My Z motor is hot to the touch. I can hold the z motor and it is not uncomfortable, but it is much hotter than the other motors. I have the Makita router.
Is this an issue?
If you have a way to measure the temperature of the stepper motor it would be a better indicator of a problem or not, the datasheet states the maximum temperature rise is 80C from ambient temp.
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Should only be an issue if you burn yourself. Stepper motors can get very hot which is okay. As @WaywordWoodworker said the motor can be 80C above ambient (that’s 176 degrees F above ambient) and it only takes 57C to burn your skin.
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On just about any 3D carved project, the Z will get quite a workout compared to X & Y. But at normal holding torque (not running a program), the Z should be about the same as the other motors. I just went thru this on my machine (aftermarket controller). I had a bad solder joint on my Z connector which caused it to run substantially hotter than the others.
If you think it’s too hot, be sure to check your Molex connector where it plugs into the controller. Instead of plugging directly into the controller, mine is such that it plugs into a pigtail cable that connects to my stepper driver. My Z axis was drawing too much current and the small connector melted on mine. This was sort of a “runaway” event. The small connector was the weakest link in the circuit on mine. The more the connector became heat-damaged, the worse the connection became and the more current it drew until it finally failed.
Makes sense, it was 3D. I saw your post about the hot aftermarket controller.
Where can I read more about torque? I’m not sure that I understand it.
@Mark had mentioned something about holding torque settings on my post about the Z axis motor. I’m not sure how that relates to the 1F controller, if that’s a “deep” setting that you normally wouldn’t mess with, or if it’s a readily accessible setting. It’s a subject that may be discussed in more detail elsewhere in the forum.
My extent of understanding stepper motor torque is that speed and torque are somewhat inversely proportionate. The faster the feed rate, the less available torque. That’s why larger machines can benefit from larger motors… they can run faster cutting & jogging rates with less chance of lost steps.
BTW: my Z motor was measuring about 175 deg F prior to fixing it, while my X & Y motors were about 102 F. After the fix, all motors are running the same 102 (ish) temp. One thing that keeps my motors relatively cool is that I’m only running them on 24v, which I can get away with using my normal conservative feed & jog rates. I’ve run higher voltages before: 36v & 48v, but the motors were noticeably hotter, as was my G540 stepper driver.
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