Heatsink For Stepper Motors

In deference to discussions in previous threads, I’m posting my intention to place heatsinks on my stepper motors. The following Amazon links are what I am buying to seal the hole in the steppers from dust, while transferring heat away from the motors (plus solving some other heat problems in my workshop.) YMMV ( Your Mileage May Vary :smiley: )

Heatsinks ( 40mm square by 11mm deep, aluminum [copper colored] )

Thermal Tape (used to stick the heatsink to the stepper motor)

BTW, I’m using double-sided tape instead of thermal epoxy, because I want to be able to remove the heatsink.

ADDED: Here’s a photo of the completed hole plug ( :wink: :wink: ). I now have 4.

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Teach me…4.5 year and hard user on my Shapeoko, and have never had a heat related problem with any stepper motor…they get warm, but never hot…so…when, how and why do yours get hot?

Thanks

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For me ! Always extra safety is better option

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It’s not about the heat, man. It’s about those damn holes! :smiley:

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Ummm, but the title of this thread…is Heatsink…oh never mind…Holes on the motor end plates? I’ve covered my since day ONE! I had mine covered with home made filters (oddly) until yesterday,…now, I (aluminum duct) taped them over. (Which will need to be changes periodically because Aluminum tape’s adhesive and WD40 don’t get along).

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:smiley: Way, way too serious, Rich! :smiley:

Thanks for the advice, though.

careful, they droop over time from the heat fluctuation

The operators? (Yes I agree)

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Asking people why they do things is like asking why they breathe. Whole industries are only in business to cater to people who wish to customize their car. How many Edelbrock manifolds are sitting on a shelf collecting dust and never installed. Asking why men do things is like asking why do they climb mountains,.the answer is because they are there. Yet other men see the mountain and never think to climb it but only admire it’s beauty.

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I can see this would help to extend stepper motor life and lower temps, would be good for me with extended wait times preserving homing locations. They look easy enough to clean with a vac brush also. I would prefer silver or black though.

BTW anyone want to buy a Edelbrock Pro Flo XT rec port, brand new? (Slightly dusty) Haha… Sigh.

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If you machine your own, you could machine some clips also. That would secure them without adhesive, and so keep them in place. If you machine the clips from aluminum, they will adjust with the heat from the motor, and so should be good for years.

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I think that looks COOL.

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I ran two 12 hour jobs on my Shapeoko XXL and felt my motors about 1 minute after the job was complete. The motors were not even warm. It was about 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the shop. My DC ran the whole time and my DeWalt router felt cool to the touch. I think the DC is supercharging the air flow through the router. Even the bit and collet were cool. However it will soon be over 90 here and I will see if ambient temperature rising will make a difference.

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Those holes let air in as well as out. I have no problem with a heat sink but be sure to let the stepper breath. A heat sink with thermal compound would therotically make your motor run cooler. Consider leaving a gap on the bottom of a heat sink to allow hot air to rise naturally. Also do not seal all the way around with heat sink compound. You still are blocking direct access from falling dust.

I run dust collection from a jet dc1100 so I get good dust extraction and find minimal fine dust on the Shapeoko. If you do not run DC then dust could get in your motors. However dust in your motors is little concern compared to your lungs. The motors are replaceable where your lungs are not so easily replaceable.

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Isn’t it funny how these things morph into so many silly things? :smiley: Now we have breathing stepper motors! :smiley:

I guess the old saying is true, “… everybody has one!” :smiley:

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