maxon motor : The legacy of technology perfection
Eccerobot built with maxon DCX motors and Eugen Elmiger, CEO of maxon motor
Q. maxon motor is one of leading name in DC motor manufacturing segment, please brief us more about company’s achievements?
maxon motor can look back on half a century of history. Innovation and quality have driven the company since the beginning. It all began in the picturesque Obwalden canton, in central Switzerland in 1961. 45 years after the founding, eleven maxon DC motors went into space with the Mars Pathfinder mission. For the next Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, maxon provided 39 motors each, which drove everything from robotics arms, to cameras, to the steering mechanism and wheels. Spirit got stuck in sand in 2010, while Opportunity is still running and celebrated its 10th anniversary of Mars exploration this past January. The rovers were originally designed to last about 90 Martian days (92 earth days). Today, maxon DC motors are still employed in many space applications but also lowered five kilometers below the Earth’s surface, and placed inside the human body. They not only have to be small, light and powerful, but also reliable and efficient, because these are not good places for a quick repair or a battery change.
(Left to Right) : Mr. Eugen Elmiger, CEO of maxon motor
Mr. Atul Bhardwaj, Country Head, maxon precision motor India
Mr. Daniel von Wyl, Director Sales of maxon motor
Q. Please brief us more about maxon motor’s global reach & latest initiatives in drive segment?
Worldwide, maxon motor has more than 2000 employees. Sales companies in 40 countries ensure local, competent customer service. maxon motor has production sites at the headquarters in Switzerland, as well as in Germany, Hungary and Korea. It’s important to us to be close to our customers since a majority of our drives are customized. This is also one reason why maxon motor launched a new DC motor program called maxon DCX which can be configured completely online (dcx.maxonmotor.com) by the customer. Including gearheads and sensors. Moreover we have presented new heavy duty brushless DC motors for extreme conditions which withstand 200 °C, 1000 G, -5000 m and 1700 bar. We also just launched the next generation of high-performance positioning controllers called MAXPOS. This compact EtherCAT Slave unveils unprecedented possibilities as far as precision, dynamics, and synchronization are concerned. It also ensures reliability and durability even under harsh conditions. More than 20 years of experience in motion control have been incorporated into this latest technology in positioning controller.
Q. What are the applications of motors in various industries?
In medical technology, you’ll find maxon DC motor, for instance, in precision surgery robots, implantable pump systems, leg and arm prostheses. In industrial automation and inspection they power modern assembly robots, pipe inspection or rescue robots. We also provide motors to industries like automotive, communication, security and of course aerospace. As small DC motors become more efficient, they are often replacing hydraulic or pneumatic systems on aircraft. Downhole drilling is an example, where reliable DC motors are needed which are exposed to extreme environmental conditions.
maxon’s CEO Eugen Elmiger in front of the new configurable DCX motor production line.
Q. What are the future prospects for motors segment?
maxon motor is working on smaller, yet more powerful drives. Efficiency and intelligence are also very important factors for future success. And, we try to make our drive systems even more configurable to meet the specific needs of our customers.
Q. What is your quality policy for the business?
Never make a mistake twice. That’s why we continuously train our employees further and use latest production and quality assurance equipment.
Q. Could you brief us about your top line product range? What are value added services you provide to your customers?
It’s our new configurable product range. We have invested all our know-how in the maxon DCX program. By optimizing the subassemblies and using high-performance magnets, we succeeded in making the new drives smaller and more powerful. Simultaneously, we have developed new production technologies and significantly improved existing processes. All maxon DCX drives can be configured on the Internet and have short delivery times. After only 11 working days, the drive systems are ready to be shipped from Switzerland.
Q. What are your future plans to maintain substantial market positioning in industrial motors space?
We are continuously working on new innovative products and processes in order to maintain our market position and expand into new business areas.
Q. What factors bestow the success of your company?
First and foremost, our qualified engineers and employees.
