• Home
  • Investors
  • Contact Parker
  • Sign In / Register
Parker Community
  • Site
  • User
  • Site
  • Search
  • User
  • Products
  • Support
  • Divisions
  • Where to Buy
  • Careers
  • About Parker
Home Parker Community Technologies Electromechanical Group Electromechanical Knowledge Base Why is my stepper motor getting hot?
Sign In / Register

Sign In

Register

  • Electromechanical Knowledge Base & Frequently Asked Questions
  • Motion and Machine Controllers+
  • General Technology Information+
  • Virtual Engineer+
  • Visualization and Human Machine Interface (HMI)+
  • Servo Drives and Servo Drive/Controllers+
  • Stepper Drives and Stepper Drive/Controller+
  • Gearheads+
  • AC and DC Drives and Inverters+
  • Servo Motors+
  • Step Motors-
    • -EC Encoder Option Clarification for Step Motors
    • A vs M motors
    • Checking Stepper Motor Phases.
    • Connectors on Step Motor Cables?
    • Custom Stepper Motors
    • How many steps per revolution do our motors have?
    • HV and LV 34 Frame Stepper Motor Round Shaft Option
    • HV and LV Stepper Motor Order Code
    • HV LV Step Motors Purple or Red/White Wire
    • HV/LV step motor wiring
    • IP rating on stepper motors?
    • LV HV Stepper motor Resonant speeds (Waveform, Balance, Offset)
    • LV/HV Customs
    • Motor inductance
    • OEM Motor Connector Part Numbers
    • OEM Step Motor Part Numbers
    • Operating Temperature Range for Stepper Motors
    • PK162-308 Specifications
    • Replacements for the VS series step motors
    • Replacing S/ZETA/ES series step motors with BE servo motors
    • S106 Motor Replacements
    • S106 motor specifications
    • Series vs Parallel wiring in motors
    • Single-shaft motors more expensive?
    • Step Drive and Motor Compatibility Chart
    • Step motors with Brad Harrison Connectors (Yellow 5 pin)
    • Stepper Cross-Over Chart
    • Stepper Motor Fault.
    • Steppers: Determining Pinouts
    • Unipolar and Bipolar motors.
    • Unipolar Drive Wiring with Bipolar Motors
    • VS Motor Wiring and Currents
    • VS-Motor Cables
    • Why is my stepper motor getting hot?
  • Linear and Rotary Positioners+
  • Electric Cylinders+
  • T-Slot Aluminum Framing+
  • OEM Products+
  • C3 + Xpress + ETH+
  • Legacy+
  • Other+
  • Technologies
    • Aerospace
    • Climate Control
    • Electromechanical Group
      • Parker IPS Design Center Community
    • Filtration
    • Fluid and Gas Handling
    • Hydraulics
    • Pneumatics
    • Process Control
    • Sealing and Shielding
  • Blogs
  • Forums
  • Knowledge Base
  • Home
  • All Blogs
  • Home
  • Electromechanical Blog
  • Electromechanical Group Forums
  • Electromechanical Knowledge Base
  • Electromechanical Group Members
  • Mentions
  • Electromechanical Group Sub-Groups
  • Tags
Follow Us
  • Follow Parker Hannifin on social media

Follow Parker Hannifin on social media:

Why is my stepper motor getting hot?

Print Friendly and PDF
Stepper motors do get hot. Their cases can get up to about 100 - 110 degrees C. This is because the drive is supplying the motor with full current the whole time to keep the motor in position. (This is different than a servo where the drive only gives the servo motor as much current needed to maintain its postion. The servo has feedback for this purpose where the stepper does not.)

If you run a stepper motor on a desktop without a heatsink, depending on how much current the drive is setup to put into the motor, the motor is in danger of being burned up.

There are several ways to reduce the temperature that a stepper motor can get up to...

1) Mount the motor to a proper heatsink. What the motor mounts to makes a big difference. A gearbox does not make a good heatsink. Neither does a mounting plate that is the same size as the motor's mounting flange. The temperature difference of a stepper motor on and off of a heatsink can be up to 40 degrees C!

What is a good heat sink?
23 frame: 6-inch x 6-inch x .5-inch
10-inch x 10-inch x 0.25-inch aluminium heatsink2) Use the drive's current reduction ability if it has it. Parker's stepper drives all have some sort of current reduction ability that reduces the amount of current supplied to the drive when the motor is at a standstill. This works on horizontal loads without any external forces. When this function is used vertical loads could fall with ballscrews, belts or low friction systems with applied loads that are constantly trying to backdrive the motor. As step motors have higher torque at low speeds and less torque is required to hold a load than accelerate a load, whether a step motor will back drive in a current foldback condition depends on the system friction and loads. Leadscrews are typically self-locking or a brake on a ballscrew and would better choices.

3) Make sure their is plenty of airflow. A stepper motor in a tight and confined space will not be able to shed its heat. Using good air circulation and a fan will help the motor to dissipate the heat that it builds up.

More information on choosing a step motor and how motor current settings are chosen.

Related FAQ:
Stepper Motor Current Settings
  • Share
  • History
  • More
  • Cancel
Related
  • Technologies
    • Aerospace
    • Climate Control
    • Electromechanical Group
      • Parker IPS Design Center Community
    • Filtration
    • Fluid and Gas Handling
    • Hydraulics
    • Pneumatics
    • Process Control
    • Sealing and Shielding
  • Home
  • All Blogs
  • Home
  • Electromechanical Blog
  • Electromechanical Group Forums
  • Electromechanical Knowledge Base
  • Electromechanical Group Members
  • Mentions
  • Electromechanical Group Sub-Groups
  • Tags
Follow Us
  • Follow Parker Hannifin on social media

Follow Parker Hannifin on social media:

Parker Hannifin Parker Hannifin

  • Products
  • About Parker
  • Investors
  • Community
  • Careers

Global Operations Global Operations

  • Divisions
  • Sales Companies
  • Worldwide Locations
  • Distribution Network
  • ParkerStoreā„¢ Network

Company Information Company Information

  • Newsroom
  • Event Calendar
  • Working with Parker
  • Product Brands
  • History

Global Support Center Global Support Center

  • Support
  • CAD
  • Where to Buy
  • Contact Parker
  • Manage Online Orders
Parker - Engineering Your Success
  • Site Map
  • Safety
  • Privacy Policies
  • Terms and Conditions
Ā© Parker Hannifin Corp 2019