Speedy 300 owners: does this sound normal to you?

[Jon Colley]

I have listened to the audio clip several times and I don't think it is possible to tell if this noise is "normal" or not from the clip. There is a certain amount of noise in all servo motors depending on the size of the motor, the holding current, the motion control algorithm, etc. There is noise in the clip from the laser tube cooling fans and we don't know where the microphone is situated or if the side panel is on or off.

I know from my years in this business that these systems always seem louder in the shop compared to the showroom. This is because the showroom is typically larger so the noises (especially the tube cooling fans) aren't reflecting off of walls that are closer to the machine. We also have drop ceilings or high ceilings in the showrooms so the sound reflections from above are minimized.

When the noise occurred during engraving, were you engraving from top to bottom or bottom to top? If it was going bottom to top, some part of the axis may have jammed on a plate at the back of the chassis that is designed to direct the exhaust flow. If this is the case, it should be adjusted by our local technician.

If you are worried about the noise that the Y-axis makes while idle, I can certainly have a replacement motor sent up if you want to try it. I think the noise may just be normal, but I can't tell for sure. If it would set your mind at ease, I have no problem with sending up a motor.

[Raphael Weil]

I have listened to the audio clip several times and I don't think it is possible to tell if this noise is "normal" or not from the clip. There is a certain amount of noise in all servo motors depending on the size of the motor, the holding current, the motion control algorithm, etc. There is noise in the clip from the laser tube cooling fans and we don't know where the microphone is situated or if the side panel is on or off.

I know from my years in this business that these systems always seem louder in the shop compared to the showroom. This is because the showroom is typically larger so the noises (especially the tube cooling fans) aren't reflecting off of walls that are closer to the machine. We also have drop ceilings or high ceilings in the showrooms so the sound reflections from above are minimized.

When the noise occurred during engraving, were you engraving from top to bottom or bottom to top? If it was going bottom to top, some part of the axis may have jammed on a plate at the back of the chassis that is designed to direct the exhaust flow. If this is the case, it should be adjusted by our local technician.

If you are worried about the noise that the Y-axis makes while idle, I can certainly have a replacement motor sent up if you want to try it. I think the noise may just be normal, but I can't tell for sure. If it would set your mind at ease, I have no problem with sending up a motor.

I was engraving top to bottom, and the recording is with the side panel off, right beside the Y motor.

I may do a second recording and post it while the machine boots up. By doing that you can actually clearly hear when the motor noise starts in relation to the rest. I'll try and get that up tomorrow. I appreciate the time you took to reply, and I'll get a better clip up. Man this site is fantastic. Good people.

Once I do that John if it sounds abnormal to you, I'll swap the motor out. Fwiw right now the laser seems to be working fine. I haven't had any failures since the original 2.