<p>I believe the main issue is the voltage regulators and capacitors on your standard print main board are not rated for 48V. You can find some CNC shields that can handle up to 36V but these are lacking 3d printer features such as heater ports and only have 4 stepper slots. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-06T20:54:19.257Z
So higher rated components cost way more?
user77232
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-06T21:32:15.630Z
Only in the sense that they are not widely used, therefore the demand is not as high causing the per component price to go up. Note I am not an electrical engineer and there very well could be more technical reasons for main stream control boards to reside in the 12V-24V range.
Perplexed Dipole
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-09T08:07:03.347Z
Search EE.SE for a similar question about solar backup batteries. I believe there is something special about 36V which guarantees SELV compliance with lower risk than 48V.
Sean Houlihane
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-09T20:56:55.723Z
I found another reason. A lot of these boards use linear regulators. Coming down from 48V to 3v3 would produce quite a bit of heat.
user77232
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-06T20:30:19.903Z
2019-08-07T00:02:51.577Z
2019-08-07T00:02:51.577Z
Perplexed Dipole
<p>Going from 12V electronics to 24V produces a reduction in the overall amount of heat generated in the electronics (that are not intended to get hot). These include the motors, drivers, mosfets and pcb traces.</p>

<p>Why then given that 48V power supplies and electronic components cost exactly the same as their 24v counterparts, are there no 48V 3d printers?</p>

<p>Is there a saftey aspect to 48V that needs to be considered? </p>

<p>EDIT: Yes 48V fans cost a little more but it's not exorbitant. It seems odd to move from 12 to 24 to get half as much heat, when you could move from 12 to 48v and get a quarter as much heat.</p>

<electronics>
Can 3d printers be operated at voltages above 24 volts?
user77232
# Can 3d printers be operated at voltages above 24 volts?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-08-06)

Going from 12V electronics to 24V produces a reduction in the overall amount of heat generated in the electronics (that are not intended to get hot). These include the motors, drivers, mosfets and pcb traces.

Why then given that 48V power supplies and electronic components cost exactly the same as their 24v counterparts, are there no 48V 3d printers?

Is there a saftey aspect to 48V that needs to be considered?

EDIT: Yes 48V fans cost a little more but it's not exorbitant. It seems odd to move from 12 to 24 to get half as much heat, when you could move from 12 to 48v and get a quarter as much heat.

**Tags:** electronics

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-08-06. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

I believe the main issue is the voltage regulators and capacitors on your standard print main board are not rated for 48V. You can find some CNC shields that can handle up to 36V but these are lacking 3d printer features such as heater ports and only have 4 stepper slots.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So higher rated components cost way more?  
> **username_1**: Only in the sense that they are not widely used, therefore the demand is not as high causing the per component price to go up. Note I am not an electrical engineer and there very well could be more technical reasons for main stream control boards to reside in the 12V-24V range.  
> **username_2**: Search EE.SE for a similar question about solar backup batteries. I believe there is something special about 36V which guarantees SELV compliance with lower risk than 48V.  
> **username_0**: I found another reason. A lot of these boards use linear regulators. Coming down from 48V to 3v3 would produce quite a bit of heat.  

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