The main problem in improving the tracking performance of linear synchronous motors is the presence of force ripple caused by the irregular magnetic field of the permanent magnets and inaccuracy in electronic commutation by the servo amplifier. In this paper a method to compensate the force ripple based on shaping of the phase current waveforms is presented. The method generates optimized current waveforms which produces minimal copper losses and maximize motor efficiency. The current waveforms are based on a Fourier series approximation. A comparison of the tracking performance with and without force ripple compensation is given.