Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?  

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

Oh, ignore me. I managed to find the right keywords and found a bunch of topics on this. Seems like a good idea so have ordered one. 🙂

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

I have my printers on slabs of granite, inside Lack enclosures. I don't see any appreciable reduction in noise (the printer is already quite by itself). I mostly do it because I have two printers per workbench and want to minimize the potential for vibrations that might affect the other printer. 

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

If you need less height, don’t forget to try a 18 inch or metric equivalent tile.  Porcelain tiles will work and you can get the needed weight with 1/2 the height.  

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

Coupling the printer to the supporting mass is the key. As long as:

• Whatever you put under the printer has sufficient mass to damp vibrations (I've used a 17x17 inch paver)
• The printer mass is coupled to the base mass (I used felt foot pads)
• The printer + base mass is decoupled from the supporting shelf (mine's a crappy audio equipment rack)

You should reduce printer vibrations and resonant frequencies that can make the entire table or shelf act as a speaker. My printer was quite silent, but moving it into the rack resulted in a lot of large, flat surfaces vibrating. The paver atop Sorbothane pads took care of the problem.

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@bobstro

I have thought about CNC or outlining an hole for the paver stone and putting it in the top of the Lack table.  

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

Posted by: @cwbullet

@bobstro

I have thought about CNC or outlining an hole for the paver stone and putting it in the top of the Lack table.  

For me that seems like a "not so good" idea, I mean it is a good IDEA, but in reality it is a bad idea 😀 
This is the inside of a LACK table

The top and bottom "layers" is cardboard
My guess is that the cardboard is to weak for paver stone

The picture is from when I make this table

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@ringarn67

We will find out since I have 3 extra tables now that I inherited from a neighbor that was tossing them. 

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

Perfect, like I said, I think the idea is really good for hiding the, in my case, rather ugly stone, and get the printer a little lower on the table 👍 

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@ringarn67

I will post about my solution and how it works.  

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

I sealed the concrete paver with some rubber coating and "hammered iron" spray paint. It's not art, but it isn't too ugly (IMO):

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@bobstro

"but it isn't too ugly" is an understatement 😊 

I think that was really nice 👍 

Thank you for the idea, I will try that

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@bobstro

Yeah, that's nice. 🙂

My design is to have two marble chopping boards (I didn't feel one was heavy enough) on which the printer is mounted, and then four squash ball rubber isolation feet under the marble boards.

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

Thanks, guys. I'd probably try another finish if I were to do it over again, but at least it's not an obvious slab of concrete. Sealing in dust was my main concern. I must've spent $20 on paint for a $3 paver. The concrete absorbs a lot. A 1st filler coat is recommended. Given more time I'd shop around for a chunk of granite or marble if only to not take up so much vertical space. Some sort of recess for the isolation pads would be nice.

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@bobstro

That is one cool paver.  

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

And here it is. OMG that has made a MASSIVE difference to the noise of the printer. The two chopping boards were glued together with gorilla glue, and the squash ball feet glued on with cyanoacrylate. I used double yellow dot squash balls. They seem very compressed so I wonder if I should add another two feet?

To be fair the Mk3 is already a ver quiet printer, but now it's only a fraction of the noisiness it was before.

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

I don't understand why a paving slab reduces printer noise but surely it has something to do with the two being "coupled", doesn't the squash ball feet prevent this?

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@towlerg

No, the printer is coupled to the marble slab/paver. This heavy mass reduces the frequency and amplitude of the vibrations caused by printing. The heavy mass is then decoupled from the drawers by the squash ball feet. That stops the drawers from resonating printer noise.

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

@bascule

That makes sense, thanks.

RE: Heavy glass/granite slab for printer?

Printer sitting on:

$9.99 16"x16" porcelain paver from a home improvement shop (quick water rinse then dry to remove dust)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MSI-Porto-Anthracite-16-in-x-16-in-x-0-79-in-Gray-Porcelain-Paver-Tile-1-777-Sq-Ft-LHDPAVNPORANT16/307690703

sitting on 4 1" sorbothane duro 70 hemispheres at around $15.  I didn't peel 'n stick.  Just placed the feet flat side down.

https://www.amazon.com/Sorbothane-Hemisphere-Rubber-Non-Skid-Adhesive/dp/B07PF174F5

Another OMG moment.  Woah! Wow! kinda difference.  I had to move my printer because it was annoying my lovely bride in her work at home office.  With the above $25 /5 minute solution, printer is  back where I want it.  Easy, affordable, everybody happy.