A common question from some of my friends is “How noisy is the robot?”  Since getting the belts tensioned pretty well and getting the stepper motors tuned up, it’s a little noisier.  But, it is quieter than our dishwasher or central heating unit.

Rubber band for MakerBot noise reduction

Besides making sure the rods are oiled and bolts tightened (they get loose with all the shaking) I noticed that compressing the two sides of the Y stage helped with noise reduction.  By taking a thick rubber band, stretching it, and tying a big knot in either end I can put it in the slots for the opto-endstop triggers.  This has helped a little.  You’ll notice I stretched them over the two bolts.  This seems to also have helped just a little bit.