Selling a used Reishauer machine, such as an RZ-series generating gear grinder or an older machine with an alphabetic type code? We buy your machine. Which route depends on machine, condition and market. Send the nameplate, build year, control and photos, and you get a first estimate. Below you find first what decides the value and how the sale works, then the series and generations for reference. One note that helps when you compare prices: many listings under ‘Reishauer’ are accessories such as workholding, grinding wheels and spare parts, not machines. The overview of all processes and brands is on Sell gear cutting machines; the machine type is covered in Sell gear grinding machines.
What decides the value of a used Reishauer machine
The complete self-check of value factors is in the guide What is my gear machine worth?. For Reishauer machines these points are especially important:
- Generation and control: according to the manufacturer pages, the 4.0 generation runs Siemens SINUMERIK ONE and RZControl software. The electronic gearbox (since the RZ 300 E) and the Windows operator interface (since the RZ 400) also mark generations. On older machines the control differs by generation; tell us control and software version.
- Size class: the 4.0 machines for the automotive industry (RZ 126, RZ 160, RZ 260) cover workpieces up to 126, 162 and 262 mm, up to module 4 or 5 depending on type. The universal machines RZ 410 to RZ 1000 reach module 10 (generating) and module 14 (profile grinding). The size class decides which workpieces, and therefore which buyers, the machine suits.
- Equipment: twin spindle, additional head for profile grinding, swivelling dressing unit, on-board gear measurement as an option, tailstock for shafts and a loader belong on the equipment list.
- Proof of accuracy: current test records on gear quality and a reference workpiece show what the machine still delivers.
- Retrofit and conversion status: we found no manufacturer offer for retrofit or overhaul on reishauer.com. Conversions, for example of control or drives, are therefore worth only as much as their documentation.
- Accessories: workholding, grinding worms and dressing tools make the takeover easier for the buyer. List them separately from the machine.
- Weight and dismantling: the manufacturer gives the machine weight as 9,600 kg for the RZ 126, RZ 160 and RZ 260 4.0 (each including W-axis), 12,900 kg for the RZ 410 and RZ 550 4.0, and 15,500 kg for the RZ 1000 4.0. We clarify early how the machine is dismantled and transported and build that into the estimate.
What we need from you
- Complete type designation with or without 4.0, build year, control, operating hours
- Test records on gear quality and conversion documents
- Photos: nameplate, overall view, both workpiece spindles, grinding head, dressing unit, operator interface and control cabinet
- A list of the accessories included
- What the machine last produced (for example transmission gears, shafts or planetary gears) and whether it ground by generating or profile grinding
How selling your Reishauer machine works
- Send details and photos.
- First estimate. We check to a buyer in our network. The offer usually follows 24–48 hours on working days after we have all the details. Where it is urgent we can visit on site usually within 48 to 72 hours on working days.
- Dismantling and transport. We organise both. Whether the costs are included is stated in the offer upfront.
- Payment before pickup (direct purchase). No machine leaves your site without confirmed payment.
The whole process usually takes 7 to 15 working days on a direct purchase. Sale through our buyer network: commission stated upfront; you are paid before pickup. The general process is on How it works.
Sell your Reishauer machine: request a free assessment.
What we do not buy
Not covered here are grinding worms, clamping units, change gears and spare parts as standalone accessory items. Thread grinding machines, which dealers also list under Reishauer, are not covered on this page either. If you have accessories that belong to your gear grinder, name them together with the machine; they then feed into the estimate. General precision grinding machines that do not grind gears are on Sell grinding machines.
Who is Reishauer?
Reishauer AG is based in Wallisellen near Zurich. According to the manufacturer, that is where research and development, machine tool construction, the production of diamond tools and workholding, service, administration and customer training are located. The grinding wheel plant has stood in Pfaffnau in central Switzerland since 2008. Reishauer describes itself as a medium-sized, family-owned company.
The history begins in 1788 with the Zurich tool smith Hans Jakob Däniker. In 1930 the company entered machine tool construction, and in 1945 it put the ZA into operation, the first continuously working generating grinding machine; the process is still called the Reishauer process. Today Reishauer builds continuous generating grinders of the RZ series and, with the RS 300, a hard skiving machine for internal gears, plus its own grinding wheels (since 2008), dressing tools (since 1998), workholding (since 2012), loaders and monitoring software. Reishauer machines usually carry the type designation ‘RZ’; older types have alphabetic codes such as ZA or AZA. Under the Reishauer name, dealer portals also list accessories and spare parts, which makes the market overview confusing.
Series at a glance
The table shows the series on the current manufacturer pages (research as of 29 September 2026). All values are manufacturer data from the technical tables of the respective machine page. For an individual machine, the nameplate and data sheet apply.
| Series | Process | Max. workpiece Ø (mm) | Max. module (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| RZ 126 4.0 | Continuous generating grinding, twin spindle | 126 | 0.5 to 4 |
| RZ 126 / 160 KWS 4.0 | Generating grinding with small-diameter worms, for gears with interfering contours | 130 / 162 | 0.5 to 4.0 |
| RZ 160 4.0 | Continuous generating grinding, twin spindle, profile grinding optional | 162 | 0.5 to 4.0 |
| RZ 260 4.0 | As RZ 160 4.0, for car and medium-size truck gears | 262 | 0.5 to 5.0 |
| RZ 410 4.0 | Universal machine, generating and profile grinding | 410 | Generating 0.5 to 10, profile 0.5 to 14 |
| RZ 550 4.0 | Universal machine, generating and profile grinding | The manufacturer page is inconsistent (text versus table), so not stated | Generating 0.5 to 10, profile 0.5 to 14 |
| RZ 1000 4.0 | Universal machine for large gears, generating and profile grinding | 1,000 | Generating 0.5 to 10, profile 0.5 to 14 |
| RS 300 | Hard skiving of internal gears (new since 2025) | internal 300, external 200 | 1 to 3 |
According to the manufacturer the universal machines RZ 410, RZ 550 and RZ 1000 are technologically the same and differ mainly in diameter range. The RS 300 is not a grinder but a hard skiving machine; it complements the range for hardened internal gears.
