Synapticon

Synapticon contact details

Synapticon GmbH (headquarters)

Steinbeisstraße 1
71101 Schönaich
Germany

Telephone +49 7031 304780

Email sales@synapticon.com

Website synapticon.com

Synapticon Inc.

303 Twin Dolphin Drive
Redwood City, CA 94065
United States

Telephone +1 650 632 4599

Email sales-us@synapticon.com

Web synapticon.com/unternehmen/kontakt

Synapticon Co. Ltd. (Asia-Pacific)

New Com Park A, 306 Pingshan Road
Taoyuan, Nanshan, Shenzhen
China

Telephone +86 186 1688 5886

Email sales-ap@synapticon.com

Web synapticon.com/unternehmen/kontakt

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

Synapticon product lines

Who Synapticon is

Synapticon is a German motion control company that makes very compact servo drives and the actuators built around them. Its SOMANET drives are small enough to sit inside a robot joint or on the back of a motor, run on 24–60 V DC, connect over EtherCAT and include TÜV-certified safety functions. Its ACTILINK range packages those drives with motors, encoders, brakes and gearing into integrated servo motors and complete robot joints.

The products are aimed at OEMs building humanoids, cobots, mobile robots or compact machines that want the drive electronics inside the axis rather than in a cabinet, with functional safety already certified.

History and ownership

Synapticon was founded in 2012 by electrical engineer Martin Schwarz, mechanical engineer Nikolai Ensslen and computer scientist Andrija Feher. Its first workspace was an attic on the Swabian Alb. The early work covered compact embedded computers, a cloud-based development environment and a modular robotics electronics kit, funded through engineering services.

Around 2016 the company moved to Filderstadt near Stuttgart and opened a Silicon Valley branch. It also shifted from services to its own products, focused on industry and motion control. The SOMANET Node followed in 2018 and the SOMANET Circulo in 2019. Synapticon is now headquartered in Schönaich, with subsidiaries in Silicon Valley, Shanghai and Belgrade (its contact page lists the Asia-Pacific office in Shenzhen). It employs about 85 people from 25 nations. It does not publish ownership or investor details.

Product portfolio

Servo drives

• SOMANET Node drives are ultra-compact, board-level EtherCAT (CiA 402) drives for PMSM, AC synchronous and BLDC motors up to 60 V. The range is rated from about 20 A to 100 A, and the evaluation kit drives motors up to 2,000 W at 48 V. STO and SBC are TÜV-certified to SIL3 / PL e, and a safety variant adds Fail Safe over EtherCAT (FSoE).
• SOMANET Circulo drives are ring-shaped, in two sizes (Circulo 7 and 9), and fit around a joint’s hollow shaft. They integrate up to two 20-bit absolute encoders, support up to 60 A rms and offer more than ten SIL3 / PL e safety functions, including STO, SBC, SS1, SS2 and SLS.
• SOMANET Integro mounts on the back of 50–100 mm motors. It delivers 20 A rms continuous and 40 A peak, with up to 4.5 kW, a battery-free 12–22-bit multi-turn encoder, an IP67 option and STO/SBC to SIL3 / PL e.

See how to select a PCB-mount servo drive for this class of drive.

Motors and actuators

• ACTILINK-S integrated servo motors combine a motor with an Integro drive in 60 and 80 mm flanges. They are rated 200–1,000 W, up to 3.2 Nm rated and 13 Nm peak, 3,000 rpm rated at 48 V, with a battery-less 18-bit multi-turn encoder and IP65. Fieldbus is EtherCAT, PROFINET or EtherNet/IP. See how to select an integrated servo motor.
• ACTILINK-JP precision actuators use strain-wave gearing in five sizes (AL-JP 14 to 32, 72 to 142 mm diameter). At the standard 101:1 ratio they give 9.6–137 Nm rated and up to 411 Nm peak. Each joint has a hollow shaft, brake, motor and output encoders and an integrated Circulo drive with FSoE safe motion. ACTILINK-JD is the planetary-geared dynamic version.

Technologies

Synapticon’s design approach is to put the drive, encoders and safety logic inside the axis. That cuts cabinet space and cabling, and it suits robots with many joints. Keep three points in mind:

• EtherCAT and CiA 402. The drives work with standard EtherCAT masters such as TwinCAT and CODESYS, as well as Synapticon’s MOTORCORTEX.
• Functional safety. Safety functions are certified to SIL3 / PL e under IEC 61800-5-2. The system integrator still has to validate the overall safety function.
• Low-voltage DC. Running at 48 V nominal simplifies battery-powered and collaborative machines but means high currents. Size cables and connectors accordingly.

For gearing choices in the joint, see harmonic vs planetary vs cycloidal and how to select a harmonic actuator.

