Anatomy of the Silent Fan
 

The electric, multi-bladed, axial fan has been around since the late 1800s, starting originally as a ceiling fan for well-to-do households in the U.S. Today, they are visibly ubiquitous as air-blowing devices for human comfort all over the world, especially in warmer climates and seasons. Electric axial fans are also employed in almost every sector of industry, mostly for gaseous transportation and cooling ventilation of machinery. Their first application in the personal computer was to provide cooling airflow in the power supply. Now, axial fans can be found on every type of computer component.