Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
I should have done this a long time ago!.
I bought a granite chopping board 40cm x 30cm x 1.5 cm.
£14.99 this is the best money to silence the printer I think I could have spent, the noise coming from the table is completely gone, it seems 10 times quieter!, OK maybe I'm just amazed by how quiet the printer is now.
It comes with feet already attached which are actually quite flexible for a chopping board but perfect to isolate any sound. There is still some movement of the granite board and the table still moves a little, but it has removed every bit of bass note and rumbling I used to get.
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
Here is a picture of how it looks. The camera has slightly distorted the image, but basically it is the ideal size for the printer.
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
heavier is better... get a paver and for additional decoupling, place it onto an inflated bike tube.
Best mod ever. I limit my MK3S to 40 mm/s and it gets near inaudible for over night prints.
- Martin
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
I find this device, already on the printer, is the best way to silence it:
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
I find this device, already on the printer, is the best way to silence it:
This doesn't work so well for the black power supplies with their ear-piercing complaining when you open that switch...
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RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
Very funny Tim, but yes, I have to admit, it does result in the most silence except from SWMBO when she is after that print I promised her yesterday. Any amount of noise from the printer is better than her nagging 🙂
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
Stefan of CNC Kitchen has a couple of videos on this topic that are well worth watching:
I went down the rabbit hole of reducing noise after moving my Mk3 to an audio equipment rack, but wanted to increase the printer mass to reduce mechanical noise as well as isolate the printer from the cabinet to avoid resonant noise. I'm getting very good results with felt feet between the printer and base to couple the printer to the paver mass to reduce printer vibration and noise, and Sorbothane pads to uncouple the paver mass from the shelf it sits on to reduce vibration being transmitted from paver to the cabinet surfaces.
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He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
Here is a picture of how it looks. The camera has slightly distorted the image, but basically it is the ideal size for the printer.
Attachment removedSorry, the forum rotates the picture
Did you change out the LCD on your printer or is that the one it came with? I have just ordered the parts to change the LCD on my new i3 MK3S to a black background with white characters. I thought that would look a lot better than the all blue glowing one that shipped with mine.
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
You don't have to spend 15 pounds on a cutting board - a 40x40 cm² granite paver for 4 € works as well 😋 :
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3174164 - first picture.
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
I changed out my LCD and put shorter standoffs on the control panel.
Here is the thread for LCD replacement:
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
Be mindful of clearance at top of printer if you are in a LACK enclosure. I only had enough space for about 2 cm of mass loading material. In my case, a pair of ceramic tiles separated by urethane foam. Printers are on sorbothane feet. Overall noise level and vibration are nicely diminished.
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
At 12lb/5.66Kg, that should add a good amount of mass if coupled to the printer well. I've got to admit it looks a lot nicer than my paver beast, even with all the painting and prep to keep concrete dust out of my printer.
The basic paver was cheap, but with prep and Sorbothane pads added, it definitely cost more.
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He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
How are you guys attaching the printer to these slabs exactly?
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
How are you guys attaching the printer to these slabs exactly?
In my case, not physically attaching but coupling by using deadening felt feet on the printer. The mass of the printer and the paver are tied together to reduce resonance, vibration and noise in the printer. Search for the "Best $7" thread to see results with actually clamping the printer and paver together.
I'm using Sorbothane feet under the paver to de-couple the printer+paver mass from the supporting cabinet, reducing vibration that causes the big cabinet surfaces to rumble.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
How are you guys attaching the printer to these slabs exactly?
In my case, not physically attaching but coupling by using deadening felt feet on the printer. The mass of the printer and the paver are tied together to reduce resonance, vibration and noise in the printer. Search for the "Best $7" thread to see results with actually clamping the printer and paver together.
I'm using Sorbothane feet under the paver to de-couple the printer+paver mass from the supporting cabinet, reducing vibration that causes the big cabinet surfaces to rumble.
Stefan of CNC Kitchen has a couple of videos on this topic that are well worth watching:
Wild! My MK3S doesnt move at all on the table I have it on and its plenty silent for me. Most of the time I cant even tell its running and have to look over and check on it. Im guessing these noise and vibration issues were ones that plagued the previous models?
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
I think a lot of the time it's down to the table the printer is placed on, I use an IKEA bamboo table top with legs with wheels attached, it is fairly large and thin so acts as a good sound amplifier. if this was the same size but made from thick oak, it would probably be silent.
I did try to get a paver of the right size, but in the UK they tend to be square or just the wrong size, and since I had no way of cutting a large paver, I went for the granite chopping board which is just the right size for me and looks better than a granite paver (Unless you have painted it of course).
SWMBO would have gone mad if I had put an unpainted paver on top of the table. 😀
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
Wild! My MK3S doesnt move at all on the table I have it on and its plenty silent for me. Most of the time I cant even tell its running and have to look over and check on it.
Check out the CNC Kitchen videos I linked to above. It's not only the "printer moving on the table" that you want to fix. At certain speeds and patterns, the printer itself will begin to resonate and vibrate. This can happen at common printing speeds. In addition to noise, this can introduce printing artifacts. By coupling the printer to the heavy base, you increase mass and reduce that tendency to resonate at common printing frequencies.
By de-coupling and isolating the base from the table or shelf, you reduce the tendency for vibrations to make that surface resonate. This will vary depending on the table or shelf you're using. I previously had mine on a low table that was rock-solid, but found the larger cabinet would resonate and produce a rumbling sound, even after extensive reinforcement.
Im guessing these noise and vibration issues were ones that plagued the previous models?
Not exclusively, no. The Mk3 is very quiet compared to its predecessors, but noise depends a lot on your environment and setup. In my case, the noise wasn't unbearable, but I wanted to prevent vibration from affecting part finish.
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He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
[...] SWMBO would have gone mad if I had put an unpainted paver on top of the table. 😀
That was a major driver behind my finishing the paver with a thick coat of primer and paint as well! She was glad to see the printer go into the cabinet, but an ugly raw paver would've undone some of the effect. I was also worried about bits of concrete floating about and adding dust, so I definitely wanted to seal it. In hindsight, a stone cutting board might've been easier.
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He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
Sooo.... I have my printer on a steel legged workbench with a 1.5" wood table top, anyone know any brackets I could use to attach to the 80/20 used in the i3 MK3S to screw it down to the table top?
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!
RE: Best silencing accessory for printer - Granite chopping board
I'm on mobile so can't find the link, but search for "the best $7" thread. Someone there had such brackets to fasten the printer to the paver.
That said, definitely test to make sure the bench top itself doesn't resonate and make a racket mid-print. I'd be more inclined to isolate the printer mass from large surfaces.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan