A major customer implemented our Buy Quiet purchasing policy and passed-on to the supplier a request to reduce the operator noise levels from 90dB(A) down to below 85dB(A) in the production environment. We were retained by the manufacturer to provide design improvements as part of the of the machine development programme. Our engineering recommendations reduced the machine noise down to 82dB(A) at a cost of around £300 per machine (c 2% of the capital cost) without affecting normal operation or access. Modifications included sewing machine damping, control of exhaust air and minor changes to the machine base.
