In response to the delay in the launch of its flagship fan NF-A12x25 G2 black version again, the well-known cooling brand Noctua recently made an official reveal, explaining in detail why the black version product release cycle is always nearly 10 months later than the standard version.Noctua officials stated that manufacturing black fans is by no means simply adding black dye to plastic. The core reason lies in the brand's ultimate pursuit of manufacturing precision.
Taking the NF-A12x25 series as an example, the gap between the impeller tip and the frame is only 0.5mm.This micron-level tolerance control is the key to maintaining high static pressure and low noise performance, but it also brings huge challenges to material replacement.
In the injection molding process, the cooling and hardening process of the plastic melt after it is injected into the steel mold is crucial.When melanin such as Carbon Black is added to the plastic formula, the physical properties of the material will change significantly.
The crystallization method, fluidity and cooling shrinkage of the black material are completely different from those of the original brown material. Even a very small change in the formula will lead to a dimensional deviation of a few tenths of a millimeter in the final product. This deviation will directly cause the blade to scratch the frame or significantly decline in performance.
In order to ensure that the black version has the same top performance as the original version, Noctua refused to directly reuse the old mold, but chose to redesign and develop the production mold.Each set of new molds that are fine-tuned for black materials must undergo at least 6 to 12 months of reliability verification and performance testing before being officially put into production.
According to the officially announced process, the research and development verification of black fans is usually officially launched after the standard version is put into production. If there are repetitions in the testing process, the delay period may even be extended to more than 12 months.
Limited by production capacity, logistics and complex verification processes, the road to blacklisting for some products is extremely bumpy. Previously, the first-generation NF-A12x25 black version was released three years later than the original version due to supply chain and other factors. This G2 version has shortened the delay to 10 months, which is the result of optimized processes.
In addition, Noctua confirmed that because white materials are more difficult to maintain accuracy and prevent yellowing in high-temperature environments, it has canceled the white fan plan in the 2024 product roadmap, and has made it clear that it has no plans to develop a white version of the NH-D15 G2 radiator.
