Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. (MAT) will follow the world debut of the new ZE26C at CIMT in China with the 2019 Motion + Power Technology Expo at Cobo Center in Detroit on October 15-17. This will mark the market launch of the new model in North America. The ZE26C will respond to needs for higher speed and precision especially in the transmission systems of electric vehicles and the reduction gears used in robots. This will be the first time the ZE26C will be exhibited in North America.

By suppressing the gear tooth shape error measurement to 1 μm, the transmission units and gear reducer units (where the gears are used) performance is enhanced and quieter operation is achieved. 

The ZE26C was developed to finish hardened and tempered gears with outer diameters up to 260 mm. The ZE26C's grinding precision and stability have been enhanced by increasing the rigidity of the column, table and grinding wheel head, coupled with revamping of the spindle structure. In addition, by increasing cutting speed and reducing idle (non-cutting) time by roughly 50% compared to earlier models, the ZE26C boosts high-volume production capability and promotes lower running costs. Furthermore, by expanding the maximum wheel width to 160 mm, frequency of wheel replacement is reduced and simultaneous mounting of standard and polishing grinding wheels is simplified, enabling response to a variety of in-factory needs and higher operational performance. Also, adoption of the industry's first water-soluble coolant (optional) improves environmental performance while also enhancing energy savings.

At Motion + Power Technology Expo (Booth #4418), the new ZE26C will be on display and perform a gear grinding demonstration (dry run). A demonstration will also be given of MAT's "DIASCOPE" monitoring system, which uses IoT technology to give visibility of real-time production status.

The demand for more precise gear finishing and mass production of precision gears is rising amid the shift to electric vehicles, enhancements in noise and fuel performance, and moves toward low-cost production. In addition, most recently demand is expanding for robot reduction gears as development of versatile robots gather momentum. The new ZE-C series has been launched to respond to this growing trend of gear grinding machines requiring ever higher speed and precision.