March 10, 2004

MagLev - The Quietest Thermal Technology

For decades, friction and noise have been root defects for conventional fan motors. The operation of a general fan relies on the principle of like poles repelling each other. In the absence of any rotational control, gravity causes the fan blades to vibrate and shake during operation. After a period of time, the bearing becomes seriously worn by the shaft and assumes a horn-like shape at both ends. Mechanical noise appears, and consequently, product lifespan is reduced.

The Sunon MagLev Motor Fan is the world's first-ever cooling fan to use magnetic attraction to obtain a consistent 3600 operation orbit. This results in a product with zero friction and no contact between the shaft and the bearing during operation. This MagLev Orbit technology has been patented by Sunonwealth Electric Machine Co., Ltd. (Sunon) since Q4 of 1999.These features result in a fan with a low acoustic noise level, high-temperature endurance, and longer lifespan. Especially in the area of acoustic noise, Sunon is leading the industry in its endeavors to provide the best sound quality of a cooling fan to meet the requirements of worldwide leading manufacturers.

The demand of sound quality in a cooling fan by Sunon

In our efforts to reduce noise, Sunon conducts a complete Sound Quality Analyses program. All Sunon MagLev Motor Fans adopt this measurement to meet the needs of end-users in pursuing better sound control.

What is the best sound quality? How can Sunon achieve it? Sunon makes it happen by pursuing the following four parameters of Sound Quality: Loudness, Tonality, Roughness\Fluctuation strength and Sharpness. As a result, Sunon MagLev Motor Fans provide the most comfortable, noise-free environment for the operation of your notebook or other digital or electronic device.

For decades, engineers have conducted Sound Pressure and Sound Power Tests to inspect a cooling fan. Many people have always thought that a lower dB(A) of a cooling fan represents a better sound quality. The trends for ranking a cooling fan's sound quality today, however, are not so simple. For example, cooling fans may have the same 1dB(A), but be of different level in Loudness, Tonality, Roughness and Sharpness, all of which determine the difference between good or bad sound quality. Therefore, achieving good sound quality of a cooling fan not only requires reducing overall noise dB(A), but also pursuing the best balance of the four parameters of Sound Quality.

For digital devices, manufacturers not only need the lowest possible noise volume but also the best sound quality to make their end-user feel comfortable. As a result, within three years Sound Quality Test will replace the Sound Pressure Test and become the standard for fan noise measurement.

How the MagLev design can reach the best standard of Sound Quality

The patented MagLev design is based upon magnetic principles and forces that not only propel the fan but also ensure stable rotation over its entire 360 degrees of movement. Utilizing the attraction of the magnetic levitation force, MagLev eliminates the wobbling and shaking problems of general motor fans. With this new technology, the MagLev fan propeller is suspended in air during rotation so that the shaft and bearing do not come into direct contact
with each other to create friction. The result is a new and improved fan with a low noise level, high temperature-endurance, and long life.

Through sound quality testing of MagLev Motor Fans, we have received the approval of many leading worldwide manufacturers. How can Sunon reach the standards that the customers ask for? It is because the Sunon MagLev Motor Fan's noise measurement not only results in a great Sound Pressure and Sound Power, but also an excellent Sound Quality. These achievements make the end-user feel comfortable and ensure that he won't be influenced by the noise of the digital devices that he's using. The Sound Quality Test is a trend that will give digital devices a more humanizing design and will eventually be the standard of noise measurement.

Since the fourth quarter of 1999, when Sunon first introduced the MagLev Motor Fan, over sixty million units have been shipped to renowned manufacturers all over the world. Substantial contributions have been made by Sunon's MagLev Motor Fans to various industries and products that require high-level heat transfer, such as notebook computers, servers, projectors, and stereo systems.

About Sunon

Sunon (Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Company Ltd.) is a global manufacturer specialized in fans and thermal solutions with its brand name, SUNON. Established in 1980, SUNON has been working relentlessly on research and design of new cooling fans and motors. Today, the SUNON brand has gained great reputation worldwide and is undoubtedly a major contributor to high-quality cooling fans and precision motors. It currently owns over 35% of the market share in notebook cooling fans, which means there is one out of every three notebooks using Sunon's thermal solutions. In addition to computers, its market share in cooling fans for applications such as projectors and high-end stereo systems is also outstanding.

Sunon's current corporate structure is organized with its headquarter in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and subsidiaries in Europe, USA, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The company now maintains more than 70 distributors and 1,000 sales representatives, providing well-established customer services and technical support system all over the world.

For further information, news contact person:
Gillian Wei Tel: 886-7-7163069 ext 1174
Mobile phone: 0912-720502
E-mail: kion@email.sunon.com.tw