Acoustipack alternative (Melamine)

[Raygun]

Wow, nice work dude. Let me know your findings.

Hmm, I've contacted them now. They do not sell the whiteline melamine. They can however get them from Illbruk. If I order 25 square meters. Would cost a fortune...

Hmm, maybe I should order and remake my whole appartment. Quiet style...

[MrMajestic]

Wow, nice work dude. Let me know your findings.

Hmm, I've contacted them now. They do not sell the whiteline melamine. They can however get them from Illbruk. If I order 25 square meters. Would cost a fortune...

Hmm, maybe I should order and remake my whole appartment. Quiet style...

He he, too bad. I've ordered the Antec SLK3700 now and I will probably line it with Magic Fleece.

[Athlon Powers]

Where else can I buy this stuff? I dont like that McMaster dosent say shipping...

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello:

I doubt you'll find it called "melamine" anywhere else. Just look for ceiling acoustic tile, that should find you what you'll want.

Now that I've seen these tiles -- they are not actually melamine! Melamine is a thinner, less expensive plastic laminate product that is used on the insides of many kitchen cabinets, similar to the stuff that is used on many countertops. The skins on these acoustic panels is a sort od fiberglass, and it has a texture, it cuts fairly easily with a utility knife, and it makes my skin itch a little. Actual melamine is a sheet of plastic, and it has no fibers in it, AFAIK.

I have had a chance to install the stuff in my noisiest machine (the Athlon 700 Aptiva) and it helps a bit; mostly with a slight reduction in HD noise (I've got a quiet drive -- a 'Cuda IV 40GB), but fan noise is not helped much, since the intake fan (obviously) can't be covered! The fan isolators are much more beneficial to reducing noise, as is undervolting the fans, and cutting out the grills or bending them so the air flow is maximized.

[Vikroda]

Now that I've seen these tiles -- they are not actually melamine! Melamine is a thinner, less expensive plastic laminate product that is used on the insides of many kitchen cabinets, similar to the stuff that is used on many countertops. The skins on these acoustic panels is a sort od fiberglass, and it has a texture, it cuts fairly easily with a utility knife, and it makes my skin itch a little. Actual melamine is a sheet of plastic, and it has no fibers in it, AFAIK.

Do a google search on melamine. You will find the plastic laminate and a 2nd hit for the melamine FOAM. http://www.melaminefoam.com/
The fiberglass is there to serve as a backing, otherwise the foam would be too flimsy by itself (or so I have read in the earlier posts in this thread )

[jcdem]

I heard someone say they handled the melamine boards a bit and got fiberglass all over their hands. That doesn't seem too pleasing to me. Is there any way to keep the fibers from coming off the board or buy the foam without the fiberglass reinforcement? Even if I got it in my case without getting the fiberglass all over myself, I still would not want exposed fibers around.

[KenAF]

jcdem,

You should use rubber gloves and a mask when handling the melamine boards (you wouldn't want to breathe that it in). As long as you don't handle it too much, you can keep the excess fibers to a minimum.

[Katana Man]

That's the only drawback I see with this product. And it's something I would not personally want in my case because I'm always in and out of it.

[jcdem]

Exactly, so what are the best safe alternatives to melamine? I'm guessing they will be expensive.

[fmah]

That stuff looks good, maybe if you cover it with clear plastic sheeting after cutting it. Then when you put it in the computer it won't have the possbility of shedding.

I had been looking at the "acoustic foams" here

http://www.soundsuckers.com/

[aphonos]

That stuff looks good, maybe if you cover it with clear plastic sheeting after cutting it. Then when you put it in the computer it won't have the possbility of shedding.

I had been looking at the "acoustic foams" here

http://www.soundsuckers.com/

Wouldn't the sheeting destroy the sound absorbing qualities of the foam? Sound would just bounce off the sheeting.

[LushMD]

Perhaps a suitable compromise would be to seal the sides and edges of the foam with clear packing tape.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello:

I stand corrected on the melamine -- this is a foam version of the same stuff they use as a surface laminate.

Perhaps a suitable compromise would be to seal the sides and edges of the foam with clear packing tape.

