Valve Corporation - Steam Machine
Scope of Work
MD Acoustics was retained to provide comprehensive acoustical and mechanical design services for the Steam Machine, a highly anticipated and hyper popular gaming device developed by Valve Corporation. The primary objective was to evaluate the overall design of the device’s cooling fan and provide actionable recommendations to achieve a stringent acoustical target. Our scope encompassed refining the overall design to minimize fan noise while maximizing cooling efficiency, which included extensive fan geometry design, prototyping, and rigorous acoustical and cooling-related measurements.
Additionally, our team was tasked with performing detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and helping to prepare the finalized design for manufacturing. This required continuous collaboration with the Valve Corporation team to hand off the design while balancing manufacturability with the original design intent. We also had to verify the real-world performance of the manufactured system against the strict acoustical goals by using mock up prototypes our design team built in-house.
Outcome
By utilizing advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling, our team simulated and analyzed multiple intake and exhaust configurations, evaluating critical aerodynamic parameters across a variety of operating speeds. Through iterative testing and exploration of various baseline designs, we accurately mapped out the relationship between airflow and noise levels to pinpoint the most efficient geometries.
The integrated mechanical and acoustical analysis enabled targeted design refinements, allowing our team to identify crucial next steps and isolate specific acoustic anomalies for mitigation. These rigorous simulation and prototyping efforts provided the client with the precise data, fan specifications, and design modifications necessary to ensure manufacturability while successfully meeting the device’s exact cooling and low-noise design intent.
Scope of Work
MD Acoustics was retained to provide comprehensive acoustical and mechanical design services for the Steam Machine, a highly anticipated and hyper popular gaming device developed by Valve Corporation. The primary objective was to evaluate the overall design of the device’s cooling fan and provide actionable recommendations to achieve a stringent acoustical target. Our scope encompassed refining the overall design to minimize fan noise while maximizing cooling efficiency, which included extensive fan geometry design, prototyping, and rigorous acoustical and cooling-related measurements.
Additionally, our team was tasked with performing detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and helping to prepare the finalized design for manufacturing. This required continuous collaboration with the Valve Corporation team to hand off the design while balancing manufacturability with the original design intent. We also had to verify the real-world performance of the manufactured system against the strict acoustical goals by using mock up prototypes our design team built in-house.
Outcome
By utilizing advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling, our team simulated and analyzed multiple intake and exhaust configurations, evaluating critical aerodynamic parameters across a variety of operating speeds. Through iterative testing and exploration of various baseline designs, we accurately mapped out the relationship between airflow and noise levels to pinpoint the most efficient geometries.
The integrated mechanical and acoustical analysis enabled targeted design refinements, allowing our team to identify crucial next steps and isolate specific acoustic anomalies for mitigation. These rigorous simulation and prototyping efforts provided the client with the precise data, fan specifications, and design modifications necessary to ensure manufacturability while successfully meeting the device’s exact cooling and low-noise design intent.
