Noise reduction of a high-speed printing system using optimized gears based on Taguchi's method

To meet the increasing demand for more quiet printers, a noise reduction method is required for high-speed laser beam printing. The driving-gear noise is one of the most important components influencing the noise level in laser beam printers. In this paper, optimized gear designs based on Taguchi's method are presented. The proposed optimized gears are applied to a high-speed laser beam printer. The design parameters for the plastic gear are selected during optimization as follows: a pressure angle of 20°, a helix angle of 20°, a module of 0.5, and a profile coefficient of 1.4/0.2/1.2 (cutter addendum × module / cutter tip radius × module / cutter dedendum × module). Through the Taguchi method, the prominence ratio and loudness in the sense of human hearing range, as well as the sound pressure level (SPL) are also reduced in the present printing system.