2025, we relaunched our website, equipping it with powerful tools for comparing machines, a comprehensive library of videos, and in-depth product information. Concurrently, we refined our online service and support, making it easier to submit service requests, inquire about spare parts, and quickly connect with our technical experts.

Customer Success as the Primary Measure of Impact

We also shared more customer success stories, such as Circle Gear, highlighting quantifiable improvements in cycle time, setup time, machine utilization, and part quality.

While machines and tools are at the heart of what we do, our goal is to provide a complete experience, from first conversation to long-term support.

Looking Ahead to 2026

For more than 80 years, NIDEC has been guided by the same principles: precision, performance, and partnership. As we look beyond 2025, our direction remains clear. Our commitment to quality is unwavering and backed by comprehensive support services that keep our customers’ operations running at optimal efficiency. From initial concept through implementation and long-term service, our team of specialists works closely with manufacturers to deliver tailored solutions that match specific production requirements.

Blaser Swisslube, Inc. and NIDEC MACHINE TOOL AMERICA Announces Strategic Partnership to Elevate Metalworking Performance and Productivity

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GE25CF Hobbing and Cut Chamfer

Todd Hughes Returns to NIDEC MACHINE TOOL AMERICA as West Coast Sales Manager

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MGC300 Multi-Function Gear Center

NIDEC MACHINE TOOL Launches ZFA Series Gear Grinders

New Models Offer High Precision and Efficiency

Kyoto, Japan – NIDEC Machine Tool Corporation announced the launch of the ZFA Series, a new line of high-precision gear grinders designed to meet global demand for advanced gear machining. The ZFA160 and ZFA260 models offer exceptional performance and efficiency for a wide range of gear sizes.

Designed for high-speed and high-precision finishing of gears, the ZFA Series features a twin-table structure and high-speed rotary performance, resulting in a significantly reduced non-machining time compared to previous models. The ZFA160 and ZFA260 also incorporate advanced features to ensure fast, stable and accurate machining, including stiffer work-table structures, grinding spindles, and dressing units.

The ZFA Series is ideal for machining gears for electric vehicles and robots, offering features like simultaneous double-tooth flank bias adjustment and low-noise machining. Additionally, the models are designed with environmental sustainability in mind, featuring a circular, filter fabric coolant tank that reduces waste generation.

As the demand for high-precision gears continues to grow, NIDEC Machine Tool is committed to providing innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of the global market. The ZFA Series offers a combination of precision, efficiency, and sustainability, making it a valuable asset for manufacturers worldwide.

Main specifications of gear grinding machines ZFA160 and ZFA260

SpecificationsUnitZFA160ZFA260
Maximum work-piece diametermmφ160φ260
Process-sable module*4mmStandard1 – 41 – 6
OPT0.5 – 1.00.5 – 1.0
Grinding wheel external diametermmφ208 – 275
Grinding wheel maximum rotating speedmin-18,000
Table maximum rotating speedmin-13,0002,000
Electric source capacitykVA110
Machine masskg15,000

*1. By installing two work-accommodating tables onto a machine, one can set up machining on one side while machining is underway on the other side.

*2. A component or material whose natural rock, etc. has been solidified with resin.  This material has a low thermal conductivity, is hard to be affected by temperature change, and has a high vibration damping.  In addition, unlike cast metals, there is no manufacturing process that discharges a large amount of CO2.

*3. An index that indirectly represents the precision of a gear’s pitch circle.  “O.B.D” stands for “over ball diameter.”

*4. Module: A value that represents the size of a gear’s teeth (i.e., the pitch circle’s diameter (mm) divided by the number of teeth).

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About NIDEC Machine Tool Corporation

NIDEC Machine Tool Corporation is a global leader in innovative machine tool solutions. The company, along with NIDEC OKK, PAMA, and TAKISAWA, works collaboratively to deliver high-quality, high-efficiency machine tools that support various industries worldwide.

Contact:

Dwight Smith

248-756-0894

dwight.smith@nidec.com

Website: https://www.nidec.com/en/machine-tool/

NIDEC announces GE25CF hobber with integrated cut chamfer

NIDEC Machine Tool announces new GE25CF hobber with integrated cut chamfering

MSS300 Gear Skiving Machine