Helios Gear Products

What Helios Gear Products does

Helios Gear Products is a privately held factory sales and support organization for gear manufacturing equipment, founded in 1988 and headquartered in South Elgin, Illinois with a European headquarters in Pershore, UK. The company sells CNC gear hobbing machines (Hera series spanning fine-pitch to 41-inch diameter workpieces, plus MZ D-Drive high-speed hobbers at up to 15,000 RPM), CNC power skiving machines (NEOPS 100/200/400), a CNC gear shaping machine (M673 at 2,000 strokes per minute), CNC gear tool sharpening machines (KFS 100/250), and repowered used machines (K 160-R, K 200-R with FANUC retrofits). It also sells engineered cutting tools (hob cutters, shaper cutters, rack milling cutters, broaches, milling cutters, power skiving cutters) in HSS, MC90, and carbide with Balinit and Voestalpine coatings, and provides process solutions covering bevel gear cutting, deburring/chamfering, hard finishing, machine service/retrofits, sharpening, and spline cutting.

Helios operates as the exclusive North American and European sales and support channel for several world-leading OEMs, with YG Tech (Daegu, South Korea) as the core manufacturing partner producing the Hera and NEOPS lines. Differentiated technology includes ChamferCut Hobbing (integrated hobbing and chamfering in a single setup on the Hera platform) and the NEOPS combination platform (power skiving and gear hobbing on one machine). The company serves 10 industries spanning aerospace, automotive, EVs, robotics, wind energy, oil and gas, agriculture, heavy industries, motion and speed control, and job shops, with documented customer outcomes including 75% cycle-time reductions, AGMA quality 12+ achievement, and lead-time compressions from days to hours.

Revenue is generated through hardware sales of CNC machines and cutting tools, plus professional services including applications engineering, process setup and qualification, retrofits, and ongoing service support. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with direct customer engagement from US and UK offices, augmented by major trade show presence (IMTS, SIMTOS), customer factory tours to YG Tech, and technical content marketing (case studies, Gear School education, social media). Pricing is quote-based, multi-year industrial equipment contracts; revenue and financial details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Helios Gear Products

Legal name

Helios Gear Products

Website

https://heliosgearproducts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Helios Gear Products sells CNC gear hobbing, power skiving, shaping, and tool sharpening machines, plus cutting tools and engineering services, to gear manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, robotics, wind, oil and gas, and industrial sectors from offices in Illinois and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gear Manufacturing Equipment

SIC

Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• CNC gear hobbing machines
• CNC power skiving machines
• Gear cutting tools
• Gear manufacturing equipment
• Machine tool retrofits

Headquarters

HQ city

South Elgin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CNC Gear Machines: Sale of CNC gear hobbing, power skiving, shaping, and tool sharpening machines including Hera, NEOPS, MZ, KFS, and K lines. Machines sold directly to gear manufacturers with applications engineering support.
2. Cutting Tools: Hob cutters, milling cutters, rack milling cutters, shaper cutters, broaches, and power skiving cutters sold alongside machines. Tooling designed for specific applications with material and coating options.
3. Application Engineering and Service: Applications engineering support, process setup, qualification, and ongoing service support. Technical team available during business hours for customer operations support.
4. Machine Service and Retrofits: Machine service, retrofits, and modernization services for existing equipment including Koepfer machine repowering with FANUC CNC packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Helios Gear Products is the factory sales and support organization for several world-leading OEMs of gear manufacturing equipment, selling CNC gear hobbing machines (Hera and MZ D-Drive lines), CNC power skiving machines (NEOPS line), CNC gear shaping machines (M673), and CNC tool sharpening machines (KFS line), along with a full portfolio of engineered cutting tools and applications engineering, machine service, and retrofit services to gear manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, wind energy, oil and gas, robotics, and other industrial sectors.

