Our history

The cascade gearbox technology was invented by M.D. Stig Lundbäck and Patrik Möller as part of their work on wave power drive trains at CorPower Ocean. After verifying the technology with various prototypes and gear researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2012, CorPower wanted to build an on-land rig to test wave energy devices with simulated wave loading. However, the designers could not find any existing linear drive solutions on the market that could deliver the combination of high force and speed required. After verifying the capabilities of the cascade technology to convert linear-to-rotating motion, CorPower co-founder Patrik Möller got the idea to put a motor instead of a generator on the gearbox shaft. And a new type of linear actuator named Cascade Drive was born.

Patrik Möller and Stig Lundbäck co-founded Cascade Drives AB in 2014 to commercialize these linear actuators to enable the electrification of industrial applications. EIT InnoEnergy's startup incubator supported the company, and the first customer applications were identified.

In 2016 Kristian Floresjö was recruited as CEO. After spending much of his life researching the pumping and control functions of the human heart, Mr. Lundbäck passed away in 2017.

The cascade drive technology has seen significant industrial development since the first versions were tested in 2012. It is now a proven and reliable solution in wave energy and other heavy-duty industrial applications.

Cascade Drives AB owns the intellectual property rights of the technology. CorPower Ocean AB has the exclusive right to use it within the ocean energy sector, while Cascade Drives AB has the exclusive right to use it for industrial applications outside ocean energy. As both companies continue developing and refining the technology, new IP is shared with the same division of usage rights.