Noctua releases free 3D CAD files for top-rated fans and accessories — enthusiasts can now print and modify their own versions

3D-printin' folks and hobbyists of various stripes can rejoice. The highly-regarded folks at Noctua have released pitch-perfect CAD models of many of the company's fans, including the NF-A12x25 G2, which currently ranks at the top of our best PC fans roundup.

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Noctua revealed the news in a simple blog post, pointing interested techies to the downloads section of its website. The Austrian beige-and-brown firm says that the files in question accurately match the mounting dimensions and external dimensions of its fans, a boon for enthusiasts everywhere who may have had previous trouble with inaccurate official models. This bit of news dovetails nicely with the availability of the official Noctua-colored filament from Prusa, announced last December.

Some folks may find it concerning that Noctua would be freely offering their proverbial golden goose, but the CAD files don't include the internal frame structure, and the fan impeller geometries have been slightly tweaked, as forms of IP protection.

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It bears remarking that high-precision manufacturing and tight tolerances are one key reason why Noctua's fans are so effective (and pricey, too), and that's a feature that is exceedingly hard to simulate in a home laboratory and, we'd wager, most factories. If nothing else, you'll be able to replace some parts of an existing fan, or use Noctua's files as a basis for creating your own system fans.

Noctua naturally notes that users are free to do as they with with the files, but that they cannot be used for selling or manufacturing the depicted products — assuming one would be able to reproduce the entire product accurately to begin with.

Response from the community was immediate and joyous. The tweet announcing the files had a bevy of happy replies, with one commenter noting that "every model [they] used online for 120mm mounting specs so far has ALWAYS been just the slightest bit off." While most enthusiasts are sensibly enthused, the availability of the bespoke filament and Noctua's cooperation with the maker community has already given way to some truly cursed designs.

If you're interested in downloading the CAD files and starting on your own creations, check out our roundup of the best 3D printers for recommendations. We've seen a rapid increase in quality and decrease in price across 3D printers over the last couple of years.

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