Any idea for a cheap vibration damper??

[Brian Ski]

I have a 3D printer. It weights about 20-25 lbs. It sits on a table upstairs and runs for hours. Whatever.... Well at night when you are trying to sleep you can hear it humming along. I tried using some closed cell foam. About 1-1/2" by 1-1/2" and 3/8" thick. Works great... For a few days. then the foam gets squished down to 1/16". The printer is not really heavy, but the foam over time crushes. Once it crushes it get noisy again. Let the foam sit for a day and it will expand again. I have another kind in the garage I might try.

Any other ideas??

 

[foszoe]

I have a 3D printer. It weights about 20-25 lbs. It sits on a table upstairs and runs for hours. Whatever.... Well at night when you are trying to sleep you can hear it humming along. I tried using some closed cell foam. About 1-1/2" by 1-1/2" and 3/8" thick. Works great... For a few days. then the foam gets squished down to 1/16". The printer is not really heavy, but the foam over time crushes. Once it crushes it get noisy again. Let the foam sit for a day and it will expand again. I have another kind in the garage I might try.

Any other ideas??

View attachment 370197

I am sure, @printcraft will have several great ideas. He is an expert in the venn diagram where printing and vibrators come together.

 

[Brandon]

We have 1" square rubber pads we use for such use.

 

[Brandon]

One in each corner. I get mine off my work truck, 1" square about 1" thick.

 

[jagee]

Rubber pads. You could possibly get used ones for free from a concrete testing company and/or ready mix supplier.

Econ-o-Cap Capping Pads, Individual

Single cylinder pads of specific size and durometer, sold individually.

www.humboldtmfg.com

 

[JTKelly]

I have a 3D printer. It weights about 20-25 lbs. It sits on a table upstairs and runs for hours. Whatever.... Well at night when you are trying to sleep you can hear it humming along. I tried using some closed cell foam. About 1-1/2" by 1-1/2" and 3/8" thick. Works great... For a few days. then the foam gets squished down to 1/16". The printer is not really heavy, but the foam over time crushes. Once it crushes it get noisy again. Let the foam sit for a day and it will expand again. I have another kind in the garage I might try.

Any other ideas??

View attachment 370197

Best idea yet. MOVE it out to the garage.

 

[Brandon]

I have mine on a cart with the rubber pads under it in the garage.

More so to keep my kid away from it.

Best idea yet. MOVE it out to the garage.

 

[Brian Ski]

Best idea yet. MOVE it out to the garage.

Not really the best idea... We have a detached garage and with the temps nearing 100 inside it is not the best printing environment. (temps inside are roughly 10 degrees about outdoor) Upstairs is my Mini workshop. (Reloading and 3D printing stuff.)

 

[Brian Ski]

View attachment 370219
One in each corner. I get mine off my work truck, 1" square about 1" thick.

I have thought of those. But unless they are very light duty, They might not stop the vibrations. Most of the ones I seen are for heavier things like air compressors. Or freezers.

 

[patience0830]

Anyplace that makes use of giant rolls of paper(cardboard plant, commercial printing operation) will have chopped rubber sheets that they use under the rolls in the truck to help keep them from sliding. Sometimes you can find them at truck stops where someone cleaned out a trailer. Or if you happen to know a trucker who hauls paper occasionally, he might help you out. Tractor supply sells rubber mat for truck bed and trailer floors too.

 

[2tonic]

Try open cell foam. It will compress, but not crush. 3/4" to 1" thick will do (depending on the weight of the printer) It will decouple the printer from whatever it's sitting on.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

Pool noodle cut lengthwise? 2 runners for each side maybe. That stuff doesn’t compress as much.

 

[indyblue]

Carpet pad?

 

[Slow Hand]

What about like the ‘exercise mats’. I have some that lock together and you can arrange them in any square or rectangular pattern. I think they are about 2’ square. I have them lined up in front of my reloading bench. They are pretty dense foam. I dont stand in the same exact spot for hours, but I’m way heavier than your printer! I think they come in a four pack at menards so maybe excess to your needs, but you can use them for other stuff too, like standing on…. Or, I think a yoga mat is about the same stuff, maybe a bit softer, it usually comes in a rolled up deal. Maybe double layer it?

another possibly oddball suggestion would be springs. I know our local ace hardware has a good selection of springs. You might find some fairly lightweight compression springs that you could attach to each corner. I don’t know if that would make it quieter or just make it bounce and still vibrate, but a lot of big equipment we deal with is mounted on heavy duty springs so as to not transfer vibrations to the building it’s in.

 

[Magyars]

Rural King carries mats used in horse stalls. They are ruberish and lots of cushion to them,

 

[Bugzilla]

 

[Gunmetalgray]

For on the cheap, try plumbing pipe insulation, 6 foot length is a few bucks at the big box store. Cut ~1" thick 'donuts', put one under each corner. If that crushes too much, try 1.5" thick. Not the thin wall stuff, get the thick wall kind.

 

[Sailor]

I used a large concrete paver with packing foam underneath works great.