Product overview

Helios Gear Products offers a comprehensive portfolio of gear manufacturing solutions comprising CNC gear hobbing machines (Hera series: Hera 30, 90, 150, 200, 350, 500, 750; MZ D-Drive series: MZ 500 D-Drive, MZ 1000 D-Drive), CNC power skiving machines (NEOPS series: NEOPS 100, 200, 400), CNC gear shaping machines (M673), CNC tool sharpening machines (KFS 100, KFS 250), and repowered used machines (K 160-R, K 200-R). Their cutting tools include hob cutters, shaper cutters, milling cutters, rack milling cutters, broaches, and power skiving cutters in various materials and coatings. The company also provides process solutions for bevel gear cutting, deburring/chamfering (including ChamferCut Hobbing), hard finishing, machine service and retrofits, pulley wheel and sprocket cutting, shaping, sharpening, spline cutting, and worm milling. They serve as factory sales and support organization for world-leading OEMs, providing applications engineering support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helios Hera 30 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine High-speed CNC gear hobbing machine with 10,000 RPM hob speed, SIEMENS 828D CNC with 8 axes, designed for fine-pitch spur gears, helical gears, and straight bevel gears up to 20.3 DP. For gear manufacturers requiring precision small-diameter gear production.
• Helios Hera 90 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine High-speed CNC gear hobbing machine with 6,000 RPM hob speed, FANUC 0i-MF CNC with 7 axes, featuring direct-drive hob head and slant bed design for optimum stability and chip removal.
• Helios Hera 150 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine High-speed CNC gear hobbing machine with 2,500 RPM hob speed, FANUC 0i-MF CNC with 6 axes, featuring direct-drive torque motor for work spindle and automatic X-axis retraction during power failure.
• Helios Hera 200 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine CNC gear hobbing machine in the Hera lineup, available with ChamferCut Hobbing feature for integrated hobbing and chamfering in single setup.
• Helios Hera 350 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine CNC gear hobbing machine leading the Hera lineup in chamfering capability, with ChamferCut Hobbing enabling integrated hobbing and chamfering production. First installed at Hindle Gears in Bradford, UK.
• Helios Hera 500 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine CNC gear hobbing machine with 500 RPM hob speed, FANUC 0i-MF CNC with 6 axes, designed for large workpieces up to 660mm diameter with 280mm max hob diameter.
• Helios Hera 750 CNC Gear Hobbing Machine Large CNC gear hobbing machine supporting workpiece capacity up to 41 inches (1041mm) in diameter, designed for large gear machining in oil and gas and wind energy applications.
• NEOPS 100 Combination Power Skiving and Hobbing Machine Compact CNC power skiving and gear hobbing combination machine for internal and external spur or helical gears plus external hobbing, with 6,000 RPM skiving speed and FANUC 0i-MF CNC. Features slant-bed base and automatic X-axis retract at power failure. Designed for robotics and automation applications producing fine-pitch gears, shafts, and involute components at scale.
• NEOPS 200 CNC Power Skiving Machine Power skiving machine for internal and external spur or helical gears with 6,000 RPM skiving speed, FANUC direct-drive torque motor, optional automatic tool changer and loading.
• NEOPS 400 CNC Power Skiving Machine Larger capacity CNC power skiving machine in the NEOPS lineup for high-volume power skiving operations.
• MZ 500 D-Drive High-Speed CNC Gear Hobbing Machine High-speed CNC gear hobbing machine with 12,000 RPM direct-drive hob head, optimized for ultra-fine and fine-pitch spur gears in a compact package with 42.33 DP max pitch rating.
• MZ 1000 D-Drive High-Speed CNC Gear Hobbing Machine High-speed CNC gear hobbing machine with 15,000 RPM direct-drive hob head and 12,000 RPM work spindle, capable of fully capable hobbing of spur, helical, oval gears, worm wheels, bevel gears, worm milling and skiving at AGMA quality levels of 12 and above.
• M673 CNC Gear Shaping Machine High-speed CNC gear shaping machine with 2,000 strokes per minute and up to 7 CNC axes for universal shaping of internal and external gears and tooth profiles. From Monnier + Zahner.
• KFS 100 CNC Gear Tool Sharpening Machine CNC gear tool sharpening machine for heavy-duty sharpening of HSS and carbide tools including straight-gash hobs, milling cutters, and shaper cutters. Features 4.000 inch max diameter and coolant filtration integrated into machine bed.
• KFS 250 CNC Gear Tool Sharpening Machine CNC gear tool sharpening machine for heavy-duty sharpening of HSS and carbide tools up to 10.000 inch diameter. Features centrifuge filtration system, 4-axis FANUC CNC, and capabilities to meet AGMA AAA specifications.
• K 160-R Repowered Gear Hobbing Machine Repowered hobbing and milling machine combining Koepfer technology with FANUC CNC control. Features composite epoxy bed for superior damping and slant bed design, for spur and helical gears, worm gears up to 10 DP.
• K 200-R Repowered Gear Hobbing Machine Repowered hobbing machine combining proven Koepfer technology with all-new FANUC CNC package including servo motors and spindle motors. Features composite epoxy bed and closed-box symmetric design for spur and helical gears up to 8.5 DP.
• Hob Cutters Gear cutting tools for hobbing operations available in high-speed steel, MC90, and carbide materials with various coatings including Balinit and AlTiCrN.
• Shaper Cutters Shaping tools for standard and custom profiles including disc, shank, deep-counterbore, and helical-type, available in S390, ASP2052, ASP2078, and premium carbide grades.
• Milling Cutters Gear thread milling cutters for worms, screws, and threaded forms, custom-designed for each unique part with AGMA AAA specification capabilities.
• Rack Milling Cutters Gear rack milling tools for standard and custom rack profiles in all industry-standard materials including S390, ASP2052, ASP2078, and premium carbide grades.
• Broaches Broaching tools for internal spline and shaped external spline applications.
• Power Skiving Cutters Cutting tools designed for power skiving operations on NEOPS machines.
• Bevel Gear Cutting Solutions CNC bevel gear cutting services and solutions for various bevel gear configurations.
• Cutting Tool Service Tooling design, development, and delivery services for all cutting tool solutions with material and coating options.
• Deburring & Chamfering Solutions Deburring and chamfering operations including the ChamferCut Hobbing integrated solution launched on the Hera platform in June 2026.
• Hard Finishing Solutions Hard finishing services including honing and grinding operations for gears.
• Machine Service & Retrofits Machine service, maintenance, and retrofits including the K-series repowered machines with FANUC CNC upgrades and Koepfer machine repowering.
• Pulley Wheel & Sprocket Cutting Solutions Solutions for pulley wheel and sprocket cutting operations.
• Sharpening Solutions Tool sharpening services for gear cutting tools using KFS sharpening machines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wisconsin Gear reduced cycle times from 4 hours to 30 minutes (75% reduction) with Hera 350
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• YG TechcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerYG Tech is Helios Gear Products' manufacturing partner for the Hera line of CNC gear hobbing machines and NEOPS power skiving machines. Headquartered in Daegu, South Korea, YG Tech manufactures machines that Helios sells and supports as factory sales organization. Helios customers participate in pre-acceptance run-offs at YG Tech's facility before machines ship. Technical training sessions with YG Tech engineering team cover machine design, application parameters, and troubleshooting.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Star SU: North American supplier of gear cutting tools (hobs, shaper cutters, skiving tools) and gear manufacturing equipment — directly comparable to Helios's cutting tool product line and a channel partner/competitor for the same gear shop customers.
• Gleason Corporation: The dominant global supplier of gear manufacturing machines, tooling, and software — including hobbing, shaping, skiving, and grinding — directly competing with Helios across the same product categories and serving the same gear manufacturing customers.
• Kapp Werkzeugmaschinen: Specializes in gear grinding, hard finishing, and profile grinding machines — directly overlapping Helios's hard finishing and high-precision gear machining product lines for aerospace, automotive, and wind energy customers.
• Klingelnberg (Hofler brand): German gear manufacturing equipment specialist offering Hofler hobbing/shaping machines and Klingelnberg grinding and hard finishing solutions. Directly competes with Helios in CNC gear cutting and finishing for automotive, aerospace, and industrial gear manufacturers.

