Noise reduction

I'm seriously looking for ways to eliminate every printing sound. I already managed to reduce the noice by finetuning stepper currents though according to my neighbour it's still to loud. Mentioning the noise level from a recent party in his house didn't seem to even things out. Not sure if it is me but I really spend some time to reduce noise and I still get complaints...

Any idea's what might help?

I've played with a foam pad that reduces the vibrations in the base (that acts like a sound board)
I finetuned the stepper currents. this worked fine for the X an Y but the Z axis is just VERY loud compared to the rest. (and i think that this is mainly what leaks trough to my neighbor.)
The beltdriven Z axis looks like a step in the right direction.
Spikes, like the ones used to decouple loudspeakers from the floor, didn't help at all. In my case the table top all of a sudden incarnated as a sound board and it resonated most at the frequency of the Z axis motor. So this actually resulted in more noise.

Also stepper decoupling with a gasket is something I still have to try. But since the Z motor is part of what makes the Z axis more sturdy that just doesn't work. If i put a gasket or rubber rings between Z motor and baseplate then that affects the straightness of the Z, and it also makes the Z 'flexible'. All in all not a good idea..

I really don't have any noise coming from anywhere other than the fishing line clicking here and there. The z axis moves so little that it make no noise. Did you already post a video of your machine anywhere?

The Z-axis mainly screams when doing the bed level probing.

I don't have a video camera I soon will upgrade my stone-age spy device that can also make phonecalls to a more versatile spy device. :-D

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2014 07:49PM by BackEMF.

Umm.. Have you played with the feed speeds? I have noticed that too slow a speed on my homing is a lot louder. I have mine at 50mms homing and it sounds very light. I do have my acceleration down real low though.

O thanks!
I’ve played with the acceleration though haven’t yet touched the feed speed. What are your settings? Then have some idea in what range I have to be.. I’ll put them in and have a listen. I see I need to learn a lot more about the firmware.

This is what I have in mine.

#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE          {500, 500, 50, 25}    // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION      {1000,1000,5,500}    // X, Y, Z, E maximum start speed for accelerated moves. E default values are good for Skeinforge 40+, for older versions raise them a lot.

I use bitumen roofing tape strips (you can get some in diy store) and place here and there on the frame, some rods (where possible) and parts. It reduce vibrations and the noise is little less carried by the walls - It doesn't do miracles but the effect is noticeable! You could also place some underneath a printer so it doesn't stand directly on whatever it stands on.
Altough I have to agree that by adjusting feedrate and making sure your bolts are tight you can probably accomplish much more.

/Larry (www.filamentshop.ie)

Quote
BackEMF
I'm seriously looking for ways to eliminate every printing sound. I already managed to reduce the noice by finetuning stepper currents though according to my neighbour it's still to loud. Mentioning the noise level from a recent party in his house didn't seem to even things out. Not sure if it is me but I really spend some time to reduce noise and I still get complaints...

Any idea's what might help?

I've played with a foam pad that reduces the vibrations in the base (that acts like a sound board)
I finetuned the stepper currents. this worked fine for the X an Y but the Z axis is just VERY loud compared to the rest. (and i think that this is mainly what leaks trough to my neighbor.)
The beltdriven Z axis looks like a step in the right direction.
Spikes, like the ones used to decouple loudspeakers from the floor, didn't help at all. In my case the table top all of a sudden incarnated as a sound board and it resonated most at the frequency of the Z axis motor. So this actually resulted in more noise.

Also stepper decoupling with a gasket is something I still have to try. But since the Z motor is part of what makes the Z axis more sturdy that just doesn't work. If i put a gasket or rubber rings between Z motor and baseplate then that affects the straightness of the Z, and it also makes the Z 'flexible'. All in all not a good idea..

Get your neighbour interested in 3D printing. Maybe get him/her over and see if he/she world be interested in building one too.
Could solve a lot of your problems.
Otherwise, try making a hood to put over your printer like they used to do for the old dot matrix printers that made a lot of noise. The box needs to be bigger than the printer and have sound deadening material inside to absorb the sound.

---

[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

Quote
BackEMF
The Z-axis mainly screams when doing the bed level probing.

I don't have a video camera I soon will upgrade my stone-age spy device that can also make phonecalls to a more versatile spy device. :-D

My Z is very quiet, I have the speed reduced a lot. It also makes the leveling more accurate if it is done slower, but the bounce effect built-in to the firmware really takes care of that.

---

[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

Quote
BackEMF
O thanks!
I’ve played with the acceleration though haven’t yet touched the feed speed. What are your settings? Then have some idea in what range I have to be.. I’ll put them in and have a listen. I see I need to learn a lot more about the firmware.

This is what worksfor me'

#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {500, 500, 2.5, 25} // (mm/sec){500, 500, 2.5, 25}
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {1000,1000,50,500} // X, Y, Z, E maximum start speed for accelerated moves. E default values are good for skeinforge 40+, for older versions raise them a lot.

#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 1000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for printing moves
#define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 1000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for retracts


If you don't like it, you can always change it back again or try another setting.

---

[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

Experimenting with feed rates and acceleration now, i hear differences in tone but not yet in loudness.
I must find some good info on these settings how they relate to the motors and how the 2 settings work together / against each other.
I hope i don't damage anything.

I'll try to get the neighbour interested in the future. He seems to be more 'traditional' and thus into beer and sunshine. :-)

Thanks for all the suggestions, i will try them all.

UPDATE!
Turns out to be all about energy absorption afterall.

I made a little gaffatape 'gasket' that i placed UNDER the z-axis stepper that made all the difference. This absorbs the vibrations before they go into the wood.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2014 08:36AM by BackEMF.

Quote
BackEMF
Experimenting with feed rates and acceleration now, i hear differences in tone but not yet in loudness.
I must find some good info on these settings how they relate to the motors and how the 2 settings work together / against each other.
I hope i don't damage anything.

I'll try to get the neighbour interested in the future. He seems to be more 'traditional' and thus into beer and sunshine. :-)

Thanks for all the suggestions, i will try them all.

UPDATE!
Turns out to be all about energy absorption afterall.

I made a little gaffatape 'gasket' that i placed UNDER the z-axis stepper that made all the difference. This absorbs the vibrations before they go into the wood.

I have some neoprene rubber sheet in small sizes that I use for sound absorbing material, I cut a smaller strip and place it under the motor mount where possible. I have added it to my website if anyone wants to try it too..

---

[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

Neoprene is a good idea! For now i keep the hacked solution as i'm curious how the belt driven Z axis performs. I have the feeling that might be the best way to get rid of the noise.
Also 0.9 degree steppermotors are said to make less noise and have a bit more power.

I'm having a little break until the weather is a bit more humane. (its still 30C inside in the middle of the night) I'll also try to post some pictures of my Y axis hack.

Quote
BackEMF
Neoprene is a good idea! For now i keep the hacked solution as i'm curious how the belt driven Z axis performs. I have the feeling that might be the best way to get rid of the noise.
Also 0.9 degree steppermotors are said to make less noise and have a bit more power.

I'm having a little break until the weather is a bit more humane. (its still 30C inside in the middle of the night) I'll also try to post some pictures of my Y axis hack.

I will try and get back to doing the GT2 belt Z axis as soon as soon as I can get my workload reduced. Been very busy lately.

---

[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

All in good time.