Engineering selection and product sourcing
Sanyo Denki
Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd. is a Japanese maker of SANMOTION servo and stepping systems, San Ace cooling fans and SANUPS power systems, founded in 1927 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Its head office is at 3-33-1 Minami-Otsuka, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-8451, telephone +81 3 5927 1020.
UK engineering team · Product sourcing · Supply support
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| Legal name | SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1927 |
| Founder | Hideo Yamamoto |
| Owner / parent | Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd. |
| Headquarters | Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-8451, Japan |
| Employees | 3,599 (group, 31 March 2026) |
| Stock listing | TYO: 6516 |
| Website | sanyodenki.com |
Manufacturer information and published contact details
Sanyo Denki contact details
Head office
3-33-1 Minami-OtsukaToshima-ku, Tokyo 170-8451
Japan
Telephone +81 3 5927 1020
Website sanyodenki.com
SANYO DENKI EUROPE S.A.
11 rue Ferdinand de Lesseps95190 Goussainville
France
Telephone +33 1 48 63 26 61
Contact details as published by Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd., checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd..
Sanyo Denki product lines
| SANMOTION R | AC servo motors (R1, R2, R5) and R ADVANCED MODEL and R 3E Model servo amplifiers |
|---|---|
| SANMOTION S | AC spindle motor and amplifier systems for machine tools |
| SANMOTION T and K | DC servo motors and amplifiers for instruments, precision and medical equipment |
| SANMOTION F | 2-phase (F2), 3-phase (F3) and 5-phase (F5) stepping motors and drivers |
| SANMOTION PB | Closed-loop stepping systems with encoder feedback |
| San Ace | Cooling fans and cooling fan units |
| SANUPS | Uninterruptible power supplies, inverters, engine generators and renewable energy inverters |
Who Sanyo Denki is
Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd. is a Japanese electrical equipment manufacturer with three product brands. SANMOTION covers its motion products: AC and DC servo motors and amplifiers, stepping motors and drivers, and motion controllers. San Ace is its cooling fan range, and SANUPS covers power systems such as uninterruptible power supplies, inverters and engine generators. For machine builders, the company is best known for SANMOTION servo systems on machine tools, semiconductor and electronics assembly equipment, and for its wide range of hybrid stepping motors.
SANMOTION, San Ace and SANUPS are trademarks of Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd. The company is listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange under stock code 6516.
History and ownership
Sanyo Denki traces its origin to Sanyo Shokai, founded in Tokyo in August 1927 by Hideo Yamamoto to import and sell electrical components. A factory making small AC and DC generators followed in 1932, the business became a joint stock company in 1936 and took the name SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. in 1942. From 1944 it built up its manufacturing base in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, where most of its works and its technology centre still are.
On the motion side, the company’s investor guide dates its first AC and DC servo motors to 1952 and its first stepping motor to 1959. Its first cooling fan followed in 1965. The shares were listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1962 and moved to the First Section in 2013, the same year the head office moved to its current site in Minami-Otsuka, Toshima-ku. Today the company is listed on the Prime Market.
Overseas expansion began in Europe: SANYO DENKI EUROPE S.A. was set up in France in 1988, followed by a US subsidiary in 1995 and SANYO DENKI GERMANY GmbH in 2005. Subsidiaries in the Philippines, China, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and India followed between 2000 and 2019. Sanyo Denki is an independent listed company rather than part of a larger group, and it reported 3,599 group employees at 31 March 2026.
Product portfolio
AC servo systems
The SANMOTION R family is the core of the servo range. On our site we cover the R2 medium-inertia motors, which span very small to very large outputs with a battery-less absolute encoder as standard, the R1 low-inertia large-frame motors for high-acceleration duty, and the R5 small medium-inertia motors used on feed axes. Matching amplifiers include the R ADVANCED MODEL with EtherCAT or PROFINET, the 400 VAC multi-axis R ADVANCED MODEL with a shared power supply, and the R 3E Model with optional Safety over EtherCAT. For machine-tool spindles there is the SANMOTION S spindle system.
DC servo systems
The SANMOTION T brushed DC servo is known for low-speed stability in instruments and general machinery. The SANMOTION K range is a low-cogging, mounting-compatible family in 24 VDC and 75 VDC classes for precision and medical equipment.
Stepping systems
Sanyo Denki offers 2-, 3- and 5-phase hybrid steppers: the broad F2 2-phase range from 14 mm to 106 mm frames, the F3 3-phase motors with a 1.2° basic step, and the F5 5-phase systems with a 0.72° step for low vibration. The PB closed-loop stepping system adds an encoder so the driver can prevent step loss. Our servo and stepper motor hub and the servo vs stepper guide explain when each approach fits.
