Rockwell acquires MagneMotion

Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, added to its offerings to industrial warehouse and production facilities with the acquisition announced this week of MagneMotion Intelligent Conveyor Systems, Devens, Mass. MagneMotion will be integrated into Rockwell Automation’s motion business within its Architecture & Software segment. The acquisition is expected to close this quarter. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

MagneMotion gives Rockwell a suite of assembly and process automation, material handling and transportation solutions based on electro-magnetic technology and controls. The company’s products are based on use of linear synchronous motor (LSM) and magnetic levitation (maglev) technologies.

The company was launched in 1996 by a team of MIT researchers who made advances in LSM technology and saw a wide range of transportation and industrial applications for it. MagneMotion has patents and special expertise in areas such as motor and magnet array design and fabrication, position sensing and control, and propulsion, levitation, guidance and switching for maglev systems.