Ultimaker S5 steppers getting very hot

[VigneshA 0]

So we just got an Ultimaker S5 and after an initial print of the 3D benchy (came out great) we decided to test the printer with the gyro.. anyway its a 2.5 day print and its still got a couple of hours to go.

I noticed that the X ad Y steppers are both too hot to touch. Using an IR thermometer we found the steppers to be at 70 C. Should i be worried about this?

Has anyone faced this situation before? Kindly let me know, thanks!

(So far the print seems to be coming out well...)

 

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi @VigneshA,

 

Happy to hear it is printing alright. 

Normal operating temperature of the stepper motor should be 50ºC. The Gyro is a rather complex print where all motors have to work hard so 70ºC is possible. But they should not get warmer than 80ºC. So I would say it is nothing to worry about. 

[gr5 2,271]

Like Sander says, 80C is a point to worry.  I know someone who was printing PEEK in an ultimaker and he had a custom bed at 160C and the *air* temperature reached 80C and I told him "you are going to destroy your steppers!" but he was lucky enough and didn't destroy the steppers with a 1 hour print.  So I think you are safe.  Since then he added heat sinks and fans to each stepper but he still prints with 80C air temp (yikes).

[JohnInOttawa 104]

This topic raises another aspect - I see more folks referencing IR temperature when assessing component health. 

 

While IR is an excellent method for non-contact temperature reading,  the ease of use of current instruments  belies the difficulty in getting a true value. 

 

We use calibrated IR handheld 'thermometers' and imagers in research settings and I've used them to assess stepper temperatures as well, on my UMO, during a long print.   Depending on where the sensor is aimed, the surface texture and IR reflectivity and nearby heat sources, a handheld, single-point reporting IR thermometer can under, or over-report temperature.  Over reporting tends to happen on surfaces with pits and valleys that create temperature wells, whereas under reporting is a function of surface material, specularity of the surface and surrounding sources.  Error can make up more than 90% of the value that reaches the sensor.  An imager is similarly affected, but tends to have adjustments for focus, emissivity, background temperature and transmissivity of the airmass (which can be a factor in a hot space like an enclosed printer)  and reports thousands of points, so it's easier to see what is going on and correct for it.

 

The other thing to keep in mind with IR reading is that it's solely a function of surface radiation.  If there is any form of airflow over the surface or between the surface and the sensor, (like print fans tend to produce), it's going to  divide the reading from reality.

 

I've been meaning to post some shots of reading effects on steppers and heated beds.  I was hoping to also get some images of a print in progress to show relative layer temperatures, but I will need some form of time travel to get the rest of my stuff done as it is....

 

John

[VigneshA 0]

Hi @SandervG,

 

Thanks for the info!

 

The print came out well. However, the prime tower seemed to have collapsed towards the end, causing some oozing. (It did not affect print quality thankfully..)

 

 

 

 

 

[VigneshA 0]

@JohnInOttawa,

 

You're quite right, it did take some effort to point the IR thermometer correctly to get a stable value of 70 C.. hopefully the actual temperature was below / equivalent to that!

 

Thanks anyway.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2018 by VigneshA