I used a little good ol' duct tape to wrap the edges where I either have to stuff the piece in, or where I have to handle it when I open the case. My IBM Aptiva Athlon 700 has an inverted 'U' case cover that slides on from the front, and if I want a piece of the melamine foam installed on the left side (the main opening), then I have to put it in place first, and then slide on teh cover.

And it's only the edges that "shed" a little dust (when you cut it) and these are the source of the skin irritations, too. (Though it is not too bad -- nothing like fiberrglass batt insulation!) The surface is pretty much non-irritating, so covering the whole tile would be a waste of effort. It's the foam itself that provides much of the sound damping.

[offroad]

I used the melamine foam from McMasters to line the inside of my Antec 3700 case.

Didn't find it to be a problem in terms of the fiberglass causing irritation.
I cut it with a razor blade so there wasn't much dust.
I wrapped all exposed edges with white duct tape.
On the side covers of the 3700 there was a channel on the top and bottom so I cut the foam long enough to be slipped into these channels.
Front and back edges got the duct tape.

Top and bottom of the case also had places to tuck the foam under. You have to be careful when bending it to get it under something not to break the fiberglass but other than that its very easy to install.

Using the method above I didn't have to glue it or tape it in at all and I lined everything but the back of the case.

I also can't see that you would have problems with further dust once its installed. If you drop a tool on it, you may tear the fiberglass sheeting however since its not very tough.

I have four hard drives consisting of two 40gb Maxtor 7200 rpm's and two 10K Scsi's. In my old case these were very loud. The Antec has drive grommets and between that and the foam I can only hear a bit of well muffled noise during seeks on the drives, nothing else.

(Currently my Heatsink Fan is my loudest component)

I bought three sheets but if you measure carefully most people could get along with two. Since its only $2.75 per sheet its very cheap. McMaster charged me $4.75 in shipping.

It probably doesn't work as well as more expensive solutions but I believe it does help with noise and the price is right.
I'm happy with it.

Hope this helps.

[JEN]

I think these links are for UK suppliers for the Melamine foam, can anyone find the correct foam in these links?

http://www.diysoundproofing.co.uk/sound ... erials.htm
http://www.acousticfoam.co.uk/absorbers ... egraph.htm

[fmah]

Well I picked up 8 pieces the 24x24 melamine. Not too bad, for the price. I just did simple tests like hold a few sheets between me and a slighly noise Antec Smartpower 350 (dual fan) and Panaflo L 80MM. It seems to do something noticeable. I will probably layer 2 or more sheets together in my tests.

[illroot]

Aren't you supposed to remove the fiberglass backing. I mean if it's the foam that damping, right?

Can someone definitively tell us what's the correct way in using the melamine "foam" boards?

[aphonos]

Aren't you supposed to remove the fiberglass backing. I mean if it's the foam that damping, right?

Can someone definitively tell us what's the correct way in using the melamine "foam" boards?

illroot,

I'm not sure if you've read the whole thread or not, but from the reports in this thread by those who have used the melamine, it is the fiberglass backing that gives stability/shape/structure to the foam. Without the fiberglass the melamine would be limp and flimsy.

I'm not sure there is a definitive answer on the correct way to use melamine since its original design (ceiling tiles) is not what we are using it for (silencing computers). If you read through the whole of this thread as well as Antec Sonata (foamed) you should get a pretty good idea of the uses and installation of the foam. I think Mr Smartepants is the leading "researcher," and therefore "expert" on the use of this foam for lining computer cases (should we change your name to Dr Smartepants??:)). These two threads are about as good of a user's manual as there is.

If you have other specific questions on the melamine, just post them and you should get responses from people in-the-know.

[Liquidated]

as far as foam in general, you really do NOT need to swath the inside of pc completely in sound absorbing foam.

basicly the case does a good job of blocking sound... especially heavier steel cases. Any stray sound generated in the case will bounce about losing intensity as it goes until it with very little sound getting leaked each bounce.

a) finds a path out of the case like fan/vent holes

b) attenuates from sheer distance traveled

c) is absorbed by something in the case.


what any of the acoustic foam does is act as a super c) it's counterpart in the acoustic pack is barrier sheets that boost the "bounce" of the case itself... I'd imagine this is especially important for Al cases.

So long as you have a block of foam that's pointed in the path of the sound, it'll attenuate the signal at much greater rates than air. if anything, you want as much barrier mass on the rest of the pc so less sound is leaked each bounce.



so two things to consider then...

