High airflow and high static pressure fan with IP68 water and dust resistance delivers efficient cooling

How to improve both cooling performance and environmental durability while reducing noise for communication equipment?

B Corp. develops and manufactures a variety of communication equipment. The company was working on a development project of 5G communication modules that could be installed outdoors. During the project, the company faced several challenges. Ms. A, manager of the company's R&D department, shared her story:
"The new model was smaller than our previous model, and its increased traffic processing generated more heat, so improved cooling performance was essential. It also required environmental durability measures, including waterproofing, because it was assumed that it would be mounted outdoors on the walls of buildings."

Also, the characteristics of 5G communication raised new concerns.
"Conventional low-frequency 4G radio waves can, by nature, travel long distances without being blocked by buildings. On the other hand, high-frequency 5G radio waves propagate in a straight line and are easily blocked by objects. To solve this problem, more base stations need to be installed. This requires base stations to be installed near people. So, the noise from cooling fans was also a major concern. Simply put, we needed a low-noise fan with environmental resistance and sufficient cooling performance to handle the high temperatures in the equipment."

Ms. A and her project team looked for a high-performance cooling fan that could meet these requirements.

High airflow and high static pressure fan with IP68 protection delivered efficient cooling

After comparing and examining candidates on the web for a while, a SANYO DENKI cooling fan's high ratings caught her attention. She contacted SANYO DENKI through a distributor. A SANYO DENKI representative soon visited to hear her problems in detail, after which he proposed their San Ace 9WPA type Splash Proof Fan. It featured IP68-rated⁽¹⁾ water and dust resistance and had two times higher maximum airflow and four times higher maximum static pressure than their previous 9WP type Splash Proof Fan.⁽²⁾
"It was the best product we could hope for," said Ms. A. "It had IP68-rated waterproof and dustproof performance and the industry's highest airflow and static pressure at the time.⁽³⁾ "It was also a big plus that fan noise could be minimized by optimizing fan operation with the PWM control function."

(1) The degree of protection (IP code) is defined by IEC 60529 (International Electrotechnical Commission).
IP68:
• Completely protected against dust
• Protected against submersion in water
(2) Current models: San Ace 60 9WP type 60 × 60 × 25 mm DC Fans (Models 9WP0612G401 and 9WP0624G401).
(3) Based on research conducted by SANYO DENKI as of April 14, 2020, among equally-sized axial DC fans on the market.

Technical support for prototype operation testing and customization

Ms. A was satisfied with these proposals. The SANYO DENKI representative proposed further technical support.
"Since we did not have an environment to measure the noise level of equipment, we sent a prototype that incorporated the fan to SANYO DENKI's Technical Center to have it measured. Thanks to this, we could confirm that the noise level was successfully reduced using the Splash Proof Fan's PWM control function.

Satisfied with the prototype's measurement results, B Corp. decided to use the San Ace 9WPA type Splash Proof Fan.
"Thanks to the technical support from SANYO DENKI, we could achieve our development goals," she said enthusiastically. "I really appreciate them for making a proposal that satisfied all our requirements. They also offer various customization options such as adding connectors and tubes to fan leads. We will definitely ask for their help in the future."