maxon’s Ceramic department.

Ceramic can be used where other materials fail. The advantages of using this customisable component is found in its mechanical strength, exceptional insulation properties, high resistance to corrosion, ability to withstand extreme temperatures and chemicals, durability and wear-resistant properties.

At their state of the art manufacturing site in Sexau, Germany, maxon Group develops customisable CIM (Ceramic Injection Moulding) components. Working with the latest technology and incorporating the 20 plus years of experience in Powder Injection Moulding (PIM) maxon uses the most up to date CAD technology and finite element calculation.

The ceramic department works across technology found in watches and mechanical clocks, measurement technology such as sensor housing for flow meters, audio equipment including headphones and bearings for high-end record players, industrial automation and machinery, medical industry for example in Endoscopes, and of course, DC motors.

In DC motor technology, the limitations of traditional materials become evident where environmental conditions are extreme. Ceramic is particularly suited to the harsh conditions found in salt water.  For example customised underwater drives require saltwater resistant materials. maxon ceramic spindles work with virtually no slip-stick effect, are corrosion resistant, robust, wear resistant and have excellent efficiency.

For more information visit the maxon ceramic page

maxon motor Australia tel. +61 2 9457 7477.

Brushless DC motors for the oil & gas sector

The recovery of natural gas and petroleum requires constant innovation and updated technology. The technology used for deep drilling processes are exposed to extreme environmental conditions. Temperatures of 200+°C, high pressure and extreme shock and vibration. Brushless DC motor technology from maxon Group is found in various drilling applications, hydraulic valve control, communication mechanisms and measuring instrumentation.

Read more on maxon Group Australia’s website or call +61 2 9457 7477.

 

Brushless DC motor with integrated controller

Unique 5 wire Brushless DC motor with integrated BLDC controller provides a new and more conveniently packaged solution.

New from maxon motor is a brushless DC motor that takes a turn away from the Swiss motor company’s traditional designs. The EC-I 30IE motor features a five wire connection to simplify implementation and still give a wide functionality. An independent set speed value connection allows for a greater motor operating speed range over the common two wire approach to integrated brushless motor control. Additional features are a disable, direction and speed monitor output. It is an enclosed design that does not require any airflow through the body for cooling which makes it suitable for harsh environments typical of various industries such as food, packaging, manufacturing, mining & deep sea drilling and aerospace. Despite the internal motor control board the motor has still been designed with a shaft on both ends of the body for orientation convenience and is still part of the modular construction program allowing the addition of ceramic planetary gearheads (reduction gearboxes). The motor is 30mm diameter and 41mm long including the control unit. It has four quadrant control meaning it can control dynamic acceleration and deceleration in both directions. The controlled top speed is 6000rpm from a 24V supply and the 20W power rating indicates a high power density ratio.

For more information contact maxon motor Australia tel. +61 2 9457 7477.

2017: a year of record growth for the maxon motor group

Global DC motor and drive specialist maxon motor has recorded growth across innovation, markets, revenue and production in 2017.

Sachseln/Obwalden (Switzerland) – The maxon motor group accomplished record revenues in 2017reporting a rise by 8.6% to CHF 459 million (up from CHF 422.5 million in the previous year). All markets contributed to the growth. Cash flow increased to just under CHF 50 million (up from 41.7 million). The number of employees globally increased to 2577. At a 40% revenue share, medical technology continues to be the strongest sector, followed by industrial automation at 28%. With R&D investments of CHF 34 million and more than 360 employees in our R&D sites worldwide, maxon has succeeded in bringing more than 20 new motors and gearheads to market and expand the company’s position as a leading manufacturer of high-quality drive components and systems. maxon looks to the future with confidence.

The impetus of growth behind maxon is mainly from the innovative precision DC motors and drives with high efficiency as well as the matching electronics for controlling complex motion sequences. The company produces in Sachseln/CH, Sexau/GER, Veszprém/HU, Cheonan/South Korea, and soon at its new factory in Taunton near Boston/USA. In addition to the sites above, R&D facilities are also located in China, France, and the Netherlands.

Growth in all markets worldwide

The biggest market in Europe is Germany, followed by Switzerland and the UK. Italy and the Iberian peninsula also grew markedly. After some years of stagnation, a strong growth has also picked up in the US. In Asia, maxon achieved new records in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. In China, maxon has seen double-digit growth over the past years. “The revenue increase by 100 million over four years has posed a great challenge to us as a company in regard to quality and service. Owing to our highly trained employees, we have been able to master this challenge successfully,” says majority shareholder Karl-Walter Braun.