Broad incumbents

• Liebherr: Diversified industrial machinery group producing gear cutting and grinding machines for aerospace, mining, wind, and heavy industry — overlapping with Helios in large-diameter gear machining but operating at much larger scale across many industries.
• Mazak: Major Japanese CNC machine tool builder with multi-axis machining centers serving automotive, aerospace, and general industrial manufacturers — competing for adjacent capital budgets in the same customers where Helios sells gear cutting equipment.
• DMG Mori: Global CNC machine tool leader with high-end milling and turning platforms. While not a direct gear machine specialist, DMG Mori competes for the same high-precision manufacturing capital budget in aerospace, automotive, and medical customer shops.
• EMAG Group: Large German machine tool group offering turning, grinding, hobbing, and gear cutting machines. Overlaps with Helios in gear cutting and serves the same automotive, aerospace, and general industrial customers, but with a much broader product portfolio.

Others

• Sandvik Coromant: Global cutting tool manufacturer supplying carbide inserts and tooling to metalworking industries. Comparable as an adjacent tooling ecosystem player — Sandvik's advanced tool materials and coatings overlap with Helios's cutting tool offerings (Balinit, Voestalpine Eifeler).

Emerging players

• Monnier + Zahner: Swiss manufacturer of the M673 high-speed CNC gear shaping machine that Helios sells. A direct upstream OEM peer whose product line overlaps with Helios's shaping capability and targets similar gear manufacturing customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HeliosGear
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCq-wc0ShPS2CL1HGqog96Ag
• Facebookfacebook.com/heliosgearproducts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helios-gear-products
• Instagraminstagram.com/heliosgearproducts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Helios Gear Products