Media and publications

On December 5, 1961, Interelectric AG is founded as a production site for BRAUN, the electrical engineering company based in Frankfurt. Where? In picturesque Sachseln, in the canton of Obwalden, Switzerland, of all places.

The company begins producing galvanoplastic – metal-coated – items. The most important of these are the shearing foils for the popular BRAUN shavers. A development department for electromechanical devices is also established.

The cornerstone for all subsequent innovations is laid: with the development of DC motors with an ironless rotor. The benefit: The absence of iron in the rotor almost doubles the efficiency in comparison with traditional motors. The diamond-shaped winding and the manufacturing process are patented. maxon is registered as a trademark.

maxon motors are used in everyday devices such as pocket calculators, tape recorders, and video equipment. Interelectric AG Munich founds its first subsidiary under the name maxon motor GmbH.

The North American market is becoming increasingly important for the Obwalden-based company. The result: Interelectric AG takes over its US sales partner in San Francisco, and renames it maxon precision motors, inc. 

Interelectric opens a production plant in Sexau (Germany) for the manufacture of planetary and spur gearheads.

The first rover to ever land on the Red Planet, NASA’s Sojourner, has eleven maxon DC motors on board.

Before the start of the new millennium, the company restructures itself. “Interelectric” becomes “maxon motor ag.”

The NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity land 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.

maxon motor ag opens a new production building in Veszprém (Hungary), where components for the drive system are manufactured.

The Medical unit is established 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. It can withstand temperatures of more than 200°C.

maxon presents a world premiere with the online-configurable maxon X drives. Motors, gearheads, sensors, and controllers can be personalized and ordered with just a few clicks.

To strengthen its East Asia business, maxon motor manufacturing Co., Ltd. begins production of the first brushless DC motors in Sejong (South Korea).

For the first time in history, maxon drives land on a comet: For 10 years, the European space probe Rosetta traveled through space to reach the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Two maxon DC motors withstood 10 whole years in vacuum.

maxon motor enters the e-bike business with a highly powerful yet compact rear-wheel drive. Designed and made in Switzerland, this drive accelerates a bicycle from 0 to 30 km/h in only 3 seconds.

The ETH Zurich organizes the first Cybathlon, an event in which more than 80 teams from across the world take part, with machine-assisted pilots competing against each other in six disciplines. Right from the start, maxon has been supporting this huge event as a sponsor and partner.

maxon motor acquires the Swiss company zub machine control AG, expanding its product portfolio with intelligent master controllers. 

The maxon motor Group acquires British geared motor manufacturer Parvalux Electric Motors Ltd., thus expanding its portfolio to include powerful AC and DC drives.

The maxon Innovation Center at the headquarters in Switzerland opens its doors for the first time. Here, micro drives for use in medical technology are produced in cutting-edge clean rooms.

The first production site in the USA opens in March 2019. The facility in Taunton, Massachusetts, offers space for design engineering, production, and sales. 

maxon transforms from a supplier of components to a systems provider. Together with customers, the company increasingly develops complete mechatronic solutions, consisting of a motor, gearhead, sensors, controller, batteries, and software.

maxon motor becomes maxon. The company adopts a new global structure to position itself in the system market and enable future growth. The new brand identity epitomizes this strategy.

maxon partners with drone start-up Flybotix to develop performance-optimized BLDC motors for an innovative inspection drone. Together with robotics start-up ANYbotics, maxon develops drive systems for autonomous inspection robots.

The Perseverance rover lands on Mars. Several maxon electric drives are used for this ambitious mission – for example, for the first flight of the mission’s helicopter or for moving the robotic arm that navigates the rock samples.

maxon celebrates its anniversary with more than 3,000 employees worldwide, 9 production sites and a sales network in 40 countries.