Help on noise
Hello all
My MK3S (upgraded from MK3) has some strange noises, and I hope someone can help me narrow down where the noise is coming from, and what is causing it. Please keep in mind that the printer is on a desk, so the noise is amplified, if I lift the printer the noise is still there, but the sound level is reduced a lot.
RE: Help on noise
I had the same noise, so I examined the orange housing for the LCD display more closely. This was the reason, I was able to immobilize the wobbling front with hot glue. Just test with your fingers (holding the orange front), if the sound disappears ..
RE: Help on noise
@friedhelm-b
Thank you for the quick reply. A good suggestion, but I already secured the LCD housing and it does not make a difference if I press even further with my fingers. So unfortunately that is not the cause.
RE: Help on noise
Take a look at your X idler pulley, is it secure and in good condition? Lightly touch the idler housing when printing, can you feel anything with the noise?
Cheerio,
RE: Help on noise
Get yourself an automotive stethoscope (basically a kids stethoscope with a rubber hose long enough to not have to stick you head near the moving engine parts. Use that to find where your noise is coming from. One common source is the Y axis motor rubbing against the back frame. The stock motor mount leaves the motor housing a paint-layer thickness away from the frame - so as the motor moves, it makes a loud buzzing sound that echoes through everything.
RE: Help on noise
@diem
It doesn't feel any different than touching other parts of the printer.
RE: Help on noise
@dan-rogers
I will definitely check this out. I have always had a noisy y-axis movement and I was not aware that the motor mount had this problem.
RE: Help on noise
@mifpe
And it looks straight? There is no sign of it collapsing?
Cheerio,
RE: Help on noise
@diem
It looks straight. I did however notice that the top rod on the x-axis had small scrapes in the middle, so it might be a damaged bearing or some misalignment.
RE: Help on noise
@mifpe
OK, so clean and lubricate the smooth rod - does that help?
If so, you've isolated the problem, not fixed it. You might only have overtightened the screws holding the extruder carriage, loosen and retighten so they hold but no more.
Or you have a damaged bearing and must replace it.
Cheerio,
RE: Help on noise
I'm not sure whether there is anything wrong with your printer, but you can make your printer considerably quieter by making a heavy base for it. Here's what I did:
I printed 6 squash ball feet like this, and glued them with cyanoacrylate to the bottom of two marble chopping boards I got from Amazon. You can probably get away with one board, but I used two to increase the weight and reduce the frequency and amplitude of the printer vibrations still further.
Here is the print for the squash ball feet:
https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/62634-squash-ball-feet-for-stone-concrete-slab
Here is the Amazon UK link for the marble chopping boards I bought. They were mentioned by someone else in another post on this forum, sorry I can't remember who.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Y3D21V8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
RE: Help on noise
@bascule
Yesterday I bought a 40x40x5cm concrete tile (18kg) and a 40x40x2cm dense rubber mat, and that reduced the noise level drastically. The rattling is unfortunately still there (albeit not as loud)
RE: Help on noise
Certain fill patterns will make a rattling sound - take for example, hexagon fill above 30% - sounds like a scraper on a tom tom.
Glad you got some noise reduction - the surface area of the big mat could probably be reduced - that's the magic that squash ball feet provide - low surface area to transmit noise. I have tried mats and ended up with data saying squash ball is the win. I have two layer of squash balls. One layer (4 feet) between printer and enclosure, and 4 more under the enclosure.
RE: Help on noise
@diem
I tried loosening the screws a bit and lubricating the rods with acid-free oil, and that reduced the noise a little.
I noticed that the rattling almost only occurs when doing long curved lines, and on the forward half of the bed. That is also were the electronic sounds occur (my son says it sounds like R2D2). is it hard to hear, but happens from 0:01-0:05.
RE: Help on noise
@dan-rogers
Sounds great, I will look into the solution with the squash balls.