Schaeffler High-Performance Spindle Bearings and Linear Drives for Machine Tools

The Schaeffler Group is showcasing advanced bearing and drive solutions for tool, workpiece, and feed axes at the AMB trade fair in Stuttgart (September 15 to 19, 2026). The new mechanical and mechatronic systems are designed to increase operational efficiency and machining quality in industrial cutting and automation technology through optimized tribological and electromagnetic properties.

Technological Challenges in Modern Machine Tools
Industrial manufacturing is under continuous pressure to minimize cycle times while simultaneously ensuring machining accuracy in the micrometer range. Under continuous load in metal cutting, mechanical components must withstand extreme thermal and mechanical influences without compromising positioning precision. High process forces and the integration of additional driven tool axes require drive systems that exhibit exceptional tilting rigidity, high dynamics, and optimal thermal management.

Hybrid Bearing Technology for Spindles and Tool Axes
To meet these structural requirements, the use of hybrid bearings is increasingly expanding from main spindles to feed spindle bearings in short-stroke applications, as well as to railway technology and electromobility. Schaeffler's VCM spindle bearings utilize rings made of the powder-metallurgical high-performance bearing steel Vacrodur combined with ceramic rolling elements. This material configuration ensures high wear resistance and operational reliability even under the most adverse tribological and mechanical conditions. For driven tools acting as integrated auxiliary axes in machine controls, Schaeffler supplies the PTB series of precision spindle bearings. These P4 precision class bearings are produced for shaft diameters from 10 to 50 millimeters (dimension series 70 and 719) and enable the exact guidance of demanding machining steps.

Direct Drives and Precision Bearings for Highly Dynamic Rotary Axes
In rotary transfer machining, fast and precise rotational movements are crucial. By combining RIB series torque motors with YRTC rotary axis bearings, plant engineers realize direct drives that hold the workpiece position purely electrically in the micrometer range during cutting. This electromagnetic holding principle eliminates mechanical clamping elements and significantly reduces non-productive times. The double-row angular contact needle roller bearing XZU is designed for laser swivel heads and light machining. Thanks to its low cross-section and an extremely uniform friction torque, it offers high tilting rigidity in highly restricted installation spaces.

For peripheral rotary axes in automation, such as in pallet changing systems, Schaeffler has developed the double-acting axial-radial bearings of the YRTA series, which are designed for a long service life and low maintenance. The YRTCG and YRTAG variants offer a special integration solution for milling tables and swivel axes. In these bearings, external gear teeth are integrated directly into the shaft washer, making the customer's spur gear obsolete. This architecture reduces the required installation space, minimizes system complexity, and accelerates assembly.

Profiled Rail Guides and L7 Linear Motors for Feed Axes
Linear axes for workpiece handling must compensate for tolerances and form errors of connecting geometries to avoid friction-increasing constraint forces. Schaeffler addresses this problem with the KLLT series four-row profiled rail guides in an X-arrangement. The system offers eight different guide carriages in long, short, high, and low versions, with or without a flange, to give designers maximum flexibility during integration.

Power density is the decisive factor for compact linear direct drives. In the field of linear drive technology, Schaeffler has developed the L7 linear motors, which combine both core industry requirements—high peak force and low power loss—in a single motor through an optimized design. Ralf Moseberg, Global Sector Lead Industrial Automation at Schaeffler, summarizes the significance of such system improvements: "The demand is for solutions that work precisely and reliably under continuous load, and that increase the efficiency, productivity, and service life of the entire machine."

Additional Context
This section contains technical specifications and competitive benchmarking that were not included in the original product announcement.

The L7 linear motor series achieves nominal force ranges of up to 11,229 newtons, surpassing previous standards such as the predecessor L1 series, which offered peak forces of up to 5,171 newtons. In direct comparison to industry-standard benchmarks, the L7 motors enable up to a 50 percent lower power loss for the same drive force. Alternatively, they deliver up to 40 percent more nominal force at the same thermal power loss. This leads to a significantly reduced heating of the drive system and improves the dimensional accuracy of the machine. The VCM spindle bearings are characterized by the use of Vacrodur steel, which exhibits higher hardness and temperature resistance than conventional rolling bearing steel. These bearings are manufactured in the high P4S precision class and are often equipped with adapted contact angles for various dynamic load profiles in order to precisely control rigidity in high-speed applications.

Edited by Maria Brueva, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

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