NSK

Manufacturer information and published contact details

NSK contact details

Head office

Nissei Bldg., 1-6-3 Ohsaki, Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141-8560
Japan

Telephone +81 3 3779 7111

Website nsk.com

NSK UK Ltd.

Northern Road
Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2JF
United Kingdom

Telephone +44 1636 605123

Email info-uk@nsk.com

Web nsk.com/content/dam/nsk/eu/en_gb/documents/corporate-europe/NSK%20in%20Europe.pdf

Show NSK headquarters on the map Open in Google Maps →

Contact details as published by NSK Ltd., checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with NSK Ltd..

NSK product lines

Who NSK is

NSK Ltd. (Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha) describes itself as one of the world’s leading bearing manufacturers. It is also a major maker of ball screws and linear guides, and, through its precision machinery business, of single-axis actuators and direct-drive motors. Its corporate profile gives 26,278 employees and capital of ¥67.2 billion as of 31 March 2026. NSK’s European brochure puts the group’s sales at over €4.8 billion, with about 3,248 employees in Europe.

For motion engineers, NSK is relevant in two ways. Its ball screws and linear guides sit inside many other makers’ axes. Its own Megatorque Motor and Monocarrier products are complete motion components that can be specified directly.

History and ownership

NSK took over the business of Nippon Seiko Limited Partnership Company, founded in 1914, and was established as NSK Ltd. in Tokyo on 8 November 1916. It produced Japan’s first bearings that year. Mass production of ball screws started in 1958, and precision ball screws for machine tools followed in 1959.

NSK’s history page records several firsts in precision machinery. These include a high-precision XY table for semiconductor equipment in 1979 and the Megatorque Motor direct-drive motor for factory automation in 1984. HTF high-load ball screws for injection moulding machines followed in 1996.

In Europe, NSK set up Deutsche Nippon Seiko GmbH and a Düsseldorf sales office in 1963. NSK Bearings Europe Ltd. was founded in the UK in 1974, and a plant at Peterlee started production in 1976. NSK integrated the RHP Bearing Research Institute in 1991, and NSK-RHP Europe Ltd. became NSK Europe Ltd. in 2000. In April 2026 NSK announced a proposal to withdraw production from its Newark-on-Trent site, home to NSK Bearings Europe Ltd. and NSK Precision UK Ltd. If it goes ahead, closure is expected no later than March 2027.

NSK Ltd. is listed in Japan. Akitoshi Ichii is President and CEO.

Megatorque direct-drive motors

The Megatorque Motor is a housed direct-drive motor: bearings, motor and a high-resolution position sensor in one unit, with a matching driver. It removes the gearbox from indexing and rotary positioning axes.

• The PS series is an outer-rotor design in φ100 and φ150 mm frames, with 6 to 90 Nm maximum torque and up to 600 rpm.
• The PN series is a thinner inner-rotor design from φ170 to φ280 mm. It gives 12 to 180 Nm maximum torque at up to 180 rpm, with brake and IP66M environment-resistant PNZ versions.
• The PB series is a compact motor with large through holes (φ35 and φ56 mm), 6 to 60 Nm maximum torque and pulse-train control from the EGA driver.

The PS and PN use a 2,621,440 count/rev sensor with ±2 arc-sec repeatability and 60 to 90 arc-sec absolute accuracy. The PB has 524,288 counts/rev and ±5 arc-sec. Note that NSK quotes maximum torque, and that speed limits depend on supply voltage. The PS3090, for example, drops from 5 to 1.5 revolutions per second on 100 V AC.

Housed direct drives like these are an alternative to a frameless kit when you want the bearing and encoder supplied and aligned. Our frameless motor sizing guide covers the RMS torque check that applies to both.

Single-axis actuators

• The Monocarrier MCM/MCH combines an NSK ball screw, linear guide and integral base rail in one pre-assembled unit. MCM is the lightweight version. MCH has a rigid rail that can run without support along the full stroke. Options include sensors, covers, motor adaptors and NSK’s K1 lubrication unit.
• The Toughcarrier TCH uses rollers instead of balls in the guide. NSK says this more than doubles load ratings and rigidity compared with a standard Monocarrier, while staying interchangeable with the MCH.

NSK’s European data sheet pages do not publish stroke, lead or load figures for these actuators, so ask for the catalogue pages for the specific size. For a general method, see our ball screw vs roller screw guide and linear actuator sizing guide.

Industries served

NSK’s precision machinery products serve semiconductor and electronics equipment, machine tools, injection moulding, automation and material handling, and medical and healthcare equipment. Its wider business supplies bearings and steering systems to automotive, rail, aerospace, wind and general industry.

Global and UK presence

NSK’s European headquarters is in Ratingen, Germany. NSK Europe states that it works only with authorised distributors and provides a distributor finder on its website. In the UK, NSK UK Ltd at Northern Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2JF lists +44 1636 605123 and info-uk@nsk.com.

Specify Motion and NSK

Specify Motion is independent of NSK and is not affiliated with it. We can help source NSK Megatorque motors and actuators, or propose direct drives and actuators from our supply network that meet the same published torque, accuracy and stroke figures, confirmed by an engineer. Use find a replacement or our frameless torque motors hub.

NSK history: key dates

1. 1916NSK Ltd. established in Tokyo; Japan's first bearings produced
2. 1958Mass production of ball screws begins
3. 1963Deutsche Nippon Seiko GmbH established in Germany
4. 1974NSK Bearings Europe Ltd. established in the UK
5. 1979High-precision XY table for semiconductor equipment introduced
6. 1984Megatorque Motor direct-drive motor introduced for factory automation
7. 2000NSK-RHP Europe Ltd. renamed NSK Europe Ltd.
8. 2026Proposes withdrawing production from its Newark-on-Trent site by March 2027

NSK direct-drive and torque motors

Housed direct-drive motor

Megatorque Motor PS series

Outer-rotor Megatorque direct-drive motors in φ100 and φ150 mm frames with 6 to 90 Nm maximum torque, up to 600 rpm (10 s⁻¹) and ±2 arc-sec repeatability from a 2,621,440 count/rev sensor.

Housed direct-drive motor

Megatorque Motor PN series

Thin inner-rotor Megatorque motors, φ170 to φ280 mm, with 12 to 180 Nm maximum torque, up to 180 rpm (3 s⁻¹) and ±2 arc-sec repeatability; brake and IP66M environment-resistant PNZ versions are offered.

Housed direct-drive motor

Megatorque Motor PB series

Compact Megatorque direct-drive motors with large through holes (φ35 and φ56 mm), 6 to 60 Nm maximum torque and pulse-train control from the EGA driver; ±5 arc-sec repeatability.

NSK linear actuators

Rodless screw actuator

Monocarrier MCM/MCH

Single-axis actuators combining an NSK ball screw, linear guide and integral base rail in one pre-assembled unit; MCM is the lightweight version and MCH the rigid rail that can run without base support along the full stroke.

Rodless screw actuator

Toughcarrier TCH

High-load single-axis actuator that uses rollers instead of balls in the guide, with load ratings and rigidity more than double a standard Monocarrier and interchangeable with the Monocarrier MCH.