Strapping fans to a PCB?

[Flyback]

Going to have quite a few (seven) of these cheap 0.4W fans spread around our prototype 2kW offline PFC/LLC converter PCB...

12V fan 0.4w
https://www.tme.eu/Document/155940d94fffd4dbb8a29e964554b703/Product 21.pdf

Will “strap” them to the PCB with 0.4mm enamelled copper wire. This will be threaded through the lower two holes in the fan, and thru corresponding NPTH holes in the PCB that line up with these (so 4 NPTH holes in the PCB per fan)…..tie/twist the wire at the bottom of the PCB…then add tough nylon string to add to this….do you think this will offer enough support to stop the fans from blowing over?

"Fan footprint", showing 4 holes, as attached

 

[For The Popcorn]

I can just imagine the reaction you'll get when you explain this mounting idea to whomever has asked you to design this, and even more so as you explain it to whomever you expect to assemble it. And it's not good.

I think you're trying to save pennies of parts costs that will result in dollars of labor costs – I'll let you do the conversion to local currency.

How about something like this mounting block from Essentia components? Screw a couple blocks to the fan, and attach it to the circuit board with screws. Essentia has all types of hardware, so they may have other useful pieces.



Keystone Electonics also has many brackets and other bits and pieces that could be pressed into service. One piece that caught my eye were these right-angle screw terminal blocks. Not their intended purpose but solder them to the circuit board and screw the fans to them.

 

[shortbus=]

I can just imagine the reaction you'll get when you explain this mounting idea to whomever has asked you to design this,

No worries for him, he is just doing this stuff as a hobby.