Are anti vibration mounts needed???

Hi,

I noticed that some people seem to be using anti-vibration mouns under their printer.

I have screwed my MendleMax down onto a large sheet (almost 1m x 1m) of 18mm thick plywood - which probably weighs around 10kg.

I presumed that a solid base for the printer would be benefical to allowing it to move around, but using anti-vibrarion mounts seems contrary to this.
i.e these sorts of mounts would allow the whole printer to move (shake), but the vibration would not be transferred into the table etc that the printer was resting on.


Should I be using anti-vibration mounts, or is mounting to a heavy fixed base better ??

Thanks

Roger

I found my printer was getting louder and louder, started using hi speeds,
I was getting physically sick from the sounds from being in the same room of the printer, So i though id put some foam under the printer, and i must say, i did not expect it to reduce so much sound, I can now be in the same room and not feel sick.

Before i could close the printer in one room of the house and hear the printer in any other room, now i close the door and i cannot hear anything...


I highly recommend using anti vibration dampeners

What type of foam did you use?

There are foam mats that snap together like a puzzle and they are made for standing on and work great under a printer. Also another option is to buy a couple of mouse pads that can be found for a dollar a piece. Mouse pads work really well and are super cheap you can buy a handful of them for less than $5.

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yeah those are great, Im using them for my heated build chamber as well.

@nechaus

Thanks.

I had to move my printer to another room, as I was unable to work when it was printing due to the noise, but perhaps adding some vibration damping would help even when its in another room, as I can still hear it if the house is quiet.

I have some left over foam rubber from other projects and also some high density rubber, akin to car tires that I could also try.

I wonder if high density or low density is best.


BTW. I still don't know if using vibration damping improves the prints or possibly makes them worse.. Does anyone know ??

I use foam placemat underneath my mendelmax. It at least helps with the noise. Damping on the motors would be better.

On my UConduit, there's's vibration damping built in the frame, and it's very quiet.

Mass firmly attached to the machine should help the machine work accurately. It is is common to pour thick foundations under machine tools, bolt them down and then grout under them for a really solid connection. It is also common to leave an open groove around the foundation so there is no coupling between the floor and the foundation. That way the machine can't transmit vibration to the floor, and vice versa. My CNC machine has a 205 lb cast iron plate sitting on a very solidly braced aluminum frame. I wish it had even more mass!

@garyhlucas

Thanks. That's basically what I thought.

I may put vibration suppression under the feet of the table, rather than under the MendelMax. This should give me the best of both world.
i.e The MendelMax is then still attached to just under 10kg of plywood.

Cheers

Roger

Exactly what vibration supression is needed depends on the nature of the vibration - comparisons with milling machines are not terribly useful as there are no forces analogous to the reaction forces from a cutting tool in a 3D printer. Quite simply, it is possible to get accuracy in the same ballpark as a milling machine from a 3D printer, or laser cutter or other lightly constructed instrument with low forces.

Take for example a Rostock printer such as I have: When in use the effector will move violently, causing the top of the printer to move quite a distance. This movement will feed back through the tripod to the effector. The build stage meanwhile is connected to the base - which is weighty and quite steady - if this were fixed down it would improve nothing, but mounting the whole thing on fairly compliant supports allows the build stage to move with the rest of the printer. The result is dramatically reduced vibration artifacts at speed.

Adding mass at the top would help at some speeds, but worsen things framatically as the system aproaches resonance. Having a large mass on the top coupled through a viscous damping medium would go a long way to solving all problems.

Mike

@leadinglights

Thanks.

I understand the basic physics of equal an opposite forces, and can see that, if for example the X carriage goes left, the frame will attempt to go right.
Which would have overall the same result to the X to bed position.
(i.e 3D printer mechanics could operate in zero gravity).

I guess it comes down to the period and size of any overshoot and corresponding oscillation, and the best ways to minimize these factors.