DrLuigi, I'm not trying to be argumentative with you here. Just enjoying talking about it. Thanks for the noise samples.

I can confirm that mine sounds exactly like that however it appears to come from the motors in my case. I don't think the wood is amplifying the noise in any way with my printer. It seems that yours might be different.

This is my only printer. My feeling is that they are just a bit noisy. Even as the noise may be present, I don't think it affects the quality of the output unless there is a lot of vibration. High speeds can cause that. I don't print over 40mm/sec because I need cleaner prints. And, even though it takes a long time, most of my prints are at 20mm/sec, the perimeters anyway. At this stage of the game for me, a 3D printer is not a production device. It's a prototyping device. Once I have the part worked out, I'd plan to use injection molding or some other production process to mass-produce.

I can't speak from experience but I'd expect that some of the other models of metal printers that have housings are noisy with the doors open or housings off. Just a guess. I don't know how old you are but if you remember the first dot-matrix paper printers, they were so loud that a whole industry was created to build Plexiglas shells to cover them. And it did not help that much. Those things were incredibly loud. Maybe 3D printers will have the same development curve and the stepper motors will get quieter and quieter. I still can't believe how inexpensive they are, mine anyway. Maybe there are some super-quiet stepper motors out there but I've never researched that.

I will acknowledge that the printers make noise, but I just don't see how the design of the i3 in wood increases the noise levels. I do suspect that excessie print speeds will cause a lot of instability and vibration. Each machine will have different tolerances for that. It could be true that a metal frame will allow for higher print speeds and lower harmonic distortion but again, I've never used one, so someone else would have to discuss that.

For now, the Makerfarm i3 8" is a fantastic device for me to use to prototype. It's making some beautiful parts and it's quiet enough for me. It sits in my office and prints along while I work and it doesn't bother me. The cost was right. And because I built it, I learned a ton about RepRap design. That's something I would not have gotten from a prebuilt machine.

I can't say enough good things about it. One day I might outgrow it but if someone wants economy and quality in one package, it's a great option to explore.