<p>The maximum operating temperature can be found in the specifications of your steppers. Usually the ambient temperature operating conditions are limited to 50 &deg;C with a maximum operating temperature in the range of 70 - 100 &deg;C. For instance, the steppers I use are limited to a temperature of 80 &deg;C. It is however advised to keep this temperature lower, e.g. to max. 60 &deg;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).</p>

<p>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."</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-27T14:29:37.437Z
2018-10-28T06:37:37.453Z
2018-10-28T06:37:37.453Z
0scar
<p>While such temperatures may be OK for extruder motor itself (and probably for extruder body, since it is printed in PETG/ABS), but it can be dangerous for the filament that you are using to print your models. Heat from extruder motor can creep through shaft to Bondtech gears and start to pre-melt filament. </p>

<p>60&nbsp;°C is enough to soften PLA. Your filament may warp or melt just above heatsink, jamming, and clogging the extruder body.</p>

<p>What you can try to do:</p>

<ol>
<li>Open or remove enclosure;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Thermally-Conductive-Epoxy-Adhesive-TC-2707/?N=5002385+3294001761&amp;rt=rud" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Glue a generic heatsink on your extruder motor</a> with some thermally conductive adhesive or epoxy;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2975582" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Add an active cooling fan for your extruder motor</a> (or for heatsink of your extruder motor). You can power it from Prusa PSU (then you will need 24&nbsp;V fan), or plug additional PSU for fans and lighting;</li>
<li><a href="https://prusacommunity.com/to-the-moons-and-back/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Upgrade extruder motor to LDO / Moons motor</a>. These run about 10&nbsp;°C cooler than stock extruder motor;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.bondtech.se/en/product/prusa-i3-mk2-5-mk3-extruder-upgrade/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Upgrade to Bondtech extruder</a>. Bondtech extruder features 3:1 gearing ratio, and can be run with lower current (e.g. less heat). Also Bondtech extruder uses plastic gears, so heat can no longer easily move from extruder motor to filament.</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-16T17:19:59.703Z
2019-06-16T17:38:58.777Z
2019-06-16T17:38:58.777Z
Alex
<p>I've run my Prusa3D i3m3s for 50 hour prints.  My motors get hot-ish but on my instance of the machine, they are not too hot.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-17T15:58:33.267Z
2019-06-17T15:58:33.267Z
cmm
<p>50 °C feels very warm, 60 °C feels hot, 80 °C is painful.</p>

<p>I measured the temperature of the steppers on a Prusa mk3last week.  They were all around 45..50 °C, except the extruder stepper which runs around 55..57 °C. </p>

<p>The temperature is stable like that. Letting them cool down is useless, because they would quickly go back to these temperatures after starting the next print. Stepper motors tend to dissipate more power when they stopped or slow compared to when they run fast.</p>

<p>I would not worry about it.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-17T17:30:17.360Z
2019-06-17T17:30:17.360Z
bogl
<p>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?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-27T13:09:54.063Z
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.
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-29T15:15:37.360Z
@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2  I think he's talking about the stepper motor, not the feeder motor on the extruder head.
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-29T15:16:24.177Z
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.
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-29T23:49:23.360Z
@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.
Qwertie
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-09T18:42:52.130Z
you can add heat sinks to the motor to keep it cooler; use a thermal adhesive to affix.
dandavis
<prusa-i3><motor>
Is it ok for stepper motors to be hot?
Qwertie
# Is it ok for stepper motors to be hot?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-10-27)

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?

**Tags:** prusa-i3, motor
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 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.  
> **username_2**: @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2  I think he's talking about the stepper motor, not the feeder motor on the extruder head.  
> **username_2**: 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.  
> **username_0**: @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.  
> **username_3**: you can add heat sinks to the motor to keep it cooler; use a thermal adhesive to affix.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-10-27. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

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."


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-06-16. Score: 1

While such temperatures may be OK for extruder motor itself (and probably for extruder body, since it is printed in PETG/ABS), but it can be dangerous for the filament that you are using to print your models. Heat from extruder motor can creep through shaft to Bondtech gears and start to pre-melt filament.

60 °C is enough to soften PLA. Your filament may warp or melt just above heatsink, jamming, and clogging the extruder body.

What you can try to do:

1. Open or remove enclosure;
2. [Glue a generic heatsink on your extruder motor](https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Thermally-Conductive-Epoxy-Adhesive-TC-2707/?N=5002385+3294001761&rt=rud) with some thermally conductive adhesive or epoxy;
3. [Add an active cooling fan for your extruder motor](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2975582) (or for heatsink of your extruder motor). You can power it from Prusa PSU (then you will need 24 V fan), or plug additional PSU for fans and lighting;
4. [Upgrade extruder motor to LDO / Moons motor](https://prusacommunity.com/to-the-moons-and-back/). These run about 10 °C cooler than stock extruder motor;
5. [Upgrade to Bondtech extruder](https://www.bondtech.se/en/product/prusa-i3-mk2-5-mk3-extruder-upgrade/). Bondtech extruder features 3:1 gearing ratio, and can be run with lower current (e.g. less heat). Also Bondtech extruder uses plastic gears, so heat can no longer easily move from extruder motor to filament.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2019-06-17. Score: 0

I've run my Prusa3D i3m3s for 50 hour prints. My motors get hot-ish but on my instance of the machine, they are not too hot.


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### Answer by username_7 on 2019-06-17. Score: 0

50 °C feels very warm, 60 °C feels hot, 80 °C is painful.

I measured the temperature of the steppers on a Prusa mk3last week. They were all around 45..50 °C, except the extruder stepper which runs around 55..57 °C.

The temperature is stable like that. Letting them cool down is useless, because they would quickly go back to these temperatures after starting the next print. Stepper motors tend to dissipate more power when they stopped or slow compared to when they run fast.

I would not worry about it.


---

