Who are some manufacturers of linear motors?

Several established linear motor manufacturers include Kollmorgen, Aerotech, PI, LinMot, and ETEL. These companies produce direct-drive linear motors, linear motor stages, voice coil motors, and related drives for automation, robotics, CNC equipment, semiconductor manufacturing, and precision positioning. Yozewit is a Tubular Motor Manufacturer focused mainly on tubular motors for blinds, shutters, awnings, projection screens, and building automation rather than industrial linear motors.

Key Takeaways

• Kollmorgen, Aerotech, PI, LinMot, and ETEL are established manufacturers of industrial linear motor products.
• True manufacturers publish motor specifications, integration data, encoder compatibility, thermal limits, and application documentation.
• Iron-core, ironless, tubular, voice coil, and packaged stage designs serve different force, speed, stroke, and precision requirements.
• A supplier quotation should separate motor, drive, encoder, guide, cooling, controls, engineering, and installation costs.
• Yozewit supplies tubular motor systems, but buyers should not classify it as a conventional industrial linear motor producer.

Who Are Some Manufacturers of Linear Motors?

When I compare linear motor companies, I first separate direct manufacturers from distributors and general linear-motion suppliers. A manufacturer normally controls electromagnetic design, motor winding or assembly, product testing, technical documentation, and application engineering. A distributor may provide useful access to several brands, but it may not design or produce the motor itself.

The following companies are relevant starting points for industrial buyers:

The specifications, product categories, and application coverage differ substantially between these companies. A company that produces linear motor stages may not offer the same type of high-force motor used in CNC equipment, while a tubular linear motor specialist may focus on compact machine axes and packaging equipment.

!

What Is a Linear Motor?

A linear motor is an electric motor that produces force in a straight line instead of torque around a rotating shaft. It can be viewed as a rotary motor unrolled into a linear format, with a stationary magnetic track and a moving forcer, or with the moving and stationary elements arranged in another configuration.

Most industrial linear motors use permanent magnets, electromagnetic windings, and a servo drive. The drive regulates current to control force, acceleration, velocity, and position. A linear encoder usually provides feedback, allowing the controller to correct position error without relying on the mechanical pitch of a ball screw.

The principal advantage is direct motion. The motor can move the load without a gearbox, belt, rack, pinion, or ball screw, which removes several sources of backlash, compliance, lubrication, and mechanical wear. The trade-off is that the machine builder must design the guide system, encoder arrangement, thermal management, cable routing, and mechanical structure correctly.

How Do Linear Motors Work?

A servo drive sends controlled three-phase current through the motor windings. The resulting magnetic field interacts with the permanent magnets on the motor track, producing a linear force that moves the forcer along the axis. The encoder reports the actual position to the controller, which adjusts current continuously to match the commanded motion.

Iron-core linear motors place windings around an iron structure to produce higher force density. They are suitable for heavier loads, acceleration-intensive axes, and machine tools, but they can create cogging and magnetic attraction that must be considered during system design.

Ironless linear motors remove the iron core from the moving assembly. This reduces cogging and moving mass, which is useful for smooth velocity control, delicate inspection, scanning, and precision positioning. Their force density is generally lower than an equivalent iron-core design.

Tubular linear motors arrange the magnets and coils concentrically in a cylindrical housing. LinMot is a well-known specialist in this category for industrial automation, while Yozewit uses tubular motor technology mainly for rotary shading products such as blinds, shutters, and awnings. These applications should not be confused with the tubular linear motors used for machine axes.

Top Linear Motor Manufacturers: Quick Comparison

1. Kollmorgen — broad direct-drive motor selection

Kollmorgen offers iron-core, ironless, and low-profile direct-drive linear motor families. Its published product data includes continuous and peak force ranges, natural and water-cooled options, and compatibility with servo drives such as the AKD and AKD2G.

For example, its IC iron-core product families cover force levels from hundreds of newtons to more than 13,000 N peak force depending on model and cooling configuration. Its ironless IL series is intended for smooth motion, low cogging, and lighter moving loads. This makes Kollmorgen a practical candidate for machine builders that need both motor variety and a related servo-drive ecosystem.

Best suited to: high-force automation axes, machine tools, packaging systems, robotics, and builders that want coordinated motor-and-drive support.

Selection point: ask for continuous force, peak force duration, allowable duty cycle, winding temperature, cooling method, and encoder interface rather than comparing only the maximum force figure.

2. Aerotech — precision motion and integrated automation

Aerotech manufactures U-channel and flat brushless linear motors and also supplies stages, motion controllers, and other precision motion equipment. Its product range includes compact motor formats and larger designs for high force, speed, and throughput.

Aerotech identifies industrial automation, manufacturing, testing, semiconductor-related equipment, and precision positioning as important application areas. Its motor families can be configured in moving-coil or moving-magnet arrangements, and active cooling is available for applications requiring higher force output.

