It’s been almost a year since Noctua released its NF-A12x25 G2 fans in trademark beige and brown, but the company is now only just readying to launch the chromax.black version. Why does this wait always take so long? Well, Noctua has put together a detailed explanation, and the reasons are enlightening.
In a nutshell, the primary problem Noctua faces in creating chromax.black fans comes down to how colour pigment particles affect the moulding process. More specifically, the carbon black pigments it uses are smaller, with a higher total surface area relative to the beige/brown metal-oxide pigments it typically uses.
This difference fundamentally changes crucial manufacturing variables. Pigments affect flow rate, cooling time, and pressure, which in turn affect plastic crystallisation, structural integrity, and dimensional precision. Given that Noctua operates with tip tolerances (the distance between impeller and frame) of 0.5-0.7mm depending on fan size, the company needs to consider changes at a micrometre level.
With all this in mind, as much as the standard NF-A12x25 G2 and NF-A12x25 G2 chromax.black share the same name and a lot of common DNA, they don’t share the same exact design process. In addition to separate moulds, Noctua highlights that changes in tooling are sometimes necessary, at times requiring the company to work from scratch.
While Noctua could develop both moulds simultaneously, the company says doing so would introduce “significant extra cost and risk.” Instead, Noctua understandably prefers taking the safer route of developing moulds and tooling for chromax.black variants once mass production of its trademark beige and brown fan is stable.
In addition to manufacturing considerations, Noctua then takes several months to ensure any adjustments in production haven’t affected performance. Together, supply chains willing, this should usually amount to around a six-month delay between colourways, but any mould tuning pushes this timeline back, hence the near-year wait time we’ve had for the NF-A12x25 G2 chromax.black.
While I’ve covered most of what Noctua’s blog details, I thoroughly recommend reading the full post for further insight. It’s not often that manufacturers provide such detail into their manufacturing processes, and absorbing all this information has given me a newfound appreciation for the firm’s commitment to quality. From hereon, I certainly won’t be moaning about a lack of immediate chromax.black availability come future launches.
While we still need to wait a little longer for the NF-A12x25 G2 chromax.black to hit the market, check out Chris’ Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black review to see the 140mm versions in action on a CPU cooler.
