3D printer silent box
Why do I need soundproofing for my 3D printer?
The Bambu Lab A1 printer is a very fast yet quiet printer (if not the quietest) compared to competitors and higher models from Bambu Lab. The manufacturer claims 48dB(A) after noise and vibration calibration of the printer and turning on Silent mode.
In my case, the printer is located in a living room, so its quiet and fast operation is a key factor in my purchase.
Indeed, the Silent mode noticeably reduces noise during printing, but it also slows down the printing speed by 50%. From the positive side, Silent mode brings improvement in print quality.
However, during the printing of supports, the fan is noticeably noisy.
But even in Silent mode the noise of the printer turned out to be unacceptably high for me, it distracts me from reading and watching TV.
A way out of the situation would be to print at night behind a closed door in Silent mode, but it is not convenient and I did not buy a high-speed printer to print slowly, so the noise problem had to be solved.
Soundproofing solution
The solution to soundproofing is simple at first glance - it is necessary to place the printer in a separate cabinet closed from all sides. The problem is that I was considering only standard IKEA furniture for the cabinet, as investing in custom-made furniture specifically for the printer was beyond my budget.
I also wanted to make a solution that could be replicated by another person, so I had to use the most standard and available furniture elements.
Also, the cabinet had to be compact, as I have very limited space in my apartment.
After studying the IKEA furniture catalog, it turned out that none of the fully enclosed cabinets IKEA was not suitable due to the size (maximum internal depth is 53.5cm) because the printer moves the bed, and you need to provide additional space behind the printer to connect the cables. It was literally a few centimeters short. Placing the printer along the cabinet would in turn make the printer awkward to work with, and I also needed somewhere nearby to place the AMS Lite system for multicolor printing.
A search on Reddit led me to an article with a very good idea for using furniture from IKEA's METOD kitchen range, which is just a little deeper than standard cabinets. The downside of using floor-standing kitchen furniture for this purpose is that IKEA METOD cabinets have no “ceiling”. These cabinets require the installation of a customizable common work surface plate on top, which is not only expensive but also long (custom-made to order).
But the dimensions of the cabinet (80x60x80, internal depth 58cm) were perfect for my purpose and this cabinet was taken as a basis for the future soundproof cabinet.
For the cabinet, I chose IKEA ENKÖPING glass doors (40x80) to provide visual observation of the printing process.
I bought 2 sets of 2 IKEA UTRUSTA 110° door hinges and 1 set with 2 IKEA KALLRÖR 213mm steel handles (installed by drilling the doors).
In order to achieve success in creating maximum noise insulation, the installation of the cabinet alone is not enough, so I additionally purchased automotive noise insulation sheets (6 pcs 70*50cm) made of butyl rubber (Alubutyl), which were glued to all surfaces of the cabinet including the doors.
Additionally, to reduce low-frequency noise and vibrations, a sandwich of two materials of different densities was installed under the printer: compressed rubber and foam sponge. I wrapped the sandwich in film as the rubber was emitting an odor.
It is considered more effective for noise insulation purposes to place the sandwich with the denser part facing upwards.
The issue with the “roof” (top cover) of the cabinet was solved by installing the simplest flat door without any decorations IKEA VEDDINGE (60x80), which perfectly fit the dimensions. I screwed it with 4 screws (12-15mm) to the metal rails of the cabinet, which contained holes for screwing.
In addition to the cabinet, I took the IKEA UTRUSTA (80x60) shelf (a set of 2 pieces) and installed one shelf inside the cabinet, thus raising the height of the printer, which not only increased the convenience of working with the printer, but also allowed to use the resulting compartment for storing accessories, plastic, and hidden cables.
I put the second shelf on the floor, in order to improve noise insulation and raise the height of the whole cabinet a bit.
Additionally, for noise insulation, I used IKEA STOPP FILT non-woven material putting one layer on the floor, another layer between the shelf (on the floor) and the cabinet, as well as on the inner shelf.
I also put an additional 1 sheet of auto-noise insulation between the shelf on the floor and the cabinet.
I turned 180 degrees the back panel of the cabinet (square holes located down) to hide the two square holes behind the shelf and used one of them to put the power cable inside.
Another additional soundproofing element used was the TESA rubber seal E-profile installed around the perimeter of the cabinet on the door side. It is used to eliminate gaps between the door and the cabinet. 3 meters of double profile were used.
Inside the cabinet, in addition to the Bambu Lab A1 printer and AMS Lite, you can see the following objects in the photo below:
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The rectangular white plastic frame on which the AMS Lite stands (model link).
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Low profile grey stand for AMS Lite (model link) instead of original stand.
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DryBox for two spools (it is located under the AMS Lite inside the frame). DryBox is based on the IKEA 365+ 10.6L container (model link).
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On the left side of the printer on the cabinet wall white panels compatible with the IKEA SKADIS system (model link).
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At the left side of the printer near the bottom is a compact garbage tray for collecting print waste (purge). The basket does not block ventilation holes. (model link)
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Behind the printer, there is a shelf (model link) with a 1-spool DryBox based on the Vtopmart 4L container (model link). A Sunlu S2 dryer can also be installed on this shelf, or this dryer can be placed on the main cabinet shelf in front of the 2 spools DryBox.
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Also behind the printer a square of white PTFE film is glued on the wall to reduce the friction of the cable connecting the printer and the hotbed against the cabinet wall.
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Containers for small accessories on the IKEA SKADIS compatible panel (model link)
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Adapters for AMS Lite to SUNLU/JAYO spools (two kinds of spools: reusable and non-reusable).
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Xiaomi thermometer-hygrometer is mounted on the glass of the cabinet door in the upper left corner. A great quality model with a mobile app. I install these hygrometers in all my DryBoxes and monitor the humidity through the app. You may observe humidity and temperature in dynamics by looking into history. The temperature inside the cabinet at the time of printing (>9hours) did not rise above 39 degrees in summer and 31 degrees in winter. The maximum difference between room and inside cabinet temperature was 13 degrees.
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Lighting is made by installing a high-quality LED strip (Auxmer 12V 4000K 95CRI 14.4W/meter) with a length of 40cm. The stated wattage of the strip is correct and the 40cm strip requires 6W at 12V and 4W at 11V. The LED strip is powered by three Li-Ion batteries Liitokala 18650 in series with built-in BMS protection. Batteries was installed in the holder. Alternatively, I can connect a holder with AA batteries with a boost module that increases the voltage up to 12V. The light is turned on by pressing a switch-button (the button is connected in the circuit break between the LED strip and the power source. LED strip is installed on two rails with a 45-degree inclination (model link). Rails were printed using PETG as PLA is going softer when temperature increases. I scaled the model (set the height to 12mm and width 12mm), as original rails dimensions was too tight for LED strip.
Outside of the cabinet (right wall) installed a printer build plate holder (model link).
On the top of the cabinet (you might seen it in the first picture at the beginning of the article) there are 2 spools holders for 6 spools each, you can also place another 6 spools on top each of them (model link).
Cabinet ventilation and cooling the printer's electronic components
Despite the fact that the temperature in the soundproof cabinet during printing (including a long time of more than 9 hours) did not rise above 13 degrees compared to the temperature in the room, I decided to improve the design of the cabinet and add the following changes:
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Installed Noctua NF-A6x25 (60x25mm 12V) fan on the hole in the lower left corner of the cabinet (having previously widened it). The fan is mounted on a platform (model reference). The fan is screwed to the platform with 2 M3x12mm bolts. Used 2 bolts instead of 4 to place the platform close to the wall without air gaps.
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Installed 3 Noctua NF-A4x20 (40x20mm 12V) fans on the printer case near the vents. One on the inlet (right) and two on the outlet (left). The vents on the left are wider, so 2 fans are installed there. Installation of fans on the left side in outlet (exhaust) configuration is done in order to avoid possible suction of debris printing, because on the left side there is a basket for garbage and printer cleans its' nozzle. The fans are screwed (I used screws from the fans boxes) to the platform (model reference), which is attached to the printer. To the fan that is used for air intake (on the right side of the printer) I installed a protective cover (model reference) which is screwed on with 4 M3x10mm bolts. Installing two fans on the left side required a reduction in the wastebasket. The corresponding modified model is published in a separate profile here.
The Noctua fans were chosen due to their high performance and yet importantly low noise, and low noise is a crucial factor for this printer soundproofing project.
When running at full power, the sound of the Noctua NF-A4x20 running with the cabinet doors closed is completely inaudible while printing, while the Noctua NF-A6x25 can be noticed as it blows air outside the cabinet. To reduce noise from Noctua NF-A6x25 I connected it through L.N.A.-adapter (Low Noise Adapter), which comes with the fan. L.N.A.-adapter reduces the power, speed (and performance) by about 1/3, but noticeably reduces the noise level, which allowed to stay at the same noise level as before the installation of fans at a distance of 1 meter from the cabinet - 36.5dB(A), in 2 meters noise growth only by 0.4dB(A) compared to the version without fans - 36.32dB(A).
All fans are connected to each other with Y-adapters and one extension cord. All necessary cables and adapters were included with the fans. If you don't plan on using Noctua fans, then you may need adapters and extensions.
The fans are powered with 12V voltage from AC-DC power adapter.
I also used a DC 5521 plug adapter to connect the fans to the AC-DC power adapter.
In order to ensure the fans turn on when it's most needed when the temperature rises, I moved the Xiaomi Mijia Bluetooth 2 thermometer-hygrometer mounted on the cabinet glass in front of the exhaust fans and connected in the MI Home app to the Xiaomi Smart Plug 2 Wi-Fi outlet to which the aforementioned AC-DC power adapter. Next scenarios were configured:
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when the temperature reaches 33 degrees - turn on the outlet
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when the temperature reaches 32 degrees - turn the outlet off.
In this way, the fans only turn on when the set temperature is reached, which happens while the printer is running, and thanks to the disconnect condition, you don't have to worry about them turning off after printing is finished and printer cooled down.
I have empirically determined the specified on and off temperature values specifically for my conditions. In your case there may be different temperature thresholds as it depends on the thermal insulation of the cabinet, the placement of the fans and the thermometer, the printing conditions and the thermistor inside the thermometer.
Also, thanks to Xiaomi's advanced scripting (scenario) capabilities for Xiaomi smart devices, you can create a scenario with a scheduled on/off condition, as well as remotely control on/off and monitor humidity and temperature values from the MI Home app.
The recorded total power of the fans at 12V was 1.7W of which:
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Noctua NF-A4x20 - 0.4W
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Noctua NF-A6x25 - 0.5W (connected via L.N.A adapter).
Conclusions on ventilation:
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Running the fan Noctua NF-A6x2 to blow air out of the cabinet in reduced power and reduced noise mode (L.N.A-adapter) results in a 1.4 degree Celsius drop in the overall temperature inside the cabinet. If you are not bothered by the noise produced by the fan, I recommend using it without the L.N.A adapter. It is not possible to install a larger fan under the shelf, 60mm is the maximum diameter.
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3 Noctua NF-A4x20 fans are installed for the purpose of cooling the printer motherboard providing air circulation. Installation of such fans makes sense because the temperature of the blown air is 9 degrees higher than the temperature of the air inside the cabinet. This solution definitely reduces the risk of overheating of the printer's internal components.
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The conclusions on the change in noise resulting from the installation of the fans are described below.
Noise measurement
I measured the noise of a running printer with the UNI-T UT353BT device. Each measurement takes 10 minutes and average value was recorded. During measurement I was in another room. The noise values recorded by the device were transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone app.
Measurement results at a distance of 1 meter:
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Standard print mode: 36.5dB(A)
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Standard printing mode with 4 fans on: 36.5dB(A) (noise level unchanged)
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Silent print mode: 35.77dB(A)
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Silent printing mode with 4 fans on: 36.17dB(A) (+0.6dB(A))
Measurement results at a distance of 2 meters:
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Standard print mode: 35.92dB(A)
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Standard printing mode with 4 fans on: 36.32dB(A) (+0.4dB(A))
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Silent printing mode: 35.59dB(A)
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Silent printing mode with 4 fans on: 36.17dB(A) (+0.58dB(A))
The value of background noise in the apartment at night is 35.30dB(A).
Thus, the above-described means of reducing noise from the printer in operation has had an excellent result. The Bambu Lab A1 printer can print in Standard mode at full speed while located in the noise isolation cabinet. The noise insulation does its job and it is not always possible to hear from the other end of the room whether the printer is working at all and you have to go to it and check.
Other useful information
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I recommend visiting the 3D printing page, there is a lot of useful information and links to useful articles, printer upgrades and accessories.
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3D PrintArmy - International 3D printer owners volunteer community who want to help Ukrainian military forces defend their home from russian invasion by printing training, medical equipment, and (if a volunteer wants to) also military-related stuff.
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