Industrial PCs will be the main topic of this article. Like rugged mobile phones , there are also devices that are designed to withstand a series of more extreme conditions than a conventional desktop PC , and especially for use in the industrial sector. These teams have some very interesting features, as you can describe here if you continue reading.
Index of contents
- What is an industrial PC?
- Differences between industrial PCs and home PCs
- Mechanical stability and robustness
- Performance and reliability
- Expandability and longevity
- costs
- Extras
- Applications
What is an industrial PC?
An industrial PC is like your desktop computer in many ways: it has the same microprocessor and type of RAM, for example. Instead, an industrial PC is a robust system designed for use on the shop floor. The performance, storage media, interface ports, and other aspects of an industrial PC are the same as those of a desktop computer.
Differences between industrial PCs and home PCs
Is it worth risking costly downtime on an industrial PCwhat isn’t? An industrial PC has become a crucial component on the manufacturing floor. Industrial PCs perform a wide variety of jobs, from running sophisticated automation software to controlling sophisticated processes and applications, including logistics systems, data acquisition, image processing, and networking, all They are fast, efficient and reliable. An industrial PC works much like a commercial PC, collecting, storing, and processing data to perform a sequence of operations, as directed by a program or software. Industrial PCs include the same hardware components as commercial PCs: motherboards, CPUs, RAMs, expansion slots, and storage media, among others.
However, industrial PCs differ from consumer PCs in terms of robustness, reliability, performance, compatibility, expandability, and long-term availability .
Mechanical stability and robustness
Industrial PCs are designed to excel in harsh, aggressive and dirty environments. Operating in harsh conditions, industrial PCs can withstand many factors:
- Shock and vibration– Industrial PCs are built to withstand shock and vibration at higher levels than business PCs. This means that they can be used in certain industrial environments without any problem. For example, some models can withstand up to 5G shock and vibration forces of 0.5G ~5m/s.
- Temperature: the industrial ones are also designed so that they are not affected by high temperatures. For example, while a domestic PC works well up to a temperature of 30-35ºC, industrial PCs can reach 55ºC or more without being affected.
- Dirt and humidity: dirt and humidity are two of the factors that most affect computers, and that must be taken into account when performing maintenance. For this reason, it is important that in an industrial PC this does not affect so much. To do this, rigorous tests are carried out so that they withstand these conditions and do not affect their operation or cooling.
- IP Rating– Of course, some of this equipment is also IP certified against particles and liquids, such as IP65. Some could even be used outdoors or in more extreme conditions. In fact, the casings can be made of stainless steel or aluminum.
- EMI– Electromagnetic interference is common in industries with large machines and motors. Electromagnