There was no aesthetic, light or whatever, a rude fan of ABS plastic injected in black with 3 pins for its control and RPM readout at best, but a 12 volt molex connector and nothing else.
Anyone who owned high end fans in the ’80s and’ 90s will know that the lifespan was high, but compared to current technology it wasn’t really there. The bearings were not FDB in most models and maintenance had to be done every few months due to friction and microparticles.
These created annoying noises and oscillations in the fan which, seen from the edge, caused the shaft and blades to protrude from the chassis. So how do you fix it? The hard drive industry’s fluid direct bearings and their most advanced stage systems have arrived and everything just got better. The clicking noise was slowed down, it was much nicer, durability skyrocketed, and the system evolved with fluid steering channels to redirect fluid and improve wall and rotor temperature and friction.
Since then, there have been significant breakthroughs, but none really solved the problem, until the advent of magnetic levitation fans.
Magnetic Levitation Fans, The Ultimate Solution?
From the call Sleeve bearing Al Ball bearing going through all the existing bearing subtypes and none succeeds in solving the problems due to high torsional rigidity or fan anchoring. Because? Mainly due to the magnetic and conventional rotor system of fans, in short, due to its concept and implementation.
In a normal fan, the stator is positioned so that the body of the fan blades incorporates a magnetic edge that makes the center of gravity horizontal. Logically, the force of gravity has its effect, however small, and although the stator has four motors around the rotor, this creates magnetism blind spots between them, which implies a very slight deviation of the axis, which the fan either horizontal or vertical. .
Added to this is the degradation of the rotor itself due to contact with another body even though it is lubricated, so everything works fine at the start of the fan’s useful life, but over time and time again. ‘use the fan turns off and to repair it, all that remains is to replace the complete rotor with its washers, liquid or oil or compound.
Magnetic levitation in PC fans avoids this because the center of gravity of the magnetic field is vertical by one or more magnetic magnets, so the fan is fully calibrated at all times. This allows the rotor to always be aligned and to undergo the “same wear” everywhere in a symmetrical way, always obtaining the least friction and therefore the least noise (in fact no wear as such beyond contact with air).
In addition, as a general rule, magnetic levitation systems avoid the accumulation of dust on the walls of the motor and, if that was not enough, since there is less friction and more stability in the rotor, the temperature generated. is lower, obtaining less expansion between parts and therefore more overall durability.
Neutralization of the dead weight of the engine
Another aspect to take into account is that since the push and pull between the magnets is vertical, an attraction is produced in the same direction which allows the impeller rotor to reach the end of the shaft. The distance is so small and the adjustment so perfect that the weight of the rotor itself with the motor and the blades is completely neutralizedeven if the fan is installed vertically.
Therefore, the shaft spins freely without being affected by gravity, which improves everything that has been said above. In other words, the bearing and the shaft maintain a constant distance in time without actually touching each other, rotating in an otherwise perfect, almost perfect orbit, eliminating any vibration produced by the rotation since there is no physical contact at any point.
Therefore, we are faced with a system that directly eliminates the noise of the rotor and the motor, leaving everything in the hands of the fluid aerodynamics of the blades, the fan frame or the revolutions that it can achieve in turn, since there we go have a palpable difference in performance and volume between the fans.
This system is relatively new and only a few companies dare to use it due to the high costs involved as it focuses on high performance fans or high durability at low revs and 24/7 operation. For this reason, they are expensive and normally the average user does not choose to spend 20 or 30 dollars per unit, but in the long run it is a guarantee of performance and peace of mind.
