Product development
Products are surrounding us, at home, at work, in traffic, everywhere and most of them make noise. Wanted or unwanted, you don’t want your products to become annoying or harmful to your users.
According to a study of the World Health Organization, any prolonged exposure to sound pollution is harmful to humans. Most domestic appliances have active components like motors, switches, power-supply and fans that often produce unwanted noise. This means that you want to take care of the sound design of your product. Because noise reduction is becoming an increasingly important role in the development of products.
We are proud of the wide variety of OEM companies that now have more silent and better-sounding products than before. The insights that are achieved with visualization of sound and vibrations have proven to be time-saving in design-optimizations.
Acoustic Design Cycle
To improve the sound behavior of products, we developed the Sorama Acoustic Design Cycle. A solid acoustic design approach that our customers use to optimize their products. It is an iterative cycle that relies on gaining insight into the problem and translating this to proper solutions, instead of the traditional trial-and-error method.
The Design Cycle has 7 phases:
1. Starting the cycle
2. Research & Analysis
3. Specification & Modeling
4. Design & Creation
5. Testing & Validation
6. Evaluation & Communication
7. Product Launch
Customer Stories
COOLER MASTER
Cooler Master has a high reputation when it comes to developing the quietest PC desktops and monitors.
As a result of our sound visualization, Cooler Master obtained unprecedented insights into sound and vibration of their products.
It’s these insights that allowed Cooler Master to efficiently and effectively improve and validate the fan and airflow design.
Sorama products used: Sorama CAM64, Sorama CAM1K & Sorama Portal.
SILENT E-BIKES
GIANT: “Sound-improvements increase our customers’ satisfaction.”
Very recently, we supported the R&D team of GIANT in improving their sound-design. The market-growth for e-bikes is amazing and a growing number of people are using e-bikes for leisure or commuting to work. GIANT understands that their customers don’t want to get distracted or annoyed by a noisy e-bike.
Sorama performed measurements at GIANT e-bikes in Lelystad, the Netherlands, using both the Sorama CAM1K and the CAM64. The results were shared in a detailed analysis of the data measurement. Conclusions contained a visual presentation including number of recommendations on how to improve the dynamic behavior of GIANT e-bikes regarding vibrations and sound.
After the recommendations were implemented, the sound behavior of GIANT e-bikes was drastically improved in only two design-iterations.
Sorama products used: Sorama CAM64, Sorama CAM1K & Sorama Portal.
SILENT BEDS
Auping : a well-rested world is a better world.
More than 130 years of experience on solutions in the area of sleep and the power of rest. A good bed-base is extremely important because it ensures a good night sleep. Auping pays attention to all relevant product-details in order to maximize your sleeping experience.
In the design-phase of new beds, Auping invests in preventing noise, potentially generated by the bed construction.
Using their Sorama CAM64, Auping R&D was able to analyze in detail what happens with the bed construction when it is in use. The resulting visualization of noise provides the required detailed knowledge and insight to efficiently increase the sound-performance.
Aupings’ effective design ensures silent beds, bed-surrounds and furniture, during the whole lifetime of Auping products.
Sorama products used: Sorama CAM64 & Sorama Portal.
BREATHING AID
Dolphys Medical
Dolphys Medical develops an innovative breathing aid for use in ambulances. After prototyping, it appeared that 20% of the devices produce an unwanted sharp tone. Sorama performed measurements to analyze the behavior and to understand the mechanism behind this sharp tone. After the first series of sound imaging measurements, with a resolution of 4 mm, an obstruction in the air channel was located.
Small clots of glue in the high speed air channel caused the whistle-sound. After changing the production method, ensuring a free flow-channel, the 20% fall out on this aspect was successfully reduced to 0%.
![dolphys[1]](https://sorama.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/dolphys1.png "Product Development 8")
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
DEMCON/Macawi
Macawi has developed a respiratory system which has a small electromotor inside. The assignment to Sorama was clear: find potential root-causes of noise and vibrations and provide insights towards sound-improvement design-changes. We measured the device under several load-circumstances and found that the sound-radiation from the top plate and tube. Also the electromotor showed airborne vibrations. We recommended to optimize the enclosure and to cover the motor back-plate. In a next iteration we found structural noise from the hood, which we suggested could be dampened by adding mass to it.
The end-result is a very satisfying 6 dB reduction at more than 2 times the requested power.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
TU/e Eindhoven Technical University
Electric vehicles take advantage of the fact that the electric engine is silent. However, due to this silence, other -previously unheard- noise sources become more dominant.
From the Sorama sound imaging pictures two components become apparent: the electrical LED-lighting-driver (left) and the water pump (right).
Consequently, a near field analysis which zooms in on these two components has provided specific recommendations for design-improvement.
ELECTRIC POWER-TOOLS
Generic example
More and more electric devices become battery-operated.
A commonly known power-tool like a screw driver acts as an example here.Noise is clearly caused by vibrations induced by the electric power source. Also the DC-DC power conversion generates a high frequency tone.
The below video shows the possibilities of the CAM64, supported by our X,Y motion device SCAN A. This first analysis of a free rotating machine was purposely performed in our open space office environment, to illustrate that an anechoic chamber is not always necessary.
LIFTING SYSTEM
HandiMove
We were asked to analyze unwanted sounds in HandiMove’s lifting system. Several aero-acoustic leaks were found and we suggested how these could be prevented by closing the holes and seams.
The hood should be dampened to prevent strong structural vibrations. These adjustments resulted in a reduction of 4.2 dB(A).
CADDY DIESEL
Volkswagen
Using our Sorama technology made it easy to make a sound image of our own Volkswagen Caddy diesel engine. Among other effects, low-frequency engine noise at high spatial resolution and noise leakage through door seals, can be found.
The movie below shows a selection of these results.
FIRETRUCK
Mercedes-Benz
For firemen, the truck is their workspace and the atmosphere should be user-friendly. We analyzed the emitted sound from a fire truck during high pressure pump use.
By use of a line array of measurements we imaged the complete truck. The visualization reveals two major noise sources: the gearbox PTO and the high pressure pump.
None of the components can be left out, but their contribution can be influenced. We advised to decouple several panels and screened the pump and PTO modules for root-cause contributors.
Our recommendations have lead to significant improvement in the type and pressure of the sound as now emitted by the firetruck.