20 + new products released in 2017 alone

One in seven maxon employees works in research and development. As a result of these steadily expanding capabilities, maxon launched more than 20 new electric motors, gearheads, encoders and controllers in the past year. In aerospace, the motors work at temperatures as low as -130°C, while ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter space probe has to withstand temperatures of more than 350°C on its flight toward the sun. In 2020, high-performance maxon motors will be used in two rover missions by ESA and NASA, after having run for more than 15 years in the hostile Mars environment despite a scheduled service life of only a few weeks.

“Our ‘Mission 2020’ strategy for growth, which we launched years ago with the goal of achieving forward integration of drive systems, is showing some initial success,” says Eugen Elmiger, CEO of maxon motor group. “For example, we’ve been able to secure a large order for pump systems to reduce nitrous gas emissions in Diesel cars in the highly competitive automotive market. We also drove forward the development of complete surgical power tools, as well as micro-pump systems used in minimal invasive cardiac surgery.” Eugen Elmiger also expects healthy growth for the user-friendly and efficient high-performance multi-axis controllers made by zub, a company acquired by maxon last year.

Looking ahead: a strong start

The first months of the new year were characterised by strong growth across the group. Pending orders and revenues exceed the figures of the previous year. Due to the overall economic development, the company expects growth to slow down somewhat in the second half of the year. “We will approach further expansion with the necessary caution,” says Karl-Walter Braun.

For further information please contact maxon motor Australia tel. +61 2 9457 7477.

A lot goes into maxon motors and they go into a lot of things.

First earth, then outer space and now underwater. The new Aquatic division at maxon motor develop DC motor actuators, thrusters and systems for subsea use.

Focused on applications that require reliability and efficiency the new maxon subsea motors use BLDC (brushless DC motors) in pressure compensated oil filled housings. ROV and AUV applications will benefit from maxon motors’ lighter and more powerful new solutions including four new thruster sizes. The MT20, MT30, MT40 and MT70 can be used at depths to 6000 meters with their corresponding maxon pressure compensators. The maxon thrusters for AUV and ROV applications also have the ability to have the propeller geometry optimised for special requirements, or to use the standard propeller geometry that is most efficient in one direction and has approximately 80% in reverse thrust. External componentry of the thrusters are made from titanium or plastic for use in salt water and all parts have been isolated to prevent galvanic reactions.

A dedicated subsea area with data sheets, application solutions and stories from the field can be found by searching for aquaticsolutions.maxonmotor.com or contact maxon motor Australia on +61 2 9457 7477.

Exploring hidden depths under the seabed.

Norwegian company Petro-Marker, developed a device that is able to collect data up to 5,000 meters underneath the seabed. The technology scans the bottom of the ocean in great detail providing information as to the location and size of oil reservoirs.

1,000 metres below the sea the environment is harsh, ice cold and very dark with no natural light. An ROV has strong floodlights that identify tri-pod objects anchored to the bottom of the seabed. These are receiver stations for electromagnetic waves transmitted into the seafloor, giving feedback on the seabed itself and finding resource deposits.

When oil companies want to find out whether drilling at depth is worth the cost, they often rely on Controlled Source Electro Magnetic (CSEM) technology. This technology utilises the differences in the electrical resistance of different bottom layers to provide signs of the location and size of oil fields. The CSEM technology uses a very strong power source to generate an electro-magnetic field, as well as several receivers to record the fields. These tripod receivers are placed on the sandy bottom and pick up electromagnetic signals that have been changed by the layers through which they passed.

In 2016 Petro-Marker placed 25 new tripods in the North Sea. What sets this technology apart is a new measuring method that uses a vertical transmitter and receiver to find resources. This enables a much more detailed resolution and data measurement up to 5,000 meters beneath the seafloor.

The tripods are about 4 meters high and made from a combination of glass fibre and special foams. Due to the sensitive electronics, metal parts cannot be used. This far below the surface, the pressure is extreme, and the salt water is hostile. At the center of the tripods (receivers), the antennas are aligned as vertically as possible on the seabed.

