Monolith Gantry Updates

Thermal Simulation of Stepper Gaskets

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These are some thermal simulation results of the top surface of an ABS rear motor mount, with no gasket, a 2mm PTFE gasket, and a 2mm cork gasket respectively.

The ambient was set at 80°, and the stepper was using 25W. With the stepper at around 115° in all the sims, there were clear differences between the three cases:

  • No gasket: max 109.1°, avg 104.1°

    No gasket thermal simulation

  • PTFE 2mm: max 95.7°, avg 90.0°

    PTFE 2mm thermal simulation

  • Cork 2mm: max 90.2°, avg 85.6°

    Cork 2mm thermal simulation

Having a gasket is clearly beneficial if you have plastic mounts, and even though cork performs better, it is suggested to use PTFE gaskets because the cork's lack of rigidity can cause misalignment of the stepper shaft, risking the bearings' lifes.