POSITAL

Manufacturer information and published contact details

POSITAL contact details

POSITAL B.V. / FRABA B.V. (holding)

ECI 13
6041 MA Roermond
Netherlands

Email info@fraba.eu

Website posital.com/en

FRABA GmbH, sales and support (Germany)

Im Mediapark 5
50670 Cologne
Germany

Telephone +49 221 96213 0

Email info@fraba.de

Web posital.com/en/locations

FRABA GmbH, R&D and manufacturing

Auf der Huels 183
52068 Aachen
Germany

Email info@fraba.eu

Web posital.com/en/locations

FRABA Inc. (Americas)

100 Horizon Center Blvd
Hamilton, NJ 08691
United States

Telephone +1 609 750 8705

Email info@fraba.com

Web posital.com/en/locations

Show POSITAL headquarters on the map Open in Google Maps →

Contact details as published by FRABA B.V. (FRABA Group; CEO and principal shareholder Christian Leeser), checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with FRABA B.V. (FRABA Group; CEO and principal shareholder Christian Leeser).

POSITAL product lines

Who POSITAL is

POSITAL is the sensor brand of the FRABA Group, an international company that designs and builds rotary encoders, inclinometers and linear position sensors. Engineers mostly know it through IXARC, the name used across its absolute and incremental encoders, and through its use of the Wiegand effect to count turns in multi-turn encoders without a battery or a gear train.

The business model is unusual for the sector. Instead of a short list of catalogue parts, POSITAL publishes a very large set of configurable options (flange, shaft, housing material, interface, connector, resolution) and builds each encoder to order. Its online product finder generates the part number and datasheet, which is helpful when a machine builder needs a specific combination or a drop-in replacement for an existing encoder.

History and ownership

POSITAL’s parent, FRABA, has a long history. FRABA’s own timeline records:

• 1918: Franz Baumgartner founds FRABA in Cologne, based on a patent for a switch. The company later becomes a supplier of relays and electrical controls.
• 1960: it diversifies into medical equipment with a mobile dialysis system, a division it sells in 1970.
• 1993: Dr. Achim Leeser, Christian Leeser and Axel Wiemann take over the business and restructure it into three independent companies.
• 2000: the first foreign subsidiary opens in Princeton, New Jersey.
• 2007: a manufacturing plant opens in Poland.
• 2009: the first Asian subsidiary opens in Singapore.
• 2011: research and development moves to Aachen.
• 2021: two new business units are created, UBITO for Wiegand technology and CREDEMUS for digital transformation.
• 2022: a factory for high-volume products opens in Malaysia.
• 2023: a new R&D centre opens in Romania.

FRABA describes Christian Leeser as its CEO and principal shareholder. In its review of 2025 the group reported sales of €46 million, up 7 %, and nearly 400 employees, with the growth in headcount coming mainly from the Johor Bahru plant. It also opened FRABA India in Pune. The holding company, FRABA B.V., and POSITAL B.V. are registered at ECI 13 in Roermond, the Netherlands.

Encoder portfolio

Our series pages summarise the published figures for each POSITAL family.

Absolute encoders (IXARC)

• IXARC Ethernet encoders connect directly to PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT or Modbus/TCP. The optical versions give up to 16 bits per turn (65,536 steps) and up to 16,384 turns, and the PROFINET versions follow encoder profile V4.0/V4.1.
• IXARC Fieldbus Classic covers CANopen, PROFIBUS, Modbus RTU and SAE J1939, with up to 31-bit total resolution and a wide choice of mechanical designs.
• The IXARC MCS PROFIsafe encoder is certified to SIL 2 and PL d and reports 12- or 13-bit single-turn and 12-bit multi-turn position over PROFINET with PROFIsafe. It is rated -40 to +85 °C.
• IXARC IO-Link encoders are low-cost magnetic absolute encoders on a 5-pin M12 connector, with programmable resolution and Wiegand multi-turn.
• IXARC ATEX encoders are stainless steel versions certified for Zones 1/21 and 2/22.

Kit encoders for motor feedback

IXARC kit encoders are magnetic modules that motor makers build into servo and brushless DC motors. Versions range from a 22 mm miniature kit to through-hollow kits for 30 and 50 mm shafts. The BiSS Line version reaches 17-bit single-turn and 32-bit multi-turn resolution, runs on a two-wire or four-wire connection up to 100 m and operates from -40 to +105 °C, which suits one-cable motor designs.

