Engineering Legacy: Maxon (1961)

The "Engineering Legacy" series gives historical context to mechanical power transmission components featured in PTE. Next up, maxon motors. If you'd like your company featured in "Engineering Legacy" contact Matt Jaster at jaster@agma.org.

Our next legacy entry is maxon, a global leading provider of electric drive systems. The company provides single-source DC and BLDC motors, gearheads, sensors, control electronics, mechatronic drive systems and more-from individual prototypes to large-scale production. The history of maxon begins with Interelectric AG in Frankfurt.

Interelectric AG was founded on December 5, 1961, as a production site for Braun, the electrical engineering company based in Frankfurt. The company chose a picturesque location in Sachsein, Switzerland. 

In 1963, the company began producing galvanoplastic-metal-coated items. The most important of these were the shearing foils for the popular Braun shavers. A development department was also established for electromechanical devices during this timeframe.

The development of the maxon DC motor took place in 1968/1969. The ironless rotor technology almost doubled the efficiency in comparison with traditional motors. The diamond-shaped winding and the manufacturing processes were patented and maxon was registered as a trademark.

Maxon motors was founded in 1979, and the motors were used in everyday devices such as pocket calculators, tape recorders, and video equipment. Interelectric AG Munich founded its first subsidiary under the name: maxon motor GmbH.

The North American market became increasingly important as Interelectric AG took over its US sales partner in San Francisco (1981) and renamed it: maxon precision motors, inc.

In 1989, Interelectric opened a production plant in Sexau, Germany for the manufacture of planetary and spur gearheads. 

The first rover to land on the Red Planet (1997), NASA's Sojourner, had 11 maxon DC motors on board.

Before the start of the new millennium, the company restructured itself. Interelectric became maxon motor ag in 1999.

2004: The NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars. They are each powered by 35 maxon motors which drive the robot arms, the rock abrasion tool, the control mechanism, the camera controls and the six high-tech wheels.

In 2004, maxon motor ag opened a new production building in Veszprem, Hungary where components for the drive system were manufactured. 

The medical unit was established in 2007 to develop high-precision drives for applications such as insulin, pumps, prosthetics and surgical robots.

The 2010 Innovation Award of the HKZ (Chamber of Commerce of Central Switzerland) went to maxon motor. The company swayed the jury with the new precision motor for extreme conditions, the maxon EC 22 HD. The motor could withstand temps of more than 200 degrees Celsius. 

In 2012, maxon presented a world premiere with the online configurable maxon X drives. Motors, gearheads, sensors, and controllers could now be personalized and ordered with just a few clicks. 

To strengthen its East Asia business, maxon began production of the first brushless DC motors in Sejong, South Korea.

For the first time in history, maxon drives landed on a comet (2014). For 10 years, the European space probe Rosetta traveled through space to reach the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Two maxon DC motors withstood 10 years in a vacuum.

Read some additional engineering history from maxon motors here:

Maxon Supplies Components for Remote Robotic Assisted Surgery System

Riding the Red Planet

Mars Helicopter

Making Shakespeare Shine