Linear motors are efficient mechanism that offers high speed and positioning accuracy. By eliminating mechanical transmission mechanisms such as ball screw or rack-pinion, much higher speed and greater acceleration can be achieved without backlash or excessive friction. However, an important disadvantage of linear motor system is its high power loss and heating up of motor and neighboring machine components on operation. For the application of the linear motors to precision machine tools an effective cooling method and thermal optimizing measures are required. This paper presents an investigation into the thermal behavior of linear motors with the objective of deriving the optimum cooling conditions. To reach these goals several experiments were carried out, varying operating and cooling conditions. From the experimental results, this research proposed cooling conditions to improve the thermal characteristics of the linear motors.