Industries served

Synapticon names humanoid robots, robot arms and cobots, mobile robots, industrial automation and mechanical engineering. See robotics and cobots and AGVs and AMRs.

Global and UK presence

Synapticon sells from Schönaich, Redwood City and Shenzhen, with regional sales contacts for Italy, the USA, Canada and Europe. It lists no UK office or distributor, so UK engineers usually deal with the German headquarters.

What to send when specifying a compact drive or joint

Send the motor or joint torque and speed, DC bus voltage, continuous and peak current, the encoder and absolute-position needs, the EtherCAT master and cycle time, the safety functions and level required, and the envelope and cooling available.

Specify Motion is independent of Synapticon and is not a distributor for the company. Our engineers can help source Synapticon products or propose equivalents from our supply network on published figures; see find a replacement or the servo drives hub.

Synapticon history: key dates

1. 2012Founded by Martin Schwarz, Nikolai Ensslen and Andrija Feher
2. 2016Shift from engineering services to products for motion control; Silicon Valley branch opened
3. 2018SOMANET Node series launched
4. 2019SOMANET Circulo series launched
5. 2023SOMANET Integro introduced (November)

Synapticon servo motors

Integrated servo motor

ACTILINK-S

48 V integrated servo motors with a built-in SOMANET Integro drive in 60 and 80 mm flanges, 200–1,000 W rated, up to 3.2 Nm rated and 13 Nm peak, battery-less 18-bit multi-turn encoder, IP65 and EtherCAT, PROFINET or EtherNet/IP.

Synapticon harmonic actuators

Integrated robot joint actuator

ACTILINK-JP

Strain-wave robot joint actuators in five sizes (AL-JP 14 to 32) with integrated SOMANET Circulo drive, dual 19/20-bit encoders, hollow shaft and brake; up to 137 Nm rated and 411 Nm peak at 101:1, with SIL3/PL e safe motion over FSoE.

Synapticon servo drives

PCB-mount drive

SOMANET Node

Ultra-compact board-level EtherCAT servo drives for PMSM and BLDC motors up to 60 V, in ratings of about 20–100 A, with TÜV-certified STO and SBC to SIL3 / PL e and an FSoE safety variant.

PCB-mount drive

SOMANET Circulo

Ring-shaped servo drives (Circulo 7 and 9) that sit inside a robot joint around the hollow shaft, up to 60 V and 60 A rms, with up to two integrated 20-bit absolute encoders, EtherCAT at up to 4 kHz and more than ten SIL3 / PL e safety functions.

DC servo drive

SOMANET Integro

Motor-mounted all-in-one servo drive for 50–100 mm motors at 24–60 V: 20 A rms continuous (40 A peak) and up to 4.5 kW, 12–22-bit battery-free multi-turn encoder, IP67 option and STO/SBC to SIL3 / PL e.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Synapticon website?

Synapticon's official website is synapticon.com, in German and English. It covers the SOMANET servo drives, ACTILINK motors and actuators, OBLAC and MOTORCORTEX software, safety technology, company history, locations and a contact page listing the German, US and Chinese offices.

What is Synapticon's phone number and email?

Synapticon's German headquarters can be reached on +49 7031 304780 and sales@synapticon.com. The US office uses +1 650 632 4599 and sales-us@synapticon.com, and the Asia-Pacific office in Shenzhen uses +86 186 1688 5886 and sales-ap@synapticon.com.

Where is Synapticon's headquarters?

Synapticon GmbH is headquartered at Steinbeisstraße 1, 71101 Schönaich, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, south-west of Stuttgart. It also has subsidiaries in Silicon Valley (Redwood City), Shenzhen and Belgrade.

Who owns Synapticon?

Synapticon GmbH was founded in 2012 by Martin Schwarz, Nikolai Ensslen and Andrija Feher. The company's website does not name investors or a parent group, and we found no published ownership details.

Does Synapticon have a UK office?

Synapticon lists no UK office or UK distributor. Its contact page names regional sales contacts, one covering Europe, and European enquiries can go to the Schönaich headquarters. Specify Motion is independent of Synapticon and can help source its products or propose equivalents.

What does Synapticon make?

Synapticon makes SOMANET servo drives (Node, Circulo and Integro) with EtherCAT and certified safety functions, ACTILINK-S integrated servo motors, and ACTILINK-JP and JD robot joint actuators, plus drive commissioning tools, the MOTORCORTEX motion software and POSITRON safety products.

Sources

1. Synapticon: home page
2. Synapticon: Über uns (about us)
3. Synapticon: Kontakt (contact)
4. Synapticon: ACTILINK-S
5. Synapticon: ACTILINK-JP
6. Synapticon: SOMANET Node
7. Synapticon: SOMANET Circulo
8. Synapticon: SOMANET Integro

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.