Drown out background noise with Sound Damped Steel

Sound Damped Steel (SDS) is a multi-award-winning noise control company that specialises in the development, manufacture and supply of highly damped materials for industrial noise and vibration control applications

Sound Damped Steel was launched by Les Thompson who created the company to sell constrained layer damped steel and provide noise control solutions for industrial applications. In 2003, Les rebranded as Sound Damped Steel, with the intention to liaise with noise control consultants to help design, fabricate and install eective noise control solutions. Today, SDS promotes the use of sound deadened sheets of steel and aluminium to OEM manufacturers in any quantity from a singe sheet to several tonnes.

“SDS is a specialist company. We help manufacturers design SDS into their products and manufacturing processes to create noise compliant products and quieter manufacturing areas. We are unique as we offer bespoke noise solutions for companies with either noisy factories or products. We can design and fabricate enclosures, screens and guards, supply a kit of parts to retro fit on noisy machinery or supply sheets of steel for manufacturers to make their own products. SDS is available in aluminium, mild steel, galvanised and stainless,” stated Les.

SDS has over 30 years’ experience in developing new and practical applications for the technology across a wide range of projects to help both end users and leading noise and vibration control consultants, to solve their problems. Using a principal called constrained layer damping to reduce impact noise, radiated noise and vibration, SDS describe their materials as ‘if you were to imagine steel and aluminium to have the same acoustic properties of lead, then you will understand how it behaves.’

We spoke with Les who mentioned a product that has recently received much attention, “one area of particular success is removing noise from high pressure gas pipelines using a unique design which enables easy access for inspection, prevents corrosion which occurs under conventional pipeline lagging and is simple to install and remove.”

SDS highly damped materials are eective and practical options for panels radiating noise. Sound damped steel and aluminium materials can be incorporated into conveyor systems to provide substantial noise reductions.

Lately SDS has received huge increases in sales of its Soundeck HI-fi enhancing products during the COVID-19 lockdown. “We put it down to the number of people who were furloughed and listening to more music therefore re-establishing their love of vinyl records. This led them to investigate ways of enhancing their sound system, which led to an increase in worldwide sales of our Soundeck Platter Mat and other Soundeck products,” stated Les.

After applying SDS to severl major HI-Fi manufacturers, SDS introduced its own range of vibration removing components. The range includes Platter Damping Kit, Soundeck PM, Soundeck Damping Puck DPS, Soundeck DF square sets, Soundeck VTAA Verical Tracking Alignment Tool, Soundeck TAP Tone Arm Protractor Arm, and Soundeck Soft Slip Mats.

The Soundeck Platter Mat is a precision-made sounddamping laminate that has been tailored to the dimensions of turntable platters. Using a constrained layer damping process, unwanted vibrations such as turntable motor rumble and feedback is instead transformed into negliagble amounts of heat, so too are the stylus counterforces that occur as the record plays. Moving forward, SDS plans to appoint agents to market and distribute its products on a global basis. In closing, we asked Les what the company’s plans are for this year and beyond, he answered, “In the past 18 months we have exported five containers with 20 tonnes of SDS in each to China. We want to capitalise on global growth, therefore, our plans going forward are to appoint more agents, we currently have distributors in Thailand, China, Mexico and the USA which will give us a more dominant market presence.”