About us
About STEP TEC
STEP TEC is a Swiss precision engineering company with one purpose at its core: building the world's best high-performance motor spindles. Since our founding in 1995 in Luterbach, Switzerland, we have dedicated every design decision, every bearing selection, and every line of code in our diagnostic systems to one uncompromising standard — performance that machine builders and their customers can rely on, shift after shift, year after year.
What began as a bold ambition in a garage has grown into a globally trusted name, with more than 20,000 spindles operating in manufacturing facilities across the world. From aerospace machining floors to precision medical device workshops, from high-volume automotive lines to cutting-edge research environments, STEP TEC spindles are at work where precision is not optional.
About us
We design and manufacture high-frequency motorized spindles for milling, turning, grinding, and multi-process mill-turn applications. Our portfolio spans housing diameters from 90 mm to 320 mm, power outputs from 1 kW to 82 kW, and speeds reaching up to 75,000 rpm covering virtually every high-performance machining requirement on the market today.
At the heart of our product philosophy is the platform concept: spindles engineered with maximum commonality of parts, broad performance bandwidth, and drop-in interchangeability. This means machine builders gain flexibility without redesigning their housings, and end-users gain the confidence of standardized, proven technology.
Precision is built into everything we do, not just the spindles we produce. Three capabilities define our technical edge:
- Thermal stability: Our proprietary Opticool and COOL-Core cooling technologies actively compensate for temperature fluctuations caused by speed changes. The result is faster thermal recovery, reduced shaft growth, and tighter part tolerances across the full machining cycle.
- Intelligent diagnostics: Our Spindle Diagnostic Module has evolved through three generations, from basic bearing temperature monitoring to full Profinet integration with 3-axis vibration sensing and real-time tool position monitoring. This is the foundation of predictive maintenance, keeping machines running and downtime planned, not unplanned.
- In-house production of key elements, unlike many competitors, we produce all critical spindle components in-house. This gives us complete control over quality, traceability, and the continuous refinement of our technology without compromise.
Who we serve
STEP TEC spindles are trusted by machine tool builders and manufacturers in the world's most demanding industries. In aerospace, our spindles machine integral aluminum structures and titanium alloys with the buy-to-fly efficiency the sector demands. In automotive, they deliver the relentless uptime and process consistency that high-volume production requires. In medical manufacturing, they achieve the micron-level accuracy that patient safety depends on. And across general precision machining, they set the standard for spindle life, dimensional accuracy, and total cost of integration.
Part of UNITED MACHNING SOLUTIONS since 2025 and backed by more than 30 years of spindle product lifecycle experience, STEP TEC combines Swiss engineering heritage with a global service network. Wherever your machines are running, our worldwide repair centers and technical specialists are close by, ready to keep them running.
We don't just supply spindles. We deliver the engineering confidence to build better machines.
STEP TEC in numbers
30+
years of spindle making expertise
20.000+
of spindles installed worldwide
Global
service and sales network
2
core spindle technologies
All about STEP TEC
Our history: More than three decades of spindle innovation make STEP TEC what it is today — a world technology leader in spindles manufacturing. Our history reflects a continuous commitment to pushing the boundaries of precision.
Corporate responsibility: We live our values. We operate ethically, assume responsibility for our impact, and comply with all applicable laws and regulations in every market we serve.
Stay up to date: STEP TEC is constantly innovating — new machines, software updates, application breakthroughs, and industry events. Visit our News section to stay informed.
Meet us at the trade show: Meet the STEP TEC team at EMO, AMB, Jimtof, and other leading manufacturing trade shows worldwide. We look forward to showing you our latest technologies in person.
STEP TEC is part of UNITED MACHINING SOLUTIONS
With total sales of over USD 1.5 billion, UNITED MACHINING SOLUTIONS is one of the largest machine tool manufacturers in the world. With around 5,000 employees at over 50 global production, service and sales locations, UNITED MACHINING SOLUTIONS is close to its customers and highly efficient.
The group is organized into two divisions: UNITED GRINDING and UNITED MACHINING.
UNITED GRINDING includes the brands MÄGERLE, BLOHM, JUNG, STUDER, SCHAUDT, MIKROSA, WALTER, EWAG and IRPD. Its technologies include surface and profile grinding machines, cylindrical grinding machines, machines for tool machining and machine tools for additive manufacturing.
The UNITED MACHINING division includes the brands AGIE CHARMILLES, CHARMILLES, MIKRON MILL, LIECHTI, STEP TEC and SYSTEM 3R. It includes machines for EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining), high-speed milling and laser technology as well as spindle production and automation solutions.