About KEB Automation: History, Technology and Product Families

KEB Automation is a family-owned drive and automation technology manufacturer headquartered in Barntrup, Germany. Older documentation may use the names KEB Antriebstechnik or Karl E. Brinkmann. KEB takes its name from founder Karl-Ernst Brinkmann. The company develops electronic and mechanical products for generating, controlling, transmitting and stopping motion.

Its portfolio includes motor drives, servo systems, motors, gear units, brakes, clutches and control software. Understanding KEB means looking at the complete motion system, from the controller to the mechanical load.

KEB's Development Since 1972

1972 — Beginning with brakes and clutches: Karl-Ernst Brinkmann founded the company to manufacture electromagnetic brakes and clutches. These mechanical roots remain visible in today's portfolio. KEB's history therefore extends beyond the development of electronic motor drives.

1975 — First international subsidiary: KEB Italia, established near Milan, became the group's first subsidiary. Relationships with Italian machine builders were an early step in its international expansion. KEB Italia celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025.

1985 — Electronic drive technology: The manufacturer's historical timeline identifies COMBIVERT 56 as its first inverter generation. Electronic control of motor operation became an additional business area alongside mechanical brakes and clutches.

1993 — Expansion into motors and gear units: The establishment of KEB Schneeberg expanded the group's in-house development and production of motors and gear units. Combining electronic drives with mechanical motion components strengthened its system approach.

2017 — The KEB Automation name: Karl E. Brinkmann GmbH became KEB Automation, reflecting a scope that included control technology and machine automation alongside motor drives. Older and newer company names in documentation reflect these different periods.

2022 — Fifty years in business: KEB reached its 50th anniversary. Its account of this development traces a path from brakes and clutches to drive technology, control systems and Industrial IoT.

KEB's Main Product Areas

Brakes and clutches: The portfolio includes COMBISTOP spring-applied brakes, COMBIPERM permanent magnet brakes and clutches, and COMBINORM electromagnetic brakes and clutches. These components mechanically hold a shaft or transmit motion. A mechanical brake is a different component from a braking resistor connected to a drive.

Motors and geared motors: KEB offers asynchronous motors, TA and DL series servo motors and several geared motor configurations. Helical, shaft-mounted helical, helical worm and helical bevel designs address different mounting and load requirements. Selection considers motor power, output torque, reduction ratio and operating conditions.

Control and automation: The C6 portfolio includes controllers, industrial PCs and operator panels. PLC, motion control, visualisation and I/O functions work together through the appropriate hardware and software configuration. KEB also offers Safety PLC and Safety I/O products for safety-related control functions.

How Do the COMBIVERT Families Differ?

COMBIVERT F4 and F5: F4 is an earlier drive family found in existing installations. F5 is a broad platform for asynchronous and synchronous motor control; vector control and operation with feedback depend on the configuration. KEB's current global website places F5 under predecessor products. This classification does not establish that every variant was discontinued on the same date. The F4 or F5 family name alone does not identify the supply requirements, control board or braking hardware.

COMBIVERT G6: This family is positioned as a frequency inverter, with V/f operation and encoderless motor control among its principal capabilities. KEB specifies a family range of 0.75–30 kW; single-phase and three-phase versions have different power limits. It supports asynchronous and synchronous motor applications, but the required functions must be checked against the selected variant.

COMBIVERT F6: F6 combines frequency inverter and servo drive functions in one platform. The standard family covers 2.2–450 kW. Motor support, encoder interfaces, cooling, communication and safety functions depend on the configuration. F6 is therefore a configurable drive platform for different machine requirements.

COMBIVERT S6: S6 is a compact servo drive in book format, developed for dynamic and precise motion applications. The manufacturer's family table lists 0.75–7.5 kW, although individual supply and hardware versions do not cover that entire range. Communication options such as EtherCAT and integrated safety functions depend on the device variant. S6 does not use the same multi-axis architecture as H6.

COMBIVERT H6: H6 is a modular multi-axis drive system with a shared DC link. Supply, single-axis or double-axis, control and suitable regenerative modules form a complete system. EtherCAT provides the system bus. The common DC link allows energy to be shared between axes. KEB also lists H6 under predecessor products; changes to an existing installation require module and software compatibility to be considered together.

Software, Communication and Machine Data

COMBIVIS tools support drive parameterisation, diagnostics and commissioning. COMBIVIS studio 6 brings control programming, industrial communication and motion functions into an engineering environment. CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 programming are important parts of this control environment. Setting drive parameters and writing the machine's PLC program are different tasks that complement each other.

NOA — Next Open Automation is KEB's open automation and IIoT platform. Its Linux and container-based architecture supports machine data processing and application management. Devices such as C6 COMPACT 3 can combine control, motion, HMI and data communication. HELIO supports the development of responsive HMIs for different screens. These products illustrate KEB's expansion from controlling motors to managing machine data.

Applications: Machine Building and Wind Energy

KEB solutions serve applications including plastics processing, packaging, food processing, woodworking, warehouse automation and material handling. A common requirement is to coordinate the speed and motion of one or more electric motors with the production process. For example, a packaging machine coordinates feed and cutting axes, while a warehouse system places particular demands on acceleration and load handling.

A specific wind turbine application is the COMBIVERT P6 pitch drive. Pitch control changes the angle of a turbine blade. P6 combines the drive, brake control and supply, energy-storage charging and PLC functions in one device. It adjusts blade angle to wind conditions and, as part of a properly designed system, helps move the blades to a safe position when critical conditions arise.

Energy Management and Safety

A decelerating motor, or one driven by its load, can produce regenerative energy. In suitable KEB systems, this energy can be used by another axis on the common DC link or returned to the supply through appropriate regenerative equipment. Not every COMBIVERT device can return energy to the mains by itself; the necessary hardware and system architecture must be selected.

Modern drives can provide STO — Safe Torque Off and other safety functions, depending on the variant. STO does not provide electrical isolation or mechanical braking. With a vertical load, removing torque is different from mechanically holding the load. A certified drive function also does not establish the safety of the complete machine; system design and validation remain necessary.

Developments in 2025–2026

SPS 2025 presentation: KEB highlighted NOA, C6 COMPACT 3 and F6/S6 solutions with integrated safety. It also presented a parallel architecture combining up to three F6 power units to reach the megawatt range. This is a system rating, not the output of one standard F6 unit.

Peak Power Drives article dated 20 May 2026: KEB emphasised high starting torque, dynamic loads and overload capability for this F6-based solution. Crane, intralogistics and high-duty applications are examples. Peak Power was already mentioned in 2024 announcements, so the 2026 article should not be treated as the family's original launch date.

Manufacturer sources: Company profile · 50th anniversary history · KEB Italia history · F6 · S6 · G6 · H6 · SPS 2025 · Peak Power 2026. Information checked on 7 October 2026; consult the documentation for the specific device variant for detailed specifications.