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AUDIO FORUMS >> D.I.Y. >> 3D Printed Diffusers?
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Message started by Bottlehead on 06/16/20 at 02:16:24

Title: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Bottlehead on 06/16/20 at 02:16:24

Hi all,

I don't know if this would be possible logistically, but it would seem like 3D printing diffusers would be a less expensive way to go. Are they just too big to manage in a printer?

Thanks,
Randy

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Donnie on 06/16/20 at 17:22:51

Randy,

3D printing is somewhat pricey, the material costs are fairly high, you not only have the part's material you also have the filler support material.

Most machines tables are small, hobby ones are usually around 12" square. The big ones we have here at work have a around a 30" square table and there are one's in the building that are 40". But they are expensive machines.

But prices are dropping as the technology matures.

So that is just a long way of saying that yes you can print diffusers, but it MAY be a little bit more expensive than what you would think.

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Dana on 06/16/20 at 17:49:18

Could you CNC them? It wouldn't be as expensive as you are removing material instead of adding it and the size of the blank could be much bigger.

Something like this???
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1830738289/maslow-cnc-a-500-open-source-4-by-8-foot-cnc-machi

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Donnie on 06/16/20 at 22:07:31

Dana,

At this point in time cutting them with a CNC would be more cost effective. It would be much quicker.

The problem with the $500 one would be the lack of a programmable Z axis. Every time you wanted to change the depth of cut you would need to stop and manually adjust the tool.

I'd also be a little concerned with "blowing out" whatever material I was cutting with a machine that wasn't very rigid. Without a stout machine you run the risk of the tool getting behind where it should be and when it gets to the point of coming out of the cut the cutter has a tendency to take all of the cut that it is behind and rip the material off.

Sorry, this is the stuff I think about every day for a living.
Boring to most, fascinating to me.

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Bottlehead on 06/17/20 at 03:42:44

Thanks for the info, guys.

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Dana on 06/17/20 at 06:50:27

I was thinking more like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Absorption-Diffuse-Acoustic-%C2%ABWave%C2%BB-rec-studio-laminated/dp/B07LH7N8ZG/ref=pd_sbs_267_6/147-8973673-9740538?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07LH7N8ZG&pd_rd_r=e73f7af9-9c2c-454a-83b6-0f559eaa7c8a&pd_rd_w=4nSmi&pd_rd_wg=csnOD&pf_rd_p=bdc67ba8-ab69-42ee-b8d8-8f5336b36a83&pf_rd_r=EMY2T14K9A965HFZXJ0R&psc=1&refRID=EMY2T14K9A965HFZXJ0R

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Donnie on 06/17/20 at 10:47:49

Wow, those are cool.
The cheap CNC router might work for that.
But I would say that at 4 for $129.00, I'd just buy them instead of making them.

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Showme on 06/19/20 at 15:05:55

Those are nice. Thanks for making us aware of them. I’m about caught up on room treatments but it makes me think I should reevaluate.

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Lonely Raven on 07/17/20 at 18:00:19

I'm not sure how much real diffusion those "grate" type diffusers would have as they really only have 1 unit of depth.

That said, once I get my laser up and running again, I was going to experiment cutting some out and see if I can measure the change. Unfortunately, this might not be till fall or winter at the rate things are going, but I do plan on playing with them myself.

Another one of the projects I have rattling around in my head is laser cutting a QRD type diffuser that you would assemble like puzzle pieces. Nothing too crazy, just a little more depth and size than the Decware diffusers (which are great for the money by the way), but small enough to ship flat-packed to someone who wanted to play with them.

I have lots of ideas, I just need to get my shop put together...biggest hurdle with that is the $7k to $10k it will cost to run 220v out to my garage (sigh).

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Dana on 07/18/20 at 20:06:34

I'm not a sound engineer but I would think the theory of using slots of different lengths to absorb different frequency ranges would have a similar affect as breaking up frequencies using depth. A hybrid of both carving out the deadening material underneath the slots would (small circular saw set at different depths ran thru the slots???) would improve the effectiveness by providing more surface area to absorb those frequencies that made it thru the slots.

Would a starburst pattern be more effective rather than just horizontal slots?

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Lonely Raven on 07/19/20 at 07:51:53

Absorption is not diffusion. You can't fake diffusion with absorption - that's like saying you can paint different colors with different shades of black.

Title: Re: 3D Printed Diffusers?
Post by Steve Deckert on 07/19/20 at 17:47:58

7 to 10K? Sounds like a Honda generator might be in order.