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Acoustic enclosure for pancake compressor?

8K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  mics_54 
#1 ·
I have one of those little PC pancake air compressors, which as you must know is really noisy. Just wondering if anybody has had any luck making up an acoustic enclosure for one of these.
 
#2 ·
Most of us just put up with the noise

But I don't see why you couldn't make a foam lined box with a ventilation slot at the top and bottom to allow for air flow and the hose and power cord. Heat buildup would be the only issue I can see. A zig zag baffle would probably work well at the top. I may try this myself since they are so noisy. :thumbsup: bill
 
#11 ·
But I don't see why you couldn't make a foam lined box with a ventilation slot at the top and bottom to allow for air flow and the hose and power cord. Heat buildup would be the only issue I can see. A zig zag baffle would probably work well at the top. I may try this myself since they are so noisy. :thumbsup: bill
Air flow it very important. Those little things put out a lot of heat and without oil, they're totally air cooled. That's a good idea to experiment with temp operating it inside a cardboard box.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Zig zag baffle sounds like great idea, never thought of it...kinda like the way a muffler in a car routes the exhaust back and forth several times inside the enclosure...

Only thing I had thought of, was to line a box with accoustic ceiling tile or such like, maybe the accoustic insulation bats.

Also be a good idea to build in some fans to force air thru the box, just not sure what kind of fan would push enough air so the machine is cooled and not starved for air.

My compressor is the little red Porter Cable 150 psi pancake...3.7 scfm at 40 psi and 2.6 scfm at 90 psi. Only use it for shooting brads (the little gun that came in the package with it) in the shop. Sometimes of course use it for pumping up a few things, but thats not often enough to worry about.
 
#4 ·
I built a cabinet for mine and lined the cabinet with Roxul safe n sound insulation. Insulation on all 4 walls of the cabinet and top and bottom. I installed a toggle switch on the front of the cabinet which powered a recepticle on the inside. It was perfect. I could run my compressor any time that I wanted and it didn't bother me at all. When I built the new shop, I put the compressor in the attic. The ceiling is all insulated for sound so I don't hear the compressor hardly at all. I don't think that my neighbours can say the same though. :laughing:
Ken
 
#5 ·
There is a vibration issue also

So maybe the enclosure should have a bottom with some anti-vibe pads between the feet and the bottom or between the floor and the bottom. I like Kenbos' outside switch idea, great! Maybe a trap door or hinged cover for the switch and to adjust the pressure regulator as well. My 5 HP airless 60 gal makes enough noise to go through 2 - 5/8" double sided walls and I can still hear it in the house. :thumbdown: bill
 
#7 ·
Probably not necessary

If the air can move by convection from bottom to top freely that could be enough. If not, a small computer fan should be adequate to recycle fresh air pushing in at the bottom. It will have no choice but to exhaust at the top. A digital thermometer laid on the compressor without the enclosure will give a sense of the working temp after you run it for 10 minutes or so. Then throw a close fitting cardboard box on top and run it for 10 -15 mins and see what the rise is. Then cut some holes top and bottom and see what that rise is. That should give you an idea of the heat build up before you build the enclosure. JMO :blink: bill
 
#8 ·
I built a cabinet from melamine sheets as part of my SCMS bench. It's a standard cabinet like you would find in a kitchen except 36" deep. If you are in the room next to the shop (...errrr garage) and paying attention, you might realize that it is running. When I'm working in the shop I can hear the compressor running but it is not annoying. I did not do anything to "Sound Proof" the cabinet except put the compressor on a couple of those foam kneeling pads for garden work. The kneeling pad prevents the cabinet from acting as a sounding board. The kneeling pad probably prevents 90% of the annoying sound from reaching the shop/house.
 
#9 ·
Yes, I once had my unit in just a simple plywood cabinet, which did double duty as a base for my drill press and it did dampen the sound a fair amount. I have an idea though in progress in sketchup and will post some pics of my monstosity once it gets into the build stage. I live in a townhouse row, so the quieter I can make this thing the better. Between its noise and vibration, it is way more noisy than my TS.
 
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