Incremental encoders

IXARC incremental encoders use tunnel magneto-resistance (TMR) sensing. Pulse count, HTL or TTL output and counting direction can be programmed, so one part can replace several fixed-resolution encoders. Heavy-duty stainless steel versions are rated up to IP69K and 200 g shock.

Technologies and standards

Two technologies define POSITAL’s range. The first is the Wiegand wire: each revolution of the magnet triggers a short, strong voltage pulse in a special wire, enough to power the turn counter. That means the encoder keeps counting turns even with no supply and needs no backup battery or gearing, which removes a maintenance item in multi-turn applications. FRABA has spun this technology into its UBITO business unit.

The second is magnetic sensing in place of optical discs for most of the range. Magnetic encoders tolerate dust, condensation, shock and vibration better than many optical designs, at the cost of lower resolution than the best optical encoders. For applications that need the highest resolution, POSITAL still offers optical versions. Our absolute vs incremental encoders guide explains how to choose between single-turn, multi-turn and incremental feedback.

Industries served

POSITAL’s materials point to factory automation, mobile machinery, valves and water, mining, oil and gas, agriculture and energy. The FRABA group site lists manufacturing, mining, agriculture and energy as its main markets.

Global and UK presence

FRABA’s locations page lists sales and support in Cologne, Hamilton (New Jersey), Singapore, Shanghai and Pune, manufacturing in Słubice (Poland), Johor (Malaysia) and Aachen, and research and development in Aachen and Cluj-Napoca. There is no UK office on that page. UK engineers typically buy through the distributors listed on posital.com or contact the Cologne office.

What to send when specifying a POSITAL encoder

Give the flange and shaft (or bore) dimensions, single-turn or multi-turn, the resolution, the interface your controller reads, supply voltage, IP rating, temperature range, connector or cable exit, and any safety or ATEX requirement. For a kit encoder, add the motor shaft diameter, the space available and the drive’s feedback protocol.

Specify Motion is independent of POSITAL and the FRABA Group. Our engineers can help source POSITAL encoders or propose equivalents on published figures; see find a replacement or the encoders hub.

POSITAL history: key dates

1. 1918FRABA founded in Cologne by Franz Baumgartner, based on a patent for a switch
2. 1993Dr. Achim Leeser, Christian Leeser and Axel Wiemann take over and restructure the company
3. 2000First foreign subsidiary opens in Princeton, New Jersey
4. 2007Manufacturing plant opens in Poland
5. 2009First Asian subsidiary opens in Singapore
6. 2011R&D centre moves to Aachen
7. 2021UBITO business unit created for Wiegand technology
8. 2022New factory opens in Malaysia for high-volume products
9. 2023New R&D centre opens in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

POSITAL encoders

Optical absolute encoder

IXARC Ethernet absolute encoders

IXARC absolute rotary encoders with PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT or Modbus/TCP, in optical and magnetic versions; optical versions resolve up to 16 bits per turn and 16,384 turns (14-bit multi-turn).

Magnetic rotary encoder

IXARC Fieldbus Classic absolute encoders

IXARC absolute encoders with CANopen, PROFIBUS, Modbus RTU or SAE J1939, offered in many mechanical designs with up to 31-bit total resolution and battery-free Wiegand multi-turn on the magnetic versions.

Magnetic rotary encoder

IXARC MCS PROFIsafe safety encoder

Magnetic absolute encoder certified to SIL 2 and PL d, sending 12- or 13-bit single-turn and 12-bit multi-turn position over PROFINET with PROFIsafe; rated -40 to +85 °C and 1,000 rpm.

Magnetic rotary encoder

IXARC IO-Link absolute encoders

Low-cost magnetic absolute encoders with an IO-Link interface on a 5-pin M12 connector, battery-free Wiegand multi-turn counting and a default 12-bit single-turn resolution that can be reprogrammed or switched to incremental output.

Magnetic rotary encoder

IXARC kit encoders

Magnetic kit encoders for building into motors, 22–36 mm across, with BiSS-C, BiSS Line or SSI; the BiSS Line version gives up to 17-bit single-turn and 32-bit multi-turn with Wiegand multi-turn and operates from -40 to +105 °C.

Magnetic rotary encoder

IXARC programmable incremental encoders

Programmable magnetic incremental encoders using TMR sensing, with pulse count, output driver (HTL or TTL) and direction set in software; heavy-duty stainless steel versions reach IP69K and 200 g shock.

Magnetic rotary encoder

IXARC ATEX encoders

Absolute and incremental IXARC encoders certified for explosive atmospheres in Zones 1/21 and 2/22, with stainless steel housings and a choice of interfaces for mining, oil and gas.