Reducing the Heat of a Stepper Motor

Heating can be very common within stepper motors, some heating is normal, however this heat should be kept at a safe level. Why does the stepper motor heat up? Often this happens due to the internal core and windings of the motor. The resistance of the winding will cause power loss, which is often called copper loss. If the current is not a standard DC it may also experience harmonic loss.

The stepper motor may also have heat changes in response to the speed of the motor. The motor will often maintain constant speed under low speeds that are consistent. If the stepper motor is subjected to various speeds the copper loss may increase and heat the motor.

To reduce the step motor from heating the easiest thing to do is reduce the copper loss. This is done by reducing the resistance and the current, the easiest way to do this is to find a motor with a low resistance and current. Keep the motor running at consistent speeds, and make sure you select the proper step motor for your application.