Making My 3D Printer Shut Up So I Can Work

So I’m pretty sure my coworkers think I’m running some kind of illegal manufacturing operation in my home office. Every time I’m on a Zoom call and my Prusa Mini kicks into gear, I can see everyone squinting, trying to figure out what that weird mechanical whirring sound is. One guy actually asked if I was blending smoothies during meetings. If only.

My Prusa Mini is a fantastic little printer, but DAMN is it noisy. And since it lives in my brick-walled home office (basically a sound echo chamber designed by Satan himself), the noise bounces around and amplifies until it sounds like I’m hosting a robot fight club.

The worst part? My printer sits on this cheap MDF table with an open frame design that basically functions as an amplifier.

How Loud Is This Thing, Really?

Before I started my noise-reduction crusade, I figured I should get some actual measurements instead of just complaining. Armed with a decibel meter app on my phone (probably not super accurate, but whatever), I printed a standard 20mm calibration cube and recorded the noise levels.

The results were… not great:

• Minimum: 39 dB (when it’s thinking about what to do next)
• Average: 58 dB (roughly as loud as a normal conversation)
• Maximum: 68 dB (about as loud as a vacuum cleaner when it’s doing that crazy bed-leveling dance)

The loudest moments happened during homing and bed leveling, which makes sense because that’s when the motors are frantically jerking around like they’re having some kind of mechanical seizure. The other spike happened during layer changes when the print head decides to ZOOM from the inside of the print to the outside perimeter.

Operation Silence This Beast: Phase 1 - Feet

My first genius idea was to print some shock-absorbing feet. I found these bad boys on Printables that promised to dampen vibrations.

I printed them in PETG because apparently PLA will either crack or melt or spontaneously combust or something. Who knows. All I know is everyone online yelled “USE PETG” so I did.

Installing them was fun - and by fun I mean I nearly tipped my perfectly calibrated printer over twice while trying to attach them to the bottom. Note to self: printers are top-heavy.

Did They Work?

Holy crap, they actually did! The noise readings were:

• Minimum: 29 dB (down 10 dB)
• Average: 39 dB (down a whopping 19 dB!)
• Maximum: 63 dB (only down 5 dB, but hey, I’ll take it)

The average noise level dropped by 19 dB, which is HUGE. That’s like the difference between a blender and a refrigerator hum. The maximum noise was still pretty loud during those violent movements, but overall, this was a massive improvement.

What surprised me most was how much more stable the printer seemed. It wasn’t jiggling around like it was hopped up on energy drinks anymore.

Phase 2: Slapping a Garden Paving Slab Under It

Emboldened by my feet success, I decided to go further. I remembered reading somewhere that mass absorbs vibration, so I headed to the local DIY store and bought the cheapest paving slab they had.

This basic gray slab was heavy as hell and not winning any beauty contests, but I wasn’t putting it on display at the Tate.

Getting it home and up the stairs was a workout I didn’t sign up for. My back is still angry with me.

Did My Back Pain Pay Off?

Yes! The slab made a noticeable difference:

• Minimum: 27 dB (not much change)
• Average: 34 dB (down another 5 dB!)
• Maximum: 53 dB (down 10 dB from the feet-only setup!)

The maximum noise level dropped a lot this time. Makes sense - the heavy slab absorbs those quick, violent movements that create the loudest noises. The printer now sounds less like a malfunctioning robot and more like… well, a quieter malfunctioning robot.

My desk no longer vibrates when the printer is running, which is a nice bonus. I used to watch my coffee ripple Jurassic Park style.

Phase 3: Random Foam I Had Lying Around

At this point, I was getting obsessive. I found some styrene foam pieces in my garage from some packaging and thought, “why not stick these under the paving slab?”

Was this overkill? Absolutely. Did I have any scientific reason to believe this would help? Nope. But when you’re deep in a noise-reduction rabbit hole, rationality goes out the window.

I wedged the foam bits under the slab, making my printer tower look increasingly like a modern art installation titled “3D Printing Enthusiast’s Descent Into Madness.”

Foam Results: Meh

The foam experiment was… underwhelming:

• Minimum: 26 dB (down 1 dB, so basically nothing)
• Average: 34 dB (no change)
• Maximum: 52 dB (down 1 dB, which could just be measurement variance)

So, adding foam was basically pointless. Plus, it made my printer even taller and looked ridiculous. And I know from experience that styrene foam eventually disintegrates into little white balls that get EVERYWHERE. Not worth the hassle for a 1 dB improvement.

The foam is already in the bin where it belongs.

The Final Verdict: Success!

Looking at the full before and after:

• Minimum: 39 dB → 27 dB (12 dB reduction)
• Average: 58 dB → 34 dB (24 dB reduction!)
• Maximum: 68 dB → 53 dB (15 dB reduction)

That’s a massive improvement! My printer went from “annoying office distraction” to “background white noise I can ignore.” My Zoom calls no longer feature questions about what machinery I’m operating.

The best part? The entire noise reduction setup cost me less than £15 (excluding the PETG filament I already had). The paving slab was the most expensive part at around £10.

What’s Next?

I’m planning to build a proper enclosure next year, mainly so I can print ABS and other materials that need temperature control. That should knock out the remaining noise and make this thing practically silent.

Until then, I’m happy with my ugly-but-effective garden paving slab setup. My printer may look like it’s standing on a tombstone, but at least it’s a quiet tombstone.

And yes, the foam experiment was stupid. We all make mistakes in the heat of maker passion.