Technologies and standards
Across the current SANMOTION R amplifiers, the company has moved towards open industrial Ethernet, with EtherCAT and PROFINET interfaces, and towards drive-integrated functional safety such as Safe Torque Off and Safety over EtherCAT. Battery-less absolute encoders on the R-series motors remove the backup battery that older absolute systems needed. In stepping motors, the range is unusual in offering a choice of phase count (2, 3 or 5), which lets a designer trade step resolution, smoothness and driver cost.
Industries served
The SANMOTION ranges are positioned for machine tools (the S spindle system and the R5 feed-axis motors), measuring instruments and general machinery (the T DC servo), and precision and medical equipment (the K DC servo), alongside the general factory automation served by the R servo and F stepping families. San Ace fans serve equipment cooling, and SANUPS products include inverters for renewable energy as well as UPS units.
Global and UK presence
The group’s European sales companies are SANYO DENKI EUROPE S.A. in Goussainville, France, and SANYO DENKI GERMANY GmbH in Eschborn, near Frankfurt. Sanyo Denki lists no UK subsidiary. Its UK distributor page names four companies: EAO Ltd (Burgess Hill) for cooling and stepping products, and ERIKS (Dudley), Intelligent Automation Systems Ltd (Southall) and Micromech Ltd (Braintree) for servo and stepping products. UK engineers usually buy through one of these distributors, with technical support from the European offices.
Sourcing Sanyo Denki parts through Specify Motion
Specify Motion is independent of Sanyo Denki and is not affiliated with it. We can help you source SANMOTION parts for an existing machine, or propose equivalent motors and drives from our supply network on published figures. Our Sanyo Denki alternatives page explains what to check, and the find a replacement form is the quickest way to send a part number.
Sanyo Denki history: key dates
- 1927Sanyo Shokai founded in August by Hideo Yamamoto to import and sell electrical components
- 1936Reorganised as a joint stock company in December
- 1942Renamed SANYO DENKI CO., LTD.
- 1952First AC and DC servo motors
- 1959First stepping motor
- 1962Listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
- 1965First cooling fan
- 1988SANYO DENKI EUROPE S.A. established in France
- 2005SANYO DENKI GERMANY GmbH established
- 2013Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange; head office moved to its current site
Sanyo Denki servo motors
SANMOTION R - R2 (medium inertia)
Core medium-inertia AC servo motor range of the SANMOTION R series, spanning very small to very large outputs with a battery-less 23-bit absolute encoder as standard.
SANMOTION R - R1 (low inertia)
Low-inertia large-frame SANMOTION R motor intended for high acceleration duty.
SANMOTION R - R5 (medium inertia)
Medium-inertia small SANMOTION R motor tuned for smooth motion, such as feed axes on small machine tools.
SANMOTION S (AC spindle motor system)
AC spindle motor and amplifier system for machine tools, combining high-speed rotation with high low-speed torque for synchronised tapping.
SANMOTION T (DC servo)
Brushed DC servo motor and amplifier system known for low-speed stability, used in measuring instruments and general machinery.
SANMOTION K (DC servo)
Low-cogging DC servo motors, mounting-compatible with SANMOTION T, offered in 75 VDC and 24 VDC classes for precision and medical equipment.
Sanyo Denki stepper motors
SANMOTION F2 (2-phase stepping)
Broad 2-phase hybrid stepper range from 14 mm to 106 mm, including thin, high-torque and IP65 versions with 1.8 and 0.9 degree step angles.
SANMOTION F3 (3-phase stepping)
Three-lead 3-phase stepper motors with 1.2 degree basic step angle in four square frame sizes.
SANMOTION F5 (5-phase stepping)
5-phase stepper systems with a fine 0.72 degree basic step for low vibration and noise, offered as AC- or DC-input motor and driver sets.
SANMOTION Model No. PB (closed-loop stepping system)
Encoder-equipped closed-loop stepper system that avoids step loss, sold as motor plus driver with AC or DC input and pulse, RS-485 or EtherCAT control.
Sanyo Denki servo drives
SANMOTION R ADVANCED MODEL servo amplifier
Compact, higher-torque-output generation of SANMOTION R amplifiers with EtherCAT or PROFINET interfaces and STO, driving R-series motors up to around 11-15 kW.
SANMOTION R ADVANCED MODEL 400 VAC multi-axis servo amplifier
400 V class modular system with a shared power supply unit and up to four amplifier axes per EtherCAT control unit for motors up to 15 kW.
SANMOTION R 3E Model servo amplifier
SANMOTION R amplifier generation with about 2.2 kHz speed response and optional Safety-over-EtherCAT functions, offered for 100, 200 and 400 VAC supplies.
Engineer support
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