Maxon Group is a Swiss manufacturer and supplier of high-precision motor systems. The group, including its subsidiaries, offers electric

DC motor A DC motor is any of a class of rotary electrical motors that converts direct current (DC) electrical energy into mechanical energy. The most common types rely on the forces produced by induced magnetic fields due to flowing current in the coi ...

AC motor An AC motor is an electric motor driven by an alternating current (AC). The AC motor commonly consists of two basic parts, an outside stator having coils supplied with alternating current to produce a rotating magnetic field, and an inside r ...

s, encoders (sensors),

gear A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic p ...

s, and electric motor controllers.

History

On December 5, 1961
Interelectric AG
was founded. After the factory building in Sachseln had been completed in 1963, Interelectric began producing shearing foils for electric razors of

Braun GmbH Braun GmbH ( "brown"; ) is a German consumer products company founded in 1921 and based in Kronberg im Taunus. The company is particularly well known for its industrial product design from the mid-20th century which included electric shave ...

. At the time, there were 17 employees. The technological basis of the company was a technical process called galvanoplasty or electroforming. Soon afterwards, a separate development department for electromechanical devices was created. In 1967,

was sold t
Gillette
Following up on the groundbreaking work on

s that had been carried out in the company's own R&D department, the engineers were able to develop an entire range of models of DC motors. At the same time, the engineers in Sachseln patented the manufacturing process for the ironless rotor with the diamond-shaped winding. In 1970, the DC Motors were registered under the trademark 'Maxon'. In 1999, the company restructured and rebranded as ''Maxon Motor AG''. In 2012, the company started offering DC motor drive configuration tooling through its website. In 201
zub motion control AG
based in the

city of Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

, Switzerland, was acquired by the company. Parvalux Electric Motors Ltd based in

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...

, UK, was acquired by Maxon Motor AG in 2018. Together with customers, the company increasingly develops complete mechatronic solutions, consisting of a motor, gearhead, sensors, controller, batteries, and software. These solutions are available in standard or unique build. In July 2019, the company re-branded simply as 'Maxon'.

Products

The company developed and patented its own ironless winding system. It
motors
are available as either brushless, or brushed with

graphite Graphite () is a crystalline form of the element carbon. It consists of stacked layers of graphene. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on la ...

brushes or

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lu ...

brushes. A section of its

brushless DC motor A brushless DC electric motor (BLDC motor or BL motor), also known as an electronically commutated motor (ECM or EC motor) or synchronous DC motor, is a synchronous motor using a direct current (DC) electric power supply. It uses an electronic ...

program is available as flat (pancake) build for use in restricted space envelopes. The types of gearheads available are spur gearheads and planetary gearheads made of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

, ceramic (

zirconium dioxide Zirconium dioxide (), sometimes known as zirconia (not to be confused with zircon), is a white crystalline oxide of zirconium. Its most naturally occurring form, with a monoclinic crystalline structure, is the mineral baddeleyite. A dopant s ...

and aluminium oxide) or stainless steel. The company mainly supplies combination drive units to suit high-precision applications. The Maxon brand is known for reliability and build quality and therefore its products are widely used in medical applications using sterilisable products. For other sectors, such as Aerospace, the company offers units which can withstand extreme environmental conditions, too. Accompanying the core business of electric motors, the group also offers a range of position encoders and two programs of motor control electronics. With the acquisition of Parvalux,

s are now offered by the group via this subsidiary.

Application areas

The company specializes in customer specific drive solutions. It produces more than 5 million drive units per year in approx. 12'000 variations. Its main market areas are

medical technology Health technology is defined by the World Health Organization as the "application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of li ...

, industrial automation, security technology,

measuring Measurement is the quantification of attributes of an object or event, which can be used to compare with other objects or events. In other words, measurement is a process of determining how large or small a physical quantity is as compared ...

and testing technology, communication technology, automotive and

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scie ...

. Maxon became known to a broader public when its products were chosen by the

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

for the Mars rover projects Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity and Perseverance.

Locations

Maxon has its headquarters, along with a production plant, in Sachseln, in the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internati ...

Canton of Obwalden. The company gives its name to the railway station, Ewil Maxon, which adjoins the plant and has frequent connections to the

and beyond. Besides its Sachseln plant, Maxon has production facilities at Sexau in Germany, Veszprém in Hungary, Cheonan in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and Taunton, MA,

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

. Sales operations exist in Switzerland,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, Australia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a Political union, politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, Japan,

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater Chin ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

and

, and sales agents in numerous other countries.

Literature

*Stemme, Otto (2004
Magnetism. Basics, Forces, Application
*Braun, Jan (2012
Formulae Handbook

References

External links

* Company websit
maxon Group
{{Authority control Manufacturing companies of Switzerland