In daily life, cross-flow fans, also known as axial fans, were first proposed by French engineer Mortier in 1892. The impeller is multi-blade, long cylindrical, and features forward multi-wing blades. The airflow passes through the impeller, influenced by the blades twice, so the airflow can reach a long distance without turbulence, with even air distribution. Because the airflow is forced to turn inside the impeller, the pressure head loss is large and the efficiency is low. They are commonly used in air curtains, air conditioning fans, air conditioning hangers, and so on

In addition, axial flow fans generate airflow in the same direction as the fan blades. For example, electric fans and the external fans of air conditioners operate using axial flow methods. They are called "axial flow" because the air moves parallel to the fan's axis. Axial flow fans are commonly used in applications where high flow rates are required but low pressure is desired.