A gear hobbing machine cuts gear teeth with a hob, a fluted worm that turns in step with the workpiece, and is the standard machine for external spur and helical gears, worms and worm wheels. If you want to sell a used gear hobbing machine, we buy it, whether it is vertical or horizontal, mechanical or CNC, for small or large gears. Send us manufacturer, type, build year, maximum workpiece diameter, module, control and a few photos, and you get a first estimate. We organise dismantling and transport; on a direct purchase, payment is made by bank transfer before pickup.
Where a hobbing machine sits in gear manufacturing
Hobbing is a continuous process for cutting gears and the established standard for external gears. The hob is geometrically a single or multi-start worm with flutes, and it forms a worm gear pair with the workpiece. The two rotations are coupled through the tooth count: for a single-start hob and a wheel with 18 teeth, the hob turns 18 times as fast as the workpiece. The hob also travels along the workpiece axis so that the tooth gaps are cut across the full face width. Because the cut is continuous, without a return stroke, hobbing is productive, which is why it is the usual way to rough-cut gears in soft condition.
Helical gears come from adjusting the machine, for example by swivelling the hob head. A hob is tied only to the module, so wheels of the same module can be cut with the same hob whatever their tooth count. As the cutting edges wear, the hob is shifted tangentially so that fresh teeth engage. Hobbing produces spur and helical external gears, worms and worm wheels. Small internal gears cannot be hobbed, and an external gear without room for the hob to run out is often out of reach too. For those jobs there are gear shaping machines.
After hardening, the volume of the material changes and distortion appears, so the flanks are normally ground afterwards. That is the job of gear grinding machines. Under the classic DIN 3961, hobbed, planed and shaped gears reach quality grades 5 to 9, where 1 is the finest and 12 the coarsest. DIN 3961 has since been replaced by DIN ISO 1328-1, so treat the range as an order of magnitude, not a promise for any particular machine.
| Process | Movement | Internal gears | Run-out needed | Typical batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbing | Continuous, hob rolls without return stroke | Only large rings with an internal head | Yes, interfering contours are a limit | Most economic in larger series |
| Gear shaping | Cutter wheel with stroke and return stroke | The classic process, also blind holes | Little | Internal gears in smaller quantities |
| Power skiving | Continuous, crossed axes | Yes | Less | Small batches, flexible production |
| Broaching | Tool with staggered teeth, usually one stroke | Yes, mainly internal gears | Tool is pulled through the bore | Mass production |
Vertical or horizontal, mechanical or CNC
Vertical machines hold the workpiece on a rotary table and are listed with “vertical” in the title. Dealers often split them by wheel diameter, for example 700 to 999 mm and 1,000 to 1,999 mm. EMAG names good chip fall as an advantage of the vertical design on its VL 4 H.
Horizontal machines are built for shafts and long workpieces. The K 160 from EMAG KOEPFER takes workpieces up to 1,000 mm long. Gleason describes the 250HL as a machine for long shafts, worms and rotors and states shafts up to 2,350 mm.
Mechanical or CNC: Older machines often work mechanically with change gears, and their listings name the change gear set as an accessory. Gleason dates the first NC hobbing machine from Pfauter to 1975 and the delivery of the first PE 150 CNC to 1983. CNC machines differ in control generation and axis count: the K 160 has a control for eight axes, and the K 160 Longbed XL up to 15 programmable axes. Mechanical machines are also offered with a CNC conversion, and the makers sell retrofits themselves: Gleason with its Recontrol programme, Liebherr with Reman for machines built since 2000.