1) how to keep the sound inside of the case.

2) what to use to absorb sound where you have room


the average vinyl barrier sheeting is like a rubber mat and has that great smell to boot. It's very dense and is very thin compared to foam. Grab some of this stuff and it will fit in places foam will not.

for acoustic foam, if you think that all you really want is one super absorbant patch *somewhere* early in the noise maker's path, then pick one spot with lots of room, that doesn't restrict airflow, and lay it on generously.

Seems to me that for people wanting to sound proof their pc on a budget, get mostly barrier material to boost the innate sound blocking properties of the case it self, then invest in one sheet of fancy THICK eggcrate etc to line the outer left case panel where the most room is afforded.

If you don't think of the foam as needing to go all over, it becomes much more managable.

Cheers!
-Liq

[DryFire]

what about trying 2 layers of plexi?

[Liquidated]

what price vanity?

=)

Cheers!
-Liq

[Mr_Smartepants]

<snip> it is the fiberglass backing that gives stability/shape/structure to the foam. Without the fiberglass the melamine would be limp and flimsy.

Yup. The fiberglass gives the foam the stiffness to be hung from the ceiling without collapsing. I don't think that the fiberglass gives any extra sound absorbing qualities to the foam. I mean, the fiberglass covering is a fraction of a millimeter thick.

I think Mr Smartepants is the leading "researcher," and therefore "expert" on the use of this foam for lining computer cases (should we change your name to Dr Smartepants??:)).

Whoa. Thanks aphonos! You're making me blush!
Seriously, I doubt I'm an expert in this. I've only foamed one case so far and haven't had any experience with other foam materials (yet). I am building a new system for my dad and I'll be using the melamine foam on the inside of his case (compucase LX-6A19) but I'll be pulling the fiberglass matting off the foam and using spray adhesive to stick it and layer it.
Personally, I don't see the advantage of the fiberglass other than aiding in cutting straight lines. I'll let you know of my findings in a week or two after the parts start arriving. Without the fiberglass, the foam conforms to complex curves easier.
Hold the 'Dr.' title until I get my Ph.D.

[wicked]

As nice as sound reduction might be, I don't think it would be the smartest thing in the world to be cutting through something containing fiberglass sheets and then installing them into a system that's pushing the air you breathe around.

Check this on the health risks
http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/fin/

Thinking of trying that Volara. Might not be as good, but hey it's cheap and maybe it won't kill me...

[futureweaver]

I don't think it would be the smartest thing in the world to cut through something containing fiberglass sheets and then install it into a system that's pushing the air you breathe around.

You could always seal it after cutting, with spray varnish or similar.

[WannaOC]

Has anyone tried to paint this and see if it effects the absorbtion?

[mrzed]

Anyone know of a Canadian distributor for this stuff? I've had too many bad experiences with huge duties on small orders to try ordering from a US supplier.

[aphonos]

I don't think it would be the smartest thing in the world to cut through something containing fiberglass sheets and then install it into a system that's pushing the air you breathe around.

You could always seal it after cutting, with spray varnish or similar.

Anything you use for sealing is likely going to destroy any sound absorbing qualities that the foam might have.

Probably the best bet, IMO, is to just pull the fiberglass layer right off. It peels off very easily. Having the fiberglass layers makes it a bit easier to cut, but it will probably cut just fine without it. The foam is sufficiently firm, in my experience, to be able to install without the fiberglass layers.

FWIW, I did not find the melamine foam a superior sound absorbing product than the carpet underlay (rebond foam) that I lined most of my case with. The melamine from McMaster-Carr seems a bit fragile (fairly easy to rend) once the fiberglass was removed. I tore it accidentally with the end of the cable that runs from the CD to the sound card.

While the melamine certainly gives a cleaner look to the case than rebond foam, it did not persuade me to remove the carpet padding from my case in order to install the melamine. I might consider using it if I was starting from scratch with a new case (hmmm, I have 1.5 sheet of melamine left, maybe I need another computer.....). Why? (1) I already own the melamine. (2) It looks a little nicer. (3) I wonder if the carpet rebond foam may deteriorate over time faster from the heat than the melamine, but I don't have any data on this either way.