A look at the type numbers helps with classification: on the current types in the table, the number in the name roughly corresponds to the maximum workpiece diameter in millimetres (RZ 126: 126, RZ 160: 162, RZ 260: 262, RZ 410: 410, RZ 1000: 1,000). For older types such as the RZ 301 S or RZ 362 A you should not assume this rule, because the manufacturer no longer publishes their dimensions. According to the manufacturer’s history, the RZ x60 machines are intended for high-volume production in the automotive industry; the RZ 260 also machines gears of heavy vehicles such as trucks and tractors and is found in job shops for smaller batch sizes. The RZ 400 was also originally developed for the automotive industry and found its place in job shops.
Feature terms that influence value
Listings and nameplates use terms that Reishauer explains in its company history and on its machine pages:
- Continuous generating grinding: a grinding worm grinds the workpiece in the generating process, so the gear is produced in a few passes instead of tooth space by tooth space as in profile grinding.
- Electronic gearbox: worm and workpiece are synchronised electronically instead of mechanically, first on the RZ 300 E (1977).
- Twin spindle: while one workpiece is being ground, the second is threaded and brought into position at the same time, so non-productive time disappears. Reishauer introduced the technology in 2003 with the RZ 150.
- Shifting: the grinding worm moves sideways during the process so that fresh, sharp grains always do the grinding (RZ 301 S, 1986).
- Technology options: the machine pages of the RZ 160 4.0 and RZ 260 4.0 list, among others, polish grinding, topological grinding (Twist Control Grinding), line dressing, grinding of beveloid and non-involute gears, and profile grinding. Which of these options are enabled on your machine belongs in the description, because they determine the range of use.
Model generations from the manufacturer’s history
For used machines the generation is decisive. The overview comes from Reishauer’s company history and helps place a build year.
| Year | Machine | What the manufacturer says |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | ZA | First continuous generating grinding machine, start of the Reishauer process |
| 1968 | AZA | Automation of the process, one operator can look after several machines |
| 1977 | RZ 300 E | First electronic instead of mechanical synchronisation (electronic gearbox) |
| 1986 | RZ 301 S | Continuous shifting of the grinding worm (Continuous Shift Grinding) |
| 1993 | RZ 362 A | First high-performance machine for the automotive industry, introduction of Low Noise Shifting |
| 2001 | RZ 400 | Universal machine with new electronic gearbox and Windows operator interface |
| 2003 | RZ 150 | Twin-spindle technology for the automotive industry |
| 2006 | RZ 1000 | Universal machine for large gears, according to the manufacturer up to 1,000 mm workpiece diameter and module 10 |
| 2009 | RZ x60 (RZ 60, RZ 160, RZ 260) | Series production for the automotive industry, twin spindle, 100 m/s grinding speed |
| 2020 | RZ x60 4.0 | New software platform RSP with RZControl and RZDesk, ARGUS process monitoring |
| 2021 | RZ 160 KWS | Grinding head for smaller-diameter worms |
| 2025 | RS 300 | Hard skiving of internal gears |
Reishauer does not publish dimensions or specifications for the RZ 300 E, RZ 301 S, RZ 362 A, RZ 400 and RZ 150 on its current site. We therefore do not state them and rely on the nameplate and documents for these types.
Names in the used market and their pitfalls
Dealer portals list Reishauer machines under many spellings. Specifications from listings are dealer statements; we take only the names from them.
| Designation in a listing | What is behind it |
|---|---|
| ‘RZ 362 A’, ‘RZ362A’, ‘RZ 301 S’, ‘RZ 150’ | Spellings with and without a space; the types themselves appear in the manufacturer’s history (table above). |
| ‘RZ 160’ or ‘RZ 260’ without ‘4.0’ | Can mean the earlier x60 generation (from 2009) or the 4.0 generation (from 2020). The build year settles it. |
| ‘RZ 701’, ‘RZ701’ | Known only from dealer listings; the manufacturer’s history and series overview do not list this type. Origin and specifications are clarified via the nameplate. |
| ‘OZA 300’, ‘UL 900’, ‘AM’, ‘NZA’ | Older types with alphabetic codes that dealers list under the same brand. |
| ‘NRK’, ‘US’ | Listed by dealers as thread grinding machines, so not covered on this page. |
| Workholding (‘FK 38’), ‘grinding wheel module 2.5’, spare parts with article numbers | Accessories, not machines. Dealer lists under ‘Reishauer’ contain many such items. |
| ‘Zahnradschleifmaschine’, ‘Zahnflankenschleifmaschine’, ‘CNC-Wälzschleifmaschine’ | German dealer category terms for the same machine field. |
If you research the market value of your machine, use only listings that state type, build year and process. A price for a grinding wheel or a piece of workholding says nothing about the value of a machine.
Other brands in gear grinding
For used gear grinders from other makers see the brand pages Kapp Niles (generating and profile grinders of the KX, KNG, ZE, ZP and VX series), Liebherr and Gleason-Pfauter. The basics of the process are in Sell gear grinding machines.
Sources
Manufacturer data, as of 29 September 2026:
- Reishauer: History of Reishauer
- Reishauer: RZ 260 4.0, continuous generating grinding for the automotive industry
- Reishauer: RZ 410 4.0, universal machine
- Reishauer: RS 300, hard skiving of internal gears