Series on the market
The table shows current series with the values the manufacturers state on their own pages (checked 29 September 2026). Older machines, such as the Pfauter P, PE and RS series or the Koepfer types 150, 153 and 173, are not tabulated because we cannot document manufacturer data for them; for those, the nameplate and test report count. The values are nominal for the series. For your machine, the nameplate decides.
| Series | Maker | Process | Max. diameter (mm) | Max. module |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LC 180 / LC 280 | Liebherr | Hobbing | 180 / 280 | 4 / 6 |
| LC 300 to LC 500, LC 700 M | Liebherr | Hobbing | 300 to 700 | 3.5 to 16 |
| LC 400 M | Liebherr | Hobbing, manually loaded | 400 | 8 |
| LC 600 to LC 2000 | Liebherr | Hobbing | 600 to 2,000 | 16 to 27 |
| LC 2000 to LC 12000 | Liebherr | Hobbing, large gears | 1,500 to 12,000 | 24 to 60 |
| 100H series | Gleason | High-speed hobbing | 100 (120 optional) | 2.5 to 4 |
| Genesis 130H / 210H / 210HiC | Gleason | Vertical hobbing | 210 | 3 (4 optional) |
| Genesis 180H / 280H (HCD) | Gleason | Hobbing | 280 | 6 |
| 250HL | Gleason | Hobbing and profile milling, horizontal, long shafts | 250 | 12 |
| Genesis 400H (CD) | Gleason | Hobbing | 400 (450 optional) | 8 |
| P 400 / P 600 / P 600/800 | Gleason | Universal hobbing | 800 | 16 |
| P 800 to P 10000 | Gleason | Hobbing, large | 10,000 | 45 (profile milling 60) |
| Titan 1200H / 1600H | Gleason | Hobbing, high productivity | 1,600 | 30 (profile milling 40) |
| K 160 / K 160 Longbed XL | EMAG KOEPFER | Hobbing, horizontal | 100 | 2.5 |
| K 300 | EMAG KOEPFER | Hobbing, horizontal | 200 | 4 |
| HLC 150 H | EMAG KOEPFER | Hobbing with chamfering, horizontal | 150 | 3 |
| CLC series | EMAG | Hobbing, vertical | 200 to 500 | 10 |
| R 500 | EMAG (Richardon origin) | Hobbing, large module | 700 | 12 |
Size classes: diameter and module
The buyer group depends on the size class. The classes below are our own grouping of the series in the table.
| Class | Workpiece diameter | Module | Examples from the table | What it means for the sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small gears | up to 300 mm | up to 6 (250HL: 12) | 100H, Genesis 130H to 280H, LC 180 / LC 280, K 160, K 300, HLC 150 H | Automation is often a value factor of its own; EMAG offers the K 300 with a loader for workpieces up to 5 kg |
| Medium gears | over 300 to 800 mm | up to 16 | LC 400 M, LC 500, LC 700 M, Genesis 400H, P 400 to P 600/800, CLC series, R 500 | Transport and installation are usually less demanding than for large machines |
| Large gears | over 800 to 1,600 mm | 16 to 30 | Titan 1200H / 1600H, sizes of the LC 600 to LC 2000 over 800 mm | Foundation, lifting equipment and access become a task of their own; Liebherr offers a ring loader for workpieces up to 800 mm on the LC 600 to LC 2000 |
| Very large gears | over 1,600 mm | 24 to 60 | LC 2000 to LC 12000 (sizes over 1,600 mm), upper Gleason P-series (up to P 10000) | We plan dismantling, crane work and transport from the first estimate |
The market follows the size class. Liebherr names the automotive industry and wind power for its hobbing machines; Gleason names wind turbine gearboxes, industrial gearboxes, mining and marine drives for the large P-series machines. A compact machine for series production appeals to different buyers than a machine for large gears. More on the brands is on the pages Sell Liebherr gear machines and Sell Gleason-Pfauter gear machines.
Names in listings
You do not have to choose one name when you contact us. For searching the market, these spellings help:
- Gear hobbing machine, gear hobber, hobbing machine all mean the same machine class. In German listings the same machine appears as Zahnrad-Abwälzfräsmaschine, Abwälzfräsmaschine, Wälzfräsmaschine or Zahnradfräsmaschine, often with “vertikal” or “horizontal”.
- Liebherr: listings write “LC 380” and “LC380”, “LC 282” or “LC282”. Beside the current LC 180 and LC 280 you find older numbers such as LC 82, LC 182 or LC 282. The manufacturer does not say whether an older designation corresponds to a current series; nameplate and serial number settle it.
- “Zahnradhobelmaschine”: this is how one dealer lists a Liebherr L 301, meaning a hobbing machine. Gear planing with a rack-shaped cutter is a different process.