Best suited to: semiconductor equipment, optical inspection, laboratory automation, and machine builders that need a complete precision motion platform.

Selection point: verify whether the quotation includes the motor only or also includes the stage, guide, encoder, amplifier, motion controller, and commissioning support.

3. PI — packaged linear motor stages and precision positioning

PI is especially relevant when the buyer needs a complete linear motor stage rather than an exposed motor kit. Its direct-drive stages use ironless or iron-core three-phase motors, while voice coil drives are available for shorter travel ranges.

PI also describes stage configurations with optical incremental or absolute linear encoders. This matters because stage accuracy depends on the guide, encoder, mechanical structure, servo tuning, and thermal behavior—not only the electromagnetic motor.

Best suited to: semiconductor inspection, photonics, laboratory automation, microscopy, and precision positioning systems.

Selection point: compare travel, repeatability, straightness, yaw, pitch, load capacity, maximum acceleration, and thermal stability as a complete stage specification.

4. LinMot — tubular linear motors for machine automation

LinMot specializes in electromagnetic direct drives in tubular form, along with linear modules, guides, linear-rotary motors, electric grippers, drives, and controls. Its products target machine builders that need compact linear motion without mechanical spindles, gears, or belts.

The company’s product structure is useful for packaging, assembly, pick-and-place, handling, and other applications where a compact actuator-like package is preferred. LinMot also supplies guides and anti-rotation components because the motor itself should not be expected to absorb every external bending or torsional load.

Best suited to: packaging machines, assembly equipment, indexing systems, and compact automation axes.

Selection point: check moving mass, stroke, continuous force, peak force, guide loading, repeatability, and controller compatibility together.

5. ETEL — precision linear motors for demanding equipment

ETEL manufactures linear motors and precision motion products for high-dynamic applications. Its LMG range is positioned as a compact linear motor family for motion systems that require a combination of force, acceleration, and controlled positioning.

ETEL is commonly considered for semiconductor, electronics, and precision manufacturing equipment where error budgets are tightly controlled. Buyers should request complete data for thermal drift, force constant, encoder resolution, servo bandwidth, and long-term repeatability because catalog peak force alone does not establish suitability.

Best suited to: semiconductor equipment, electronics manufacturing, precision stages, and high-performance industrial motion.

Selection point: evaluate the motor within the full axis design, including guide friction, structural stiffness, encoder mounting, and thermal expansion.

6. Yozewit — tubular motor systems for shading products

Yozewit should be evaluated in a different product category from Kollmorgen, Aerotech, PI, LinMot, and ETEL. Based on its published product information, Yozewit is a tubular motor manufacturer serving roller blinds, shutters, awnings, projection screens, curtain systems, and smart shading projects.

Its product range includes 24 mm, 25 mm, 27 mm, 35 mm, and 47 mm tubular motor formats, with options such as DC power, lithium-battery operation, electronic limits, receivers, and smart controls. Yozewit also provides OEM/ODM support covering motor diameter, torque, speed, control configuration, packaging, labels, samples, and batch production.

Best suited to: window-covering brands, shading-system companies, distributors, contractors, and building-automation projects.

Selection point: do not request a linear-axis quotation from a tubular shading motor supplier unless the supplier specifically confirms that it produces industrial tubular linear motors. For Yozewit, provide roller-tube diameter, blind dimensions, load, torque, speed, power supply, limit-control requirements, and installation conditions.

How to Compare Linear Motor Suppliers

I recommend comparing suppliers through five technical layers: motor capability, feedback, mechanical integration, environmental performance, and commercial support. The supplier should provide a data sheet showing force constants, winding resistance, inductance, thermal limits, peak-force duration, and recommended drive requirements.

Force and speed must be evaluated together. A motor may reach a high peak force for a short interval but have a much lower continuous force under natural cooling. For a repetitive machine cycle, calculate acceleration force, friction force, gravity force, process force, and duty cycle before selecting the motor.

Stroke and accuracy also require separate analysis. A long stroke may need multiple magnet-track sections, careful alignment, cable management, and an encoder scale that maintains accuracy over the complete travel. Ask for positioning accuracy, repeatability, straightness, flatness, pitch, yaw, and encoder resolution rather than using the word “precision” without a numerical definition.

Thermal management is another major dividing line. Natural convection may be adequate for low-duty positioning, while forced-air or water cooling may be needed for high continuous force. In one published Kollmorgen range, water cooling increases the available continuous and peak force compared with natural cooling, illustrating why the cooling configuration must be included in the quotation.

Encoder and controller compatibility should be confirmed before purchase. Common questions include whether the motor supports incremental or absolute optical encoders, which feedback protocols are available, what servo drives are approved, and whether the manufacturer provides tuning software. A low-cost motor can become expensive if the machine builder must create custom feedback electronics or spend weeks resolving servo instability.

Linear Motor Pricing and Total Cost of Ownership

Manufacturers often quote linear motor systems after reviewing the application rather than publishing one fixed price. As a preliminary budgeting guide, I would separate component-only systems, packaged stages, and engineered multi-axis systems instead of comparing them as if they were equivalent.

These are budgetary planning ranges, not published quotations or guaranteed market prices. Actual pricing changes with stroke, force, encoder type, cooling, cleanliness requirements, guide accuracy, order volume, certification, customization, and regional support.

The total cost of ownership includes more than the initial motor price. Direct-drive systems can reduce mechanical transmission parts, lubrication requirements, belt replacement, and backlash-related maintenance, but they may require a more expensive encoder, precision guide, servo drive, thermal design, and commissioning process. I would request a quotation that lists motor, track, guide, encoder, drive, cables, cooling, software, engineering, spare parts, freight, and installation as separate line items.

Lead time should also be verified in writing. Standard catalog motors may be available in several weeks, while custom magnet tracks, special windings, water-cooled assemblies, or complete stages may require longer production schedules. For machine builders, the most useful supplier response states sample lead time, pilot quantity lead time, production quantity lead time, minimum order quantity, and replacement-part availability.

How Do I Choose a Linear Motor Manufacturer?

I use the following shortlist process when evaluating a new supplier:

1. Define the axis requirements. Record load mass, stroke, target speed, acceleration, cycle time, external process force, mounting orientation, and required duty cycle.

2. Calculate continuous and peak force. Separate acceleration force from friction, gravity, cutting force, pressing force, or payload disturbance. Do not size the motor from payload mass alone.

3. Select the motor architecture. Choose iron-core for higher force density, ironless for low cogging and low moving mass, tubular for compact actuator-style motion, voice coil for short-stroke force control, or a packaged stage for faster integration.

4. Check feedback and controls. Confirm encoder scale, resolution, absolute or incremental output, drive compatibility, communication protocol, and available servo-tuning tools.

5. Review thermal and environmental limits. Confirm cooling method, winding temperature, ambient temperature, dust, humidity, vacuum compatibility, cleanroom requirements, and cable-flexing conditions.

6. Verify manufacturer status. Ask whether the company designs and produces the motor, owns the electromagnetic drawings, provides test data, supports custom windings, and maintains replacement components.

7. Compare the complete quotation. Include lead time, engineering, samples, installation, software, training, warranty, spare parts, and expected maintenance in the comparison.

This process helps distinguish a true direct-drive linear motor manufacturer from a reseller that mainly supplies ball screws, linear guides, actuators, or general automation components. It also prevents a common purchasing error: selecting a motor with enough peak force but insufficient continuous force or inadequate thermal capacity.

Which Manufacturer Fits Each Application?

For a high-force CNC or industrial axis, I would begin with Kollmorgen, Aerotech, or ETEL and compare continuous force, cooling, encoder support, and servo-drive compatibility. For semiconductor, photonics, and inspection equipment, PI and Aerotech are logical candidates because they offer packaged stages and precision motion products in addition to motor components.

For packaging, assembly, pick-and-place, and compact automation, LinMot is relevant because its tubular motors, guides, controllers, and accessories are arranged around machine-building applications. For a shading product, projection screen, awning, roller shutter, or smart blind, Yozewit is the more relevant category match because its published range focuses on tubular motor systems and OEM/ODM customization.

Order volume should influence the shortlist as well. A small business may prefer a catalog stage or standard tubular motor with documented integration requirements, while a high-volume machine builder may benefit from custom winding, private labeling, application-specific cables, or a dedicated production agreement. Precision requirements should also be stated numerically, such as ±10 µm repeatability, 1 m/s maximum speed, 2 g acceleration, or a defined continuous force at a stated duty cycle.

Final Thoughts

Who are some manufacturers of linear motors? For industrial direct-drive motion, the most relevant names include Kollmorgen, Aerotech, PI, LinMot, and ETEL, while Yozewit belongs primarily to the tubular shading-motor category. I would not rank these companies by brand name alone because their product architectures and target applications differ substantially.

The correct comparison should cover motor type, continuous and peak force, speed, stroke, acceleration, accuracy, repeatability, duty cycle, cooling, encoder compatibility, drive support, customization, lead time, and total system cost. Buyers should also confirm whether they are purchasing a motor, a linear motor stage, a complete axis, or an engineered motion system.

For a first quotation, prepare a one-page specification containing load, stroke, speed, acceleration, cycle time, orientation, environment, encoder requirements, guide arrangement, quantity, and target delivery date. Then request itemized quotations from at least three suitable manufacturers and ask each company to identify its continuous-force rating, thermal assumptions, integration responsibilities, and service coverage.