Abstract: In this paper, a new type of six-pole radial-axial active magnetic bearing（AMB） driven by an three-phase inverter was presented. Compared with the three-pole radial-axial AMB, the six-pole radial-axial AMB has the advantages of large bearing capacity, no electromagnetic cross-coupling between radial two degrees of freedom and so on. Firstly, the basic structure, magnetic circuits and working principle of the six-pole radial-axial AMB were analyzed in detail, and its mathematical models were deduced. Secondly, the electromagnetic characteristics and the maximum bearing capacity were simulated by finite element method. In comparison with the analysis results of the three-pole radial-axial AMB, the bearing capacity of six-pole radial-axial AMB is increased by about 33%, and there is no electromagnetic cross-coupling between radial two degrees of freedom, and the nonlinear problem of force-current characteristic is solved. Thirdly, the validation experiment and static suspension experiment based on the prototype were also conducted to verify the superior performance of the six-pole radial-axial AMB. Experimental results show that the performance of the proposed six-pole radial-axial AMB is superior to that of the three-pole radial-axial AMB, which verifies the accuracy of the theoretical analysis.