- Pfauter, Gleason-Pfauter, Gleason: listings write “P 210”, “P 1600” or “P 2400/2800” under Gleason-Pfauter, and “PE 500” or “P 3001” under Pfauter. Do not confuse the Phoenix series: those are bevel gear machines from Gleason in Rochester.
- Koepfer: the machine builder is today EMAG KOEPFER; earlier names are Jos. Koepfer & Söhne and Koepfer Verzahnungsmaschinen. Listings write “K200” without a space. The KOEPFER Holding in Furtwangen makes gears and gearboxes, not machines.
- Samputensili: listings show S 100, S 130, S 150 and S 200 as CNC hobbing machines. The machine business belongs to EMAG SU since 2021.
What decides the value of a hobbing machine
| Factor | What we ask for | Why it moves the value |
|---|---|---|
| Workpiece diameter and module | Nominal values from the nameplate or data sheet | They set which gears can be cut, and so which buyers come into question. |
| Face width and workpiece length | Axial travel, shaft length | They decide whether the machine cuts wheels only or shafts as well. |
| Build year and series | Type and serial number | Series have different control generations. Liebherr names its Reman programme for machines built since 2000. |
| Control and generation | Mechanical with change gears, CNC, control type | It decides how current the machine is to operate and whether a retrofit would be needed. Gleason names Siemens, FANUC, Bosch and NUM as supported controls for Recontrol. |
| Number of axes | CNC axes, chamfering option | It sets the scope of functions. The K 160 has an eight-axis control, the LC 280 DC integrated chamfering (ChamferCut) according to Liebherr. |
| Operating hours, hob head, rotary table | Hours, running behaviour, documented repairs | Hob head and rotary table decide the gear quality that is still achievable. |
| Accuracy proof | Test or acceptance report | A report documents the condition of the machine. |
| Automation | Pick-up loader, ring loader, gantry loader | Liebherr offers an optional two-station NC ring loader for the LC 600 to LC 2000, for workpieces up to 800 mm and 1,000 kg; Gleason offers a ring loader option for P 800 to P 1200. |
| Accessories | Change gears, hob arbors, counter-supports, hob heads | A complete set saves the buyer the sourcing. Listings for mechanical machines name it explicitly. |
| Cooling and extraction | Wet or dry cutting, filters, oil mist extraction | Liebherr states that the LC 180 and LC 280 work wet and dry; for the K 160 EMAG lists oil mist extraction and extraction for dry hobbing as options. |
| Retrofit history | Who replaced which components, and when | A documented conversion shows what was renewed. |
| Weight, foundation, dismantling | Weight, installation, lifting equipment | It decides the effort of removal and reinstallation. |
The full matrix for all gear machines is in What is my gear machine worth?.
What we need from you
- Nameplate photo: make, type, build year, serial number
- Maximum workpiece diameter and module, face width or workpiece length
- Control (mechanical or CNC, which type) and operating hours
- Test or acceptance report, if available
- List of accessories and retrofit documents
- Photos of the whole machine, hob head, rotary table, control and electrical cabinet, and of the installation site
Missing documents are not a reason to hold back. We tell you which ones are worth finding.
How a sale works
- Send the data and photos.
- First estimate after receiving the basic data. We place your machine by series, size class and control generation.
- The offer usually follows 24–48 hours on working days after we have all the details. We buy your machine. Sale through our buyer network: commission stated upfront; you are paid before pickup. If an on-site visit is urgent, it can take place, usually within 48 to 72 hours on working days.
- On a direct purchase, payment is made by bank transfer before pickup.
- We organise dismantling and transport, including cranes and foundation work on heavy machines. Whether those costs are included is stated in the offer upfront.
For a single machine the whole process usually takes 7 to 15 working days on a direct purchase. More on the general process is on How it works.
What we do not buy
- Finished gears and gearboxes
- Hobs and other single tools without a machine
- Gear pumps
- Woodworking and hobby machines
For the whole field, from bevel gear to gear measuring machines, see Sell gear cutting machines. Other gear machines have their own pages: gear shaping machines, gear grinding machines and broaching machines.