Printer seems loud -- new assembly
I assembled my MK3S+ about a week ago, and it has been producing great prints so far (except when using TPU, but that is for another thread). What I have noticed, however, is that the printer seems pretty loud compared to my Creality CR6-SE. With the CR6-SE the fans were fairly loud, but you didn't really hear anything else, or if you did only a very faint whir.
I thought the MK3S+ would be quiet based on what I've read, but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. You definitely hear the build plate moving as well as the X-axis movements very distinctly. The printer seems to vibrate a bit with all these movements, which likely only adds to the noise. I also am hearing squeaking coming from what I believe is the extruder, along with other noises coming from the electronics. Are the noises I'm experiencing as expected? To be clear, I'm not hearing anything that would seem out of the ordinary (grinding, etc), but just a bit surprised at the overall amount of noise.
RE: Printer seems loud -- new assembly
I was surprised at how (relatively) noisy my MK3S+ was when I first built it. It’s my first 3D printer so I didn’t really know what to expect. My printer sits on a wooden desktop which acts like a sounding board; amplifying all the printer sounds.
If you look around the forums you’ll find many threads on this topic. A simple and inexpensive approach is to set the printer on a large-ish paving stone with the stone sitting on a block of high density foam.
There are also “squash ball” feet you can add to the printer in addition to or instead of the paving stone approach. Check the Printables library for plenty of options for this. I use the squash ball feet alone and find it surprisingly effective in damping sound and vibration.
Have fun and let us know what works for you.
Cheers
RE: Printer seems loud -- new assembly
Thanks. It's good to get confirmation that the noise is expected and that I didn't mess up something during assembly. I first had the printer on a dining room table, and now have it placed on a wooden built in cabinet/desk. I get that the wood resonates and causes the noises to be louder, but am now actually pretty impressed on how quiet the Creality printer was sitting on the same surface. The CR6-SE was my first 3d printer, so I didn't actually realize how quiet it was as I didn't have anything to compare it against before. If the fans on that printer were not as loud, you would barely hear it.
Having said that, I love the Prusa though so far. I'm a tinkerer at heart and love being able to customize and add accessories to the MK3S+. In addition, it seems the MK3S+ is doing a much better job printing PETG than my CR6-SE, as I was getting some blobs on that printer, which I am not seeing with the Prusa. I'll probably just live with the noise for the time being, as it isn't too bad.
RE: Printer seems loud -- new assembly
You can also engage “stealth” mode via the LCD menus.
This should reduce the sound a bit without any meaningful addition to the print times.
Lots to tinker with. Have fun.