Schaeffler brings spindle-to-periphery bearing and drive innovations to AMB 2026
Schaeffler is showcasing a broad machine-tool portfolio of bearings, guides and motors at AMB 2026, promising efficiency, precision and longer service life.
- 10 to 50 mm
- up to 50%
- up to 40%
- 8
What Happened
At AMB 2026 in Stuttgart (Hall 6, Booth C42), Schaeffler is presenting a broad portfolio of bearing and drive solutions for tool, workpiece and feed axes under the motto "Innovation across every axis." The company says the portfolio increases the cost-efficiency of machine tools, from the spindle to the periphery. Solutions are designed for the highest demands of continuous operation.
“The machine tool industry is in transition. More than ever, what is needed are solutions that not only work precisely and reliably under continuous load, but also increase the efficiency, productivity and service life of the entire machine. Our engineers understand the needs of our customers. Our technologies support them in offering machine tools that provide real competitive advantages in terms of dynamics, precision and economy.”
Hybrid bearings have been standard in main spindles for decades and have expanded to rail technology, the food industry, e-mobility and feed spindle bearings in short-stroke applications, according to Schaeffler. In main spindles, VCM-series hybrid bearings with rings made of Vacrodur high-performance bearing steel set new standards in robustness and operating reliability under extreme mechanical, thermal and tribological loads. Powered tool axes have developed over the past 10 to 15 years into highly productive auxiliary axes integrated into machine controls, raising spindle-bearing requirements. For driven tools, Schaeffler offers PTB precision spindle bearings in precision class P4 with shaft diameters from 10 to 50 mm in dimension series 70 and 719.
For rotary workpiece axes, a Schaeffler customer used RIB torque motors and YRTC rotary-axis bearings to build highly dynamic drives for rotary indexing machines, holding positions exactly within micrometers purely "electrically" during machining and eliminating mechanical clamping while reducing cycle time. The XZU two-row angular roller bearing, originally developed for precision gearboxes, allows extremely precise and uniform movements in laser swivel heads and suits swivel heads for light machining thanks to its compact cross-section. For rotary axes outside the machining area, Schaeffler developed the YRTA series for high tilt rigidity, long service life and low maintenance, e.g. in pallet-changing systems. The YRTC and YRTA bearings can also be supplied with external gearing on the washer disc (YRTCG, YRTAG), replacing the customer's gear spur gear and significantly reducing installation space, complexity and assembly time.
- KLLT: four-row profile rail guides in X arrangement for low-maintenance and long-life linear axes, able to compensate tolerances and shape deviations without significant constraint forces.
- Eight KLLT carriages in long, short, high and low versions, with and without flanges, for maximum design freedom.
- L7 linear motors: at equal drive force, up to 50% lower power loss compared with the current benchmark.
- At equal power loss, the L7 offers up to 40% more rated force, combined with strong acceleration and cooler operation.
Why this matters
The machine tool industry is in transition, and buyers require components that stay precise and reliable under continuous load while raising efficiency, productivity and service life. Schaeffler's portfolio spans spindle, rotary and linear axes and aims to give machine tool makers competitive advantages in dynamics, precision and cost-efficiency. The L7 linear motor's claimed lower power loss and higher rated force could cut operating costs of the machines it powers.
Terms in This Story
- Hybrid bearing
- A bearing with steel rings and ceramic rolling elements, used in demanding applications for its durability and predictable performance.
- Torque motor
- An electric motor that produces high torque directly at the axis without needing a gearbox between motor and load.
- Linear motor
- An electric motor that generates motion in a straight line instead of rotation, enabling direct linear movement.
- Precision class P4
- An ISO tolerance class indicating high running accuracy and dimensional precision for bearings.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.