How loud is your printer?  

RE: How loud is your printer?

Several months back I did some SPL readings on mine and posted them here.

In our home office, the ambient noise level usually runs in the mid 60db range.

With the SPL meter (phone with SPL app) about 1 meter away from the printer, the 'woosh' when doing an X-Y move peaks at about 74db.  This was before I added the enclosure.

Mine is definitely more of a 'woosh' than a whine.

I think a good sanity check for the health of the bearings would be to temporarily remove the belts and be sure that both the extruder carriage and the bed move smoothly without any 'sticktion' over the full range of travel.  If it takes more than a gentle push to move them, something is wrong.

You might also place a few drops of machine oil on the smooth X and Y rods, work it in, and then see if the perceived noise decreases at all.

RE: How loud is your printer?

I have spent some time trying to make mine run quiet. For your reference, my setup is in the signature. Here is my approach to troubleshooting:
1. Run G-code commands from Pronterface or just create a gcode file and run it either from Pronterface or SD card:
G0 X0 F1000
G0 X250 F1100
G0 X0 F1200
G0 X250 F1300
etc

Then do the same for Y axis
2. Note the nature of noise during these tests. If the noise is consistent in a wide range of speed (e.g. consistent in a range 3000-3800) and you can locate approximate location of this noise (e.g. extruder, LCD cover) then it is some slack in mechanical parts, in particular bearings. You can fight it by replacing bearings (IKO from TriangleLab had a good fit and worked well for me). Also ensure that there is low friction when you roll your X and Y carriages without your belts - through the whole length when you push them there should be consistent friction, i.e. there shouldn't be any points on a rod where you feel increased friction against your steady push
3. Resonance noise in a tight range (e.g. 3000-3200) - this is a natural frame resonance. If you use some rubber feet (e.g. sorbothane) then it could also amplify these resonances. Hard surface (granite slab) under the printer could reduce these resonances

Let me know if you have questions

RE: How loud is your printer?

54.1dBA in Stealth, 58.2dBA in Normal while printing a 3" diameter cone.  

These are PEAK readings, taken 1 meter from printer, average level is much lower (40's). For reference, my refrigerator idles along at 41dBA.

ps: taken with a professional grade SPL meter.