Put Accessories Center Stage

Fans and blowers are a key component of many thermal management systems. Designed to stabilize temperatures or cool sensitive electronics, they optimize equipment performance and uptime.

Unfortunately, fan accessories such as filters, alarms and thermal controllers, are often overlooked in the design process. Despite being vital to the proper function of fans and blowers, accessories are not a primary consideration, which can create problems during sourcing. Smart selection When identifying a fan supplier, it is important to consider the availability of not only the fan and blower, but also the accessories that maximize performance. Working with manufacturers that offer a broad line of affordable fan accessories allows customers to mix-andmatch to build the optimum cooling solution.

From enhancing safety to monitoring airflow, fan accessories are designed to perform a variety of functions. In addition to performance considerations, choosing fan accessories that are designed to simplify installation and reduce maintenance time and cost should be a priority for purchasing professionals.

Thermal Management

There are many types of accessories that provide performance enhancements for cooling systems, not least fan guards, which protect the fan unit from fingers and other objects. Fan guards are available in a range of styles, such as louvered, push-on or hinged, and in a variety of materials, from plastic to wire mesh. In rugged applications, for example, plastic fan guards typically feature PBT, UL94V-0 thermoplastic, while wire and wire mesh fan guards feature steel wire electroplated in nickel chrome with welded joints to withstand 220 pounds of separation force.

For optimum filtering, kits supplement the fan guard with a retainer and media in 30ppi or 45ppi. Louvered filter kits consist of an AC or DC fan with a louvered fan guard, filter, metal guard and hardware. Filtering to eight microns, louvered filter fan kits protect electronic, electrical and industrial enclosures from dust and dirt and are available for a range of fan sizes. When used with harsh environment fans, the design can be rated to IP54, IP55, IP56 and/or NEMA 12 standards.

Ensure performance In the event that the fan filter clogs or foreign materials come in contact with the fan blade, modules like the AFM from Orion Fans can operate an optical LED and audible alarm when airflow falls below 8.2ft/s. Airflow sensors like this are field retrofittable for AC or DC fan/blower applications and can be used to protect components like power supplies, PoE midspans and displays in equipment such as servers, telecom switches, medical equipment and kiosks. Alternatively, rack-mounted thermal controllers can be programmed to turn fans on and off at a selected temperature to reduce energy consumption. Fan speed controllers regulate single or multiple fan assemblies to reduce energy use and lower fan noise.

Specifying fan and blower accessories such as those described enables customers to purchase the exact thermal management solution for their application. Purchasing from one source further simplifies the supply chain, making the procurement process more efficient.