The system uses a maxon controller (EPOS) and a compensator. The units are encased in plastic to protect them from salt-water corrosion. Several modifications were required to meet the requirements of this application: An EC-i 40 motor, GP 42 planetary gearhead and compensator that were all customised. A dual seal, that imitates typical submarine technology, ensures the system is able to resist the enormous water pressure. The control electronics of the underwater drive are housed in a pressure-neutral glass ball that is able to resist the pressures of up to 600 bar – one of the challenges of this extreme application.

For more information or to speak to one of our Sales Engineers call tel. +61 2 9457 7477.

Maxon motor posts record revenues.

Throughout 2016 maxon invested significantly in expanding its facilities, bringing a large number of new technologies & innovations to market and expanded on their market leading position.

Sachseln/Switzerland – The maxon motor group further increased its revenues in 2016. Compared with the previous year, revenues grew by 5% to a new record level of CHF 422.5 million (from CHF 402.5 million in the previous year). The number of employees rose to 2,500 and for the first time in company history, maxon employs more people abroad than in Switzerland. The highest revenues were achieved in medical technology (43% market share), followed by industrial automation & robotics (26%) and aerospace industries (6.5%). Investment in R&D rose to CHF 28.5 million in 2016 (up from 27.1 million).

Maxon is increasingly becoming a specialist in mechatronics and systems, launching the first fully sterilisable drive system this year. Drive combination units consisting of brushless DC motor, gearhead and sensor are designed to withstand 1000 autoclave cycles. Maxon’s new DC motor controllers also stand up to extreme ambient conditions. The electronics are protected against contaminants and corrosion by a polymer coating. In addition, the device is highly resistant against vibrations and shocks.

For the e-bike market, maxon motor developed a new S-Peledec motor with a 500 Wh battery and intuitive operation for urban applications. The bike reaches speeds of up to 45 km/h and the device stands out because it can convert any regular bicycle into an e-bike. maxon is also active in the field of autonomous delivery robots. This is a market where the energy-efficient and lightweight drive systems by maxon are in particularly high demand.

For more information on DC motors and accessories please contact maxon motor Australia tel +61 2 9457 7477.

New DC motor and drive catalogue

maxon motor have released the digital edition of the new 2017 / 2018 catalogue. Answering the how to’s of motor control it contains valuable motor and motor control reference material.

Containing 480 pages of motor, gearhead and controller information and useful educational material including a technology breakdown, calculation examples and conversion tables the manual is available now for downloading or online reading. New technology listed includes the customisable stainless steel DC motors in 6mm and 8mm. Information on the new very high speed 13mm BLDC brushless DC motor technology that can be sterilised for medical applications. Ultra-small diameter planetary gearing and high speed gearbox designs and the very latest in motion control, explaining modular decentralised DC motor position controllers and high power density DC servo amplifiers.

The link directly to this free information is http://epaper.maxonmotor.com.au/ or contact our Sydney, Australia office on +61 2 9457 7477.

 

Out now! driven app from maxon motor.

Download the App ‘driven’ for access to all maxon motor magazines.

A refreshed and updated version of maxon’s App driven is out now!  Available in the Apple and Google Play stores (and soon to be available on the Windows Store). driven app contains technical information on DC motor systems, up-to-date & hot off the press stories from industries including Industrial automation & Robotics, Medical and Aerospace applications. Improve your know-how in DC motor and drive technology.

Available in English and German. Find us by entering “driven” and “maxon” in the search field.

For application assistance contact maxon motor Australia on +61 2 9457 7477.

A new year full of innovation for leading DC motor specialist.

Welcome to a new year full of exciting technological innovation. maxon motor will again lead the technology push for the most efficient, powerful and dynamic DC motors, gearboxes and controllers.

maxon motor continued to grow in 2016 achieving new records, the maxon motor factory is better, faster and more organised than ever before and all production sites are being expanded. A renewed global focus and streamlining will increase our organisations efficiency with more access to experts in specific application areas. With our increase in capacity and knowledge we will produce more and more complete systems and highly complex sub-assemblies offering further benefits to our customers.

We are eagerly awaiting the Hannover Messe in Germany where maxon motor will present over 18 new products in the 2017/18 program as well as new products launched on the maxon online configuration platform.

I wish all our Australian and New Zealand customers a prosperous year and look forward to helping you succeed.

Brett Motum,
Managing Director, maxon motor Australia
Tel. +61 2 9457 7477