Did I just fry my steppers? :-O

[walking_cube]

Hello,



I have a n00bs problem that I cannot wrap my head around. I have a plastic tubing stretcher that uses two stepper motors (Minebea 23KM-K709-07) to precisely stretching tubings to right lengths.

It was working just fine for a long time, until one day, the motor stalled and slipped as we were experimenting with a new tougher plastic. Ever since, the motor has been stalling/slipping from time to time, even though we've not used the tough plastic ever since.

I suspect that the motor has suffered some permanent damage of sorts, but I would like to consult with some experts (you guys) before I start disassembling/replacing the motors. I thought that overloading a stepper motor once or twice shouldn't result in any permanent, adverse effect. Can anyone share their experience on how to best deal with this?


Thanks a lot!

[H500]

Stepper motors do not get damaged from the occasional stalling. If you do it too often, you risk demagnetizing the rotor.

Don't disassemble the motors. If you do, the rotor will demagnetize and your motor will be weakened.

[Dorsal]

I would guess that whatever you are using to couple to the shaft of the stepper has come loose. If you've already tightened the set screws without success, you might need to remove the coupler and file a flat spot on the shaft for the setscrew to grab.
No, it won't make it go "out of balance", as your stepper probably never runs faster than ~200 rpm anyway.