In the cooling fan, the DC fan provides variable flow and the AC fan provides constant flow. In addition to AC power supply and DC power supply, cooling fans are usually classified according to the way air enters and exits the fan. In an axial fan, air enters and exits in the same plane. If the airflow leaves in different planes, this is called centrifugal design or blower. Natural convection cooling is usually insufficient to meet the thermal management requirements of electronic systems. In this case, axial fans and blowers can deliver more air and keep the system in a safe working temperature range. Centrifugal fans can also compress air to deliver a constant airflow at different pressures.

When choosing a specific axial fan or blower, the required air flow and the static pressure of the system are important considerations. Axial fans are most suitable for high airflow in low static pressure systems, while centrifugal type fans offer lower airflow but can deliver it against higher static pressure. The most common centrifugal fan design is the blower, which is similar to the axial fan, but the centrifugal blower fan usually exhausts air to the air inlet at an angle of 90°.

In low-temperature applications, the cooling fan can use sleeve bearing and operate with ball bearing. However, at variable or high temperature applications, ball bearing cooling fans have longer service lives and are more reliable.