Paper Shredder Noise Vibration and Harshness

All About Noise From Paper Shredders

The best sounding paper shredder is a quiet paper shredder!

Among the quietest paper shredders available today are the automatic feeding variety and thats important as they operate for longer periods while automatically shredding through stacks of paper.

Professional shredder brands of auto feeding paper shredders use quiet AC induction and special DC motors. Whilst its more expensive to manufacture a quiet shredder, these professional machines are more likely to be used when and as needed without any concern of distracting others in the office due to particuarly low noise levels. Automatic paper shredders with enclosed loading trays and closing lids also enhance the quiet operation of these time saving machines.

It's common for some manually fed paper shredder brands, especially those larger commercial cross cut size machines that users are faced with noisy operation at unacceptable levels that interfere with everyday business in an office. Noise while shredding with some larger machines is particularly problematic for open plan office settings where multiple people reside. Ultimately courtesy overrides getting the shredding done and drives the behaviour to avoid shredding for fear of distracting others. Clearly this is not a desirable situation when the shredding of confidential papers is required and the potential of creating a security breach.

There is no escaping the fact that some manually fed shredders generate excessive noise from the friction of the cutters against the paper and nothing can be done to reduce this operational noise.

Some shredder manufacturers have incorporated a variable speed function to help reduce noise by slowing the speed of shredding down, however this is at the expense of increased time required to shred which is less than an ideal compromise for most.

For shredders that are less refined, generating noise from vibration and harshness NVH, this type of noise can be reduced by placing the shredder onto anti vibration pads or a similar mat.

Other factors that come into play that can exaggerate noise being generated by a shredder in a room area include hard concrete floors, concrete walls and even ceiling structure and of course room contents.

Carefully take the time to choose a quiet paper shredder that will be embraced by users and operated as needed, rather than a noisy machine not accepted in your office nor used as it should be.