ETEL

ETEL contact details

Head office

Zone Industrielle
CH-2112 Môtiers
Switzerland

Telephone +41 32 862 01 00

Email etel@etel.ch

Website etel.ch

UK and Ireland sales (HEIDENHAIN (G.B.) Ltd.)

200 London Road
Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9RD
United Kingdom

Telephone +44 1444 247711

Email sales@heidenhain.co.uk

Web etel.ch/contact

Germany, Austria, Hungary and Romania (DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH)

Schillgasse 14
78661 Dietingen
Germany

Telephone +49 741 174 53 0

Email tbsw.etel@heidenhain.de

Web etel.ch/contact

USA, Canada and Mexico (HEIDENHAIN Corporation)

333 East State Parkway
Schaumburg, IL 60173
United States

Telephone +1 847 490 1191

Email info@heidenhain.com

Web etel.ch/contact

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Contact details as published by DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH, checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH.

ETEL product lines

Who ETEL is

ETEL S.A. is a Swiss specialist in direct drive motors and precision motion, based in Môtiers in the Val-de-Travers. It designs frameless torque motors and linear motors, the position controllers that drive them, and complete motion platforms for semiconductor and other high-precision equipment. ETEL’s company page gives a headcount of about 300, of whom around 40% are engineers.

For OEM design engineers, ETEL is mainly a source of direct drive motor kits: a stator and rotor (or coil and magnet track) that you build into your own axis, with your own bearings and encoder. Those parts remove the gearbox or screw from the drive train, which brings zero backlash and high stiffness. In exchange, the machine builder takes on more design work: bearings, cooling, feedback and thermal control.

History and ownership

Dr. Nicolas Wavre founded ETEL in 1974 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Its history page records the first linear motors in 1977, for warehouse doors. It designed its first brushless torque motor for the food industry in 1981. In 1988 it delivered large torque motors for telescopes and moved to Môtiers. High-force linear motors followed in 1992, and a standard direct drive programme with digital position controllers followed in 1996.

DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH acquired ETEL in 1999. ETEL GmbH was set up in Germany that year, and ETEL Inc. followed in the USA in 2000. The AccurET and UltimET controller family launched in 2010, the year ETEL expanded into Great Britain. The TMK high-speed torque motor followed in 2011. From 2014 ETEL sales offices were merged into local HEIDENHAIN subsidiaries. Since 2019 ETEL products have been sold only through the HEIDENHAIN network. In 2022 ETEL began moving motor production from Switzerland to RSF in the Czech Republic, and it marked 50 years in 2024.

Torque motors

ETEL’s torque motor programme covers more than 170 standard models from 140 to 1,290 mm outer diameter, all with a hollow bore.

• The TMB+ is the core water-cooled range. It has 62 models from 160 to 1,288 mm in diameter, with continuous torque from 21.6 to 22,300 Nm and peak torque up to 42,900 Nm. ETEL says it gives up to 20% more torque density and 30% lower losses than the earlier TMB, with the same mechanical interface.
• The TMKi is the high-speed range. Six frame sizes from 198 to 1,050 mm give 76.3 to 11,600 Nm continuous torque, up to 20,600 Nm peak and up to 5,200 rpm on the smallest frame, on a 600 V DC bus.
• The TMM is a lighter, lower-cost option with no water cooling. It comes in seven diameters from 140 to 530 mm, with 8.99 to 1,170 Nm continuous and up to 4,990 Nm peak torque. The TML is a similar uncooled range, and the TMC is a compact machine-tool motor positioned between TMB+ and TMKi.

The difference between water-cooled and uncooled ranges is the key selection point. Continuous torque on a frameless motor is a thermal rating. A TMM fits where the duty is mostly dynamic and the RMS torque is low, while a TMB+ or TMKi suits a turning table that has to hold cutting torque for minutes at a time. Our frameless motor sizing guide explains how to work out RMS torque from a duty cycle.

Linear motors

ETEL lists more than 40 linear motor models and says the range reaches speeds of up to 15 m/s.

• The LMS is an iron-core range of 14 models, with continuous force from 84.5 to 908 N (1,030 N in the MWD+ version) and peak force up to 4,170 N. The data sheet lists the magnetic attraction force for each model, from 581 N on the smallest to 6,820 N on the largest. The guide bearings have to carry that load.
• The LMG is a compact iron-core range with a high peak-to-continuous force ratio, for lower moving masses.
• The ILM+ is ironless, so there is no attraction force and no force ripple. Its eight models give 105 to 464 N continuous and up to 3,150 N peak, which suits air-bearing scanning stages. The smaller ILF+ goes up to about 69 N continuous.

Controllers and motion systems

ETEL also makes the electronics. AccurET position controllers (the fourth generation started with ACCURET+100 and 300 in 2023) and UltimET multi-axis motion controllers support features such as force control and gantry control. Its motion systems range covers short-stroke actuators, linear and rotary axes, stacked XY stages such as CHARON2, planar platforms and TELICA gantries, plus the QuiET active isolation system.

Industries served

ETEL’s direct drives are used in semiconductor front-end and back-end equipment, inspection and metrology, machine tool rotary tables and high-dynamic automation. Its early history also includes telescope drives.

Global and UK presence

ETEL sells through HEIDENHAIN’s subsidiaries. In the UK and Ireland, the published contact is HEIDENHAIN (G.B.) Ltd, 200 London Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, on +44 1444 247711. In Germany, the contact is DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH’s office at Dietingen. Technical documents, data sheets and interface drawings can be downloaded from etel.ch.

Specify Motion and ETEL

Specify Motion is independent of ETEL and HEIDENHAIN, and is not affiliated with either. We can help source ETEL torque and linear motors, or propose frameless and linear motors from our supply network that meet the same published torque, force and diameter figures, confirmed by an engineer. Start with find a replacement or our frameless torque motors hub.

ETEL history: key dates

1. 1974Founded by Dr. Nicolas Wavre as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
2. 1981Designs its first brushless torque motor, for the food industry
3. 1988Delivers large torque motors for telescopes and moves to Môtiers
4. 1999Acquired by DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH; ETEL GmbH founded in Germany
5. 2010Launches the AccurET and UltimET motion control family and expands into Great Britain
6. 2011Introduces the TMK high-speed torque motor family
7. 2019ETEL products distributed exclusively through the HEIDENHAIN sales network
8. 2024Celebrates its 50th anniversary

ETEL direct-drive and torque motors

Frameless torque motor

TMB+

ETEL's main water-cooled frameless torque motor range: 62 models from 160 to 1,288 mm outer diameter, 21.6 to 22,300 Nm continuous and up to 42,900 Nm peak, and up to 4,590 rpm on the smallest size.

Frameless torque motor

TMKi

High-speed, high-torque frameless torque motors in six frame sizes (198 to 1,050 mm OD) with 76.3 to 11,600 Nm continuous, up to 20,600 Nm peak and up to 5,200 rpm, on a 600 V DC bus.

Frameless torque motor

TMM

Lightweight frameless torque motors without water cooling, in seven diameters from 140 to 530 mm, giving 8.99 to 1,170 Nm continuous and up to 4,990 Nm peak at up to 4,400 rpm.

ETEL linear motors

Iron-core linear motor

LMS

Iron-core linear motors in 14 models with 84.5 to 908 N continuous (1,030 N with MWD+) and up to 3,640 N peak (4,170 N MWD+), air-cooled and 600 V DC compliant.

Ironless linear motor

ILM+

Ironless linear motors in eight models for mid- to high-mass scanning, with 105 to 464 N continuous and up to 3,150 N peak force, no attraction force and optional forced-air cooling.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ETEL website?

ETEL's website is etel.ch. It lists the torque motor, linear motor, motion control and motion system ranges, with per-model data sheets and interface drawings as PDF downloads. 3D models are offered on request through the contact form.

What is ETEL's phone number and email?

ETEL's head office in Môtiers publishes +41 32 862 01 00 and etel@etel.ch. In the UK and Ireland, ETEL products are sold by HEIDENHAIN (G.B.) Ltd, which ETEL lists as +44 1444 247711 and sales@heidenhain.co.uk.

Where is ETEL's headquarters?

ETEL S.A. is at Zone Industrielle, CH-2112 Môtiers, in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The company moved there in 1988 and has extended the site several times since.

Who owns ETEL?

ETEL has been owned by DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH since 1999 and is part of the HEIDENHAIN Corporate Group. Since 2019 its products have been sold exclusively through HEIDENHAIN's sales network.

Does ETEL have a UK office?

UK and Irish customers are served by HEIDENHAIN (G.B.) Ltd at 200 London Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9RD. ETEL lists that company as its sales office for the region.

What does ETEL make?

ETEL makes frameless torque motors (TMB+, TMKi, TMM, TML, TMC), iron-core and ironless linear motors (LMS, LMG, ILM+, ILF+), AccurET position controllers and UltimET motion controllers, and complete precision motion systems for semiconductor and other high-precision machines.

Sources

1. ETEL: Company and history
2. ETEL: Contact and sales offices
3. ETEL: Imprint
4. ETEL: Torque motors
5. ETEL: TMB+ torque motors
6. ETEL: TMKi torque motors
7. ETEL: TMM torque motors
8. ETEL: Linear motors
9. ETEL: LMS linear motors
10. ETEL: LMS data sheets
11. ETEL: ILM+ linear motors
12. ETEL: Motion systems

Figures are summarised from the sources above and from manufacturers' published data on the date shown. Always confirm against the current datasheet for your exact part.