Hi all. Earlier this year we’ve posted two video tutorials of Snapmaker 2.0 Enclosure on our YouTube channel, where one of our users “Juan Salinas” asked us how much quieter will this enclosure make the machine. So, our team has made a series of tests on the sound-reduction quality of our A350 Enclosure. And here are the test results we promised.

Testing Sound Level in a Laser Engraving Session

We tested the average and maximum sound levels from three different distances, comparing situations with and without the Enclosure.

As you can see, the bare machine produced noise between 52 dBA and 55 dBA when on standby mode, whereas the noise level rose to between 56 dBA–60 dBA on 3D printing mode, 57 dBA–60 dBA on laser engraving mode, and 60 dBA–69 dBA on CNC carving mode. As a reference, 50 dBA sounds like refrigerator humming, normal conversation is about 60 dBA, and 70 dBA feels like you’re inside a car at 60 mph (or 96 km/h).

When the machine was enclosed with its Power Module on the outside, the sound could be 2 dBA–4 dBA lower during 3D printing and laser engraving. It’s not a big drop obviously, but now the machine was almost as quiet as on standby. CNC carving was much louder, but in turn, the Enclosure had a better performance by reducing the sound by 3 dBA–6 dBA.

Since the Power Module contributes most of the noise when the machine is enclosed, we’ve also made a pair of simple pothooks to hang the Power Module inside the Enclosure and repeated the testing process on standby, 3D printing, laser, and CNC. The most affected terms in this part include the maximum sound levels of 3D printing, laser, and CNC, as well as the average sound level of CNC. In general, we can further reduce and stabilize the noise by hanging the Power Module inside the enclosure.

How We Tested:

 Test device: handheld sound level meter & tripod.

Test positions: 12 spots on the four corners of the machine and the Enclosure. We named them Spot A to L. Spot A, B, C, and D were 10 cm away from the machine or the Enclosure, Spot E to H were 30 cm away, while Spot I to L were 50 cm away. The Power Module was put 10 cm away from the machine or the Enclosure in Case A and B, while hanged above the Enclosure’s Exhaust Fan in Case C.

Test order: from Spot A to Spot L, in alphabetical order

Number of tests

• The average sound level on Standby: from Spot A to L, three times for each spot, once every 10 seconds.
• The average sound level on 3D printing, laser & CNC: from Spot A to L, five times for each spot, once every 10 seconds.
• The maximum sound level on 3D printing, laser & CNC: from Spot A to L, three times for each spot, with each test lasting for 30 seconds.

Test conditions

• 3D printing
  • Speed
    • Infill Speed: 40 mm/s
    • Outer Wall Speed: 10 mm/s
    • Inner Wall Speed: 15 mm/s
    • Travel Speed: 60 mm/s
  • Filament: 1.75 mm PLA
  • Exhaust Fan: ON

• Laser engraving
  • Mode: Greyscale
  • Movement Mode: Line
  • Density: 7 dots/mm
  • Speed
    • Jog Speed: 1500 mm/min
    • Work Speed: 500 mm/min
  • Exhaust Fan: ON

• CNC carving
  • Mode: Relief
  • Speed
    • Spindle Speed: 11,500 RPM
    • Work Speed: 600 mm/min
  • Material: 100 mm × 100 mm × 10 mm Beechwood Board
  • Carving Bit: 1.5 mm Flat End Mill
  • Exhaust Fan: OFF (When using the CNC function inside an enclosure, the Exhaust Fan should be turned off to avoid drawing and collecting dust in the Exhaust Duct.)

If you want to learn more, click here to see the full test record.

Some Tips：

1. The fan on the back of the Power Module is one of the main sound sources, yet we can’t put the module inside the Enclosure. That’s why Spot D, H, and L beside the back of the Power Module are relatively noisier (see the attached excel file). The Snapmaker team is working on a quieter Power Module by optimizing its cooling system. It’s coming soon.

If you need to use the machine in your study, bedroom, or dormitory, one solution is to take the fan out of the Power Module and temporarily fix it to the outside of the box. Please check this forum topic for more details.
Or, we can also share the pothook model if you wish to take it as a temporary solution.

2. The level of sound you can hear is also affected by a combination of other factors, such as the work speed of the machine, the material used for CNC processing, the platform, the position where you place the machine, and whether the machine is properly assembled.

When you feel that the machine makes an abnormally loud noise, try moving it to a flat and stable platform, or reassemble the machine parts that you think might be loose.

If you have more questions, feel free to contact us at support@snapmaker.com.