Federal Gear and Machine

What Federal Gear and Machine does

Federal Gear and Machine is a U.S. custom gear manufacturer and precision machining shop founded in 1914 and headquartered in Eastlake, Ohio, operating from a 22,000 sq ft facility. The company produces custom gears and machined components, with capabilities spanning gear cutting (including high-speed hobbing), EDM (wire and die-sink), and multi-axis precision machining, capable of handling order quantities from single prototype parts to runs of 1,000+ units. It holds ISO 9000:2015 certification and is actively pursuing AS 9100 aerospace quality management certification and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for defense supply chains.

The company serves a blue-chip customer base that includes aerospace and space customers (SpaceX, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, Moog), medical and industrial customers (Steris, Lincoln Electric), and others. Its business model is contract manufacturing / build-to-print: customers provide drawings and specifications, and Federal Gear performs the gear cutting, heat-treatment-adjacent machining, and precision finishing required to deliver compliant parts. The firm has been an American Gear Manufacturers Association member since 1927 and was named to the Inc. 5000 and Fortune 5000 in 2020.

Federal Gear is privately held, with David Hegenbarth serving as President, and operates with a headcount in the 11-50 range. In 2022 the company rebranded, added automated high-speed hobbing capacity, and installed a new EDM machine, signaling ongoing capital reinvestment into higher-spec manufacturing capacity to support deeper penetration into aerospace and defense work.

Name

Federal Gear and Machine

Legal name

Federal Gear and Machine

Website

https://fg-machine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Federal Gear and Machine is a U.S. custom gear manufacturer and precision machining shop in Eastlake, Ohio, producing gears and machined components for aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial customers since 1914.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Gear Manufacturing

NAICS

Machine Shops (332710), Speed Changer, Industrial High-Speed Drive, and Gear Manufacturing (333612)

SIC

Screw Machine Products (3451), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Airframe Structures & Machined Parts (IMABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

CNC Machine Tools (Turning, Milling, Machining Centers) (IMAHADAA)

Keywords

• Precision gear manufacturing
• Custom machining services
• CNC gear cutting
• Industrial gear components
• Aerospace machining parts

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastlake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Gear Manufacturing: Manufacturing of custom precision gears including spur gears, helical gears, internal gears, bevel gears, worm gears, shafts and splines. Services range from one-off custom parts to production runs of 500+ gears.
2. Precision Machining Services: CNC turning and milling services including wire EDM, grinding, and finishing operations for unique high precision components with intricate shapes and designs.
3. Gear Box Design and Repair: Design and repair services for gear boxes, extending service life of machines and equipment.
4. Keyway Cutting: Cutting keyways from widths between 1/8 inch and three inches, with up to 20 inches of length, aligning with any feature of a part.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Federal Gear and Machine is a custom gear manufacturer and precision machining job shop that produces spur, helical, internal, bevel, and worm gears, shafts, splines, and sprockets, plus CNC turning, milling, wire EDM, and grinding services. The company serves demanding industries such as aerospace, medical, military, energy, and heavy industrial OEMs with tolerances up to AGMA 9 quality. It operates as an integrated one-stop shop covering purchasing, manufacturing, inspection, and packaging from its 22,000 sq ft facility in Eastlake, Ohio.

Product overview

Federal Gear and Machine is a custom gear manufacturing company offering an integrated portfolio of precision components and manufacturing services. The core offerings include multiple gear types (spur gears, helical gears, internal gears, worm gears, bevel gears, shafts/splines, and sprockets) manufactured to tight tolerances using processes like hobbing, shaping, and grinding. These are complemented by precision machining services including CNC turning, CNC milling, wire EDM, and grinding. Additional services encompass keyway cutting, reverse engineering, and gear box design/repair. The company operates as a total solutions provider taking projects from concept to completion with engineering, manufacturing, quality control, and packaging capabilities under one roof.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spur Gears Precision spur gears manufactured from .25 to 96DP (25.4 to .26 MOD) with quality levels up to AGMA 9, available in sizes from ¼" to 96" OD and lengths up to 80". Spur gears have straight teeth for transmitting motion between two parallel shafts with high efficiency. Used by aerospace, medical, military, and industrial OEMs.
• Helical Gears Precision helical gears manufactured from .25 to 96DP with quality levels up to AGMA 9, available in sizes from ¼" to 96" OD and lengths up to 80". Helical gears have twisted teeth set on an angle for quieter, smoother operation with more tooth contact.
• Internal Gears Internal gears, splines and sprockets cut from 1DP to 96DP (25.4 to .26 MOD), with blanks up to 40" OD and gear faces up to 17" in length. Can shape, mill stacked gears and other specialty applications where hobbing is not viable.
• Worm and Worm Gears Multiple thread ground worms up to 40" length and 12" outside diameter; worm gears with up to 2" CP and 30" OD without special tooling. Worm gear systems transmit motion between nonparallel shafts with compact design and high-ratio speed reduction.
• Bevel Gears Cone-shaped precision bevel gears from 1.5 DP with outside diameters up to 48 inches. Available in straight, spiral, zerol and hypoid configurations for transmitting motion between intersecting axes.
• Shafts and Splines Large shafts up to 80" in length with up to 135" faces and 40" OD, featuring splines or involute teeth. Available in standard and metric sizes for connecting two parts together to transfer torque.
• Sprockets Custom sprockets manufactured via hobbing, shaping, EDM or milling processes. Profiled wheels with teeth that mesh with perforated material for reliable drive systems used in power transmission, timing and material movement.
• CNC Turning CNC turning services for parts from 1" OD up to 40" OD and shafts up to 80" in length. Uses lathe operations where workpiece spins and cutting tools selectively remove material; 4 and 5 axis mill/turn machines combine operations with live tooling.
• CNC Milling CNC milling for small parts with simple and complex features using rotating cutters to remove material from stationary parts. Wide range of capabilities for producing precision components with 2, 3, 4 and 5 axis machines.
• Wire EDM Wire EDM services using thin electrified wire to cut complex shapes from conductive materials with extremely close tolerances and high surface finish. Ideal for complex medical, aerospace, firearms and prototype parts in hardened materials.
• Grinding Surface grinding and ID/OD grinding services to ensure parts meet demanding tolerances. Removes small amounts of material from round or flat surfaces for final precision requirements when conventional machining is insufficient.
• Gear Cutting Complete gear cutting services including hobbing, shaping, and finishing using extensive hobbing machinery and special tools. Full-service capability with access to supplier network for capabilities beyond in-house capacity.
• Keyway Cutting Keyway cutting services for widths between 1/8" and 3" with up to 20" length. Capable of aligning keyways with any feature of a part including other keyways.
• Reverse Engineering Reverse engineering services to recreate designs from sample parts when replacement parts are no longer commercially available or lead-times are excessive. Uses portions of sample parts to recreate designs to original specifications.
• Gear Box Design and Repair Custom gear box design and repair services for creating new gearboxes or restoring existing equipment to operational condition, extending service life of machines and equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Efficiently manufacture large order releases of 500+ gears economically
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Protolabs: Large digital manufacturing services provider offering CNC machining and rapid prototyping across multiple materials and industries. Comparable as a broader precision machining services provider, but at significantly larger scale and across diverse verticals.

Emerging players

• Xometry: Manufacturing marketplace connecting buyers with precision machining and fabrication suppliers, including CNC and gear services. Comparable as a precision machining services channel, though operating as a marketplace rather than a direct manufacturer.

Direct peers

• Bison Gear & Engineering: Manufacturer of precision gears and gear motors for industrial, medical, and aerospace applications. Comparable in precision gear production serving similar commercial and industrial end markets.
• Arrow Gear Company: Custom precision gear manufacturer based in Illinois serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets with similar custom gear and spline capabilities. Directly comparable in product offering, customer base, and precision tolerances.
• Winzeler Gear: Custom precision gear manufacturer serving similar industrial and aerospace markets with comparable tolerances and product range. Direct peer in custom gear job-shop operations.
• Forest City Gear: Precision gear manufacturer also based in Ohio, serving aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Directly comparable as a Midwest US custom gear job shop with overlapping capabilities and customer verticals.
• KHK Gear (Kohara Gear Industry): International gear manufacturer with US distribution offering both standard catalog gears and custom gear manufacturing. Comparable in custom gear offerings and breadth of gear types produced.
• Overton Chicago Gear: Manufacturer of large precision gears for industrial, aerospace, and heavy machinery applications. Directly comparable in large-diameter custom gear manufacturing and reverse engineering services.
• SDP-SI (Stock Drive Products / Sterling Instrument): Manufacturer of precision gears, timing belts, and other motion control components serving industrial and aerospace customers. Comparable in small-precision component manufacturing and custom gear production.
• Nuttall Gear: Established US manufacturer of large precision gears for heavy industry including mining, steel, energy, and rail. Comparable in large-format custom gear manufacturing for demanding industrial applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Federal Gear and Machine