Is it ok for stepper motors to be hot?
I have been running my i3 MK3 for about 12 hours now and the motor on the extruder is fairly hot, not too hot to touch but I'd guess its about 60c on the outside. Is this within normal operating temperatures or should I let it cool down before starting more prints?
@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 I think he's talking about the stepper motor, not the feeder motor on the extruder head.
Might be worth comparing to the Y-drive stepper motor, as that gets roughly the same amount of work as the motor which runs the X-gantry.
@CarlWitthoft I'm talking about the one on the head that pulls the filament down in to the hot end. I thought that was a stepper motor as well.
you can add heat sinks to the motor to keep it cooler; use a thermal adhesive to affix.
The maximum operating temperature can be found in the specifications of your steppers. Usually the ambient temperature operating conditions are limited to 50 °C with a maximum operating temperature in the range of 70 - 100 °C. For instance, the steppers I use are limited to a temperature of 80 °C. It is however advised to keep this temperature lower, e.g. to max. 60 °C to prolong the life. Do note that very high temperatures could be a problem for "self-printed" stepper mounts of the wrong material (materials with a low glass transition temperature).
To answer your question: "Yes, steppers may get hot, but if you want them to get too hot is up to the mounting system and how long you want to use them."
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Content dated before 7/24/2021 11:53 AM
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 4 years ago
I'm no expert on the subject, but would believe the motors would get hot after constant use, especially the extruder motor, considering it's connected to a heating element.