maxon Encoder Types

High Efficiency Motors
To understand the concept of high efficiency motors, you must first know how to calculate efficiency and the losses associated with the motor components themselves.

A Comparison of DC Linear Actuators with DC Linear Motors
Factory automation and robotic application engineers are often faced with the challenge of requiring fast, accurate and powerful linear actuation within a small allocated volume. The two most commonly available technologies are rotary DC motor driven actuators and linear DC motor actuators. There are of course advantages and disadvantages with all technologies and they are sometimes easily overlooked. This short summary contains some common considerations.

DC Motor Selection for Dynamic Motion Control Applications
By Dr. Urs Kafader, Technical training maxon motor ag, Switzerland Finding the right motor is one of the core elements in the selection of dynamic drive components. Due to their high starting torque maxon DC motors with or without brushes are the perfect matches for highly dynamic servo applications. Once the requirements of the application are specified and a general motion control strategy is established, there are a few rules to be respected to get the optimum motor.

Motor Type Selection
Parameters that define a motor type are the mechanical output power, the shaft bearing system, the commutation system used, and the possible combinations with gearheads and sensors. The most important criteria include the speed and torque requirements, and the commutation system.

Understanding High Efficiency Motors
To understand the concept of high efficiency motors, you must first know how to calculate efficiency and the losses associated with the motor components themselves. This article reviews the basic concept for explaining motor efficiency and what makes certain motors different. Read more...

Choosing the Right Drive Technology
Coming up with the right drive technology for your application often depends on the options before you. Although there are a number of variations of drive technologies for motion applications, there are a few that are used for the majority of systems built today.This paper will review five of the most common drive configurations being used along with their benefits and drawbacks

High Efficiency Motors
To understand the concept of high efficiency motors, you must first know how to calculate efficiency and the losses associated with the motor components themselves.  The final measured efficiency of a motor is calculated based only on the elements of the particular application they’re used in. For the motors themselves, without a load, manufacturers provide ratings based on standard formulas. To understand high efficiency motors you only need to know what makes them different.  But first, let’s look at the basic concept used for explaining motor efficiency, which says that efficiency is the ratio between the shaft output power and the electrical input power. Shaft output can be measured in horsepower or watts. We’ll use watts for the purposes of this article. The formula most often used is the simple one mentioned above:  ηm= Pout / Pin where ηm = motor efficiency Pout = shaft power out (Watts) Pin = electric power to the motor (Watts)  Once you’ve used this formula and found your efficiency – and it’s not 100 percent – it’s time to consider the losses that occurred inside the motor. Motor efficiency drops based on a number of known factors where power is lost as current through the motor is met with a variety of resistances. These losses can include the wiring and its resistance, iron losses due to magnetic events, and thermal losses.  The electrical power that is lost in the primary rotor and in the secondary stator windings are called resistance losses (or copper losses, because they are based on the characteristics of the wire used including its diameter and length). Both primary and secondary resistance losses vary with the load in proportion to the current squared. For example:  Pcl = R I2 where Pcl = stator winding, copper loss (W) R = resistance (Ω) I = current (Amp)  Other losses include, iron losses, as mentioned above. These losses are the result of the amount of magnetic energy dissipated when the motor’s magnetic field is applied to the stator core. Other factors involved include mechanical losses, which involve the friction in the motor bearings and stray losses, which are basically any remaining losses that are left after the resistance, iron, and mechanical losses are calculated.   The largest culprit for stray losses are the result of harmonic energies that are generated when the motor operates under load. The load affects the shaft power output, which is why it’s impossible to discuss in a general article such as this. But basically, these losses are dissipated as currents in the windings, harmonic flux components in the iron parts, and leakage in the laminate core. High Efficiency Motors The maxon high efficiency motors get their name because they provide efficiencies in the 90 percentiles as opposed to the 50 to 60 percent range for most motors in their class. The key to high-efficiency for maxon lies in the fact that they have no iron losses. maxon manufactures ironless core or coreless motors designed to the needs of their customers. This means that the losses associated with the iron components have been eliminated. By designing coreless and ironless core motors, maxon also eliminated the largest concentration of stray losses associated with motors, which are losses associated with leakage in the laminate core. maxon incorporates the use of permanent magnets in their motors. The ironless core brush motors have a permanent magnet, then a rotating winding, and then the housing, which closes the magnetic path. With this configuration, there is no electricity going through the core of the motor (through the iron parts) to create a magnetic resonance.  The benefits of the ironless winding provides very specific advantages, which include: there is no magnetic detent and there are minimal electromagnetic interferences. Part of the efficiency, though, is dictated by the type of magnet used in the design. For example, the stronger magnets, such as NdFe will offer higher efficiencies. Add to this, the fact that maxon includes graphite brushes and ball bearings in their brushed motors, customers gain long service life as well as high efficiency. 

A Comparison of DC Linear Actuators with DC Linear Motors
Factory automation and robotic application engineers are often faced with the challenge of requiring fast, accurate and powerful linear actuation within a small allocated volume. The two most commonly available technologies are rotary DC motor driven actuators and linear DC motor actuators. This article provides details on the advantages and disadvantages with all technologies. Read more...

Machine Optimization through DC Motor Selection
There are so many motors on the market today, from heavy-duty AC motors to tiny DC brushless and stepper motors. To use any of the motors users must have a full understanding of the application parameters, including power, speed, torque, physical size, efficiency, lifetime expectations, and other requirements. What this article will do is spell out the primary differences between DC brushed and brushless motors, what they can do, where they fit best, and how to decide which to use in your application.

Humanoid Robotic Hand Moves
The human hand is undoubtedly one of the most universal and complex tools of nature. Researchers have been studying the characteristics and special features of this evolutionary design for years. Now the findings of this research are being used and implemented for the robotic hand of the future.

Exoskeleton Joint Actuator
Reliable, Powerful, Efficient

Configure high-speed drives from your sofa

A perfect drive solution in only a few steps.
New, Speed motors and controllers from maxon.

maxon motor introduces the first sterilizable drive system
Brushless DC motor, gearhead, and encoder from one single source.

High Torque Brushless DC motor
Redesigned for even greater performance.

The miniature servo controller for extreme conditions
New: maxon ESCON Module 50/8 HE

Exoskeleton joint actuator
maxon motor have developed the Exoskeleton Drive GEN.1 for use in hip and knee exoskeletons.

A powerful and cost-effective drive
The brushless EC-i 30 motor from maxon motor.

Electric drives – invisible helpers in our everyday lives.
driven magazine reveals where they are commonly used.

EPOS4 position controller
Compact power for your motion control application. The EPOS4 position controllers are suitable for efficient and dynamic control of brushed DC motors and brushless BLDC motors (EC motors) with Hall sensors and encoders up to 750 W continuous power...

The ultra-fast brushless DC motor
The new ECX motors are fast, sterilizable and configurable. maxon motor launches new high-speed motors that are configurable online. The new ECX brushless motors are quiet and feature very high efficiency. These brushless drives are ideal for use ...

A brushless DC motor for demanding operating room applications

Internal rotor drives with incredible power
For applications demanding very high torque, drive specialist maxon motor is now launching its EC-i 40 DC brushless motor in a High Torque version. The iron-core internal rotor drive is available with a diameter of 40 mm and delivers up to 234 mNm of t...

ESCON Module 24/2 Servo Motor Controller
A miniature controller with maximum functionality.

More versions, more power - The new DCX motors and GPX gearboxes
New additions to the maxon family of X drives

maxon motor takes part in chase to catch up with a comet
Rosetta mission