A steady-state thermal analysis for cooling rolls in planar-flow melt spinning (PFMS) was carried out using finite element analysis. The effects of the roll diameter, the roll thickness and the roll casting speed on the temperature of cooling roll were investigated. Results show that the temperature of the cooling roll can be decreased by increasing the roll diameter, decreasing the roll thickness and reducing the roll casting speed. Based on the orthogonal process analysis, the roll thickness is the main influence factor of outside surface temperature of the roll, followed by the casting speed and the roll diameter. The roll casting speed has the most obvious influence on inside surface temperature of the roll while the effects of the roll diameter and the roll thickness are less remarkable. Finally by considering various important indexes including mechanical strength, control stability as well as thermal requirements, the parameter optimization design to keep the surface temperature of the cooling roll in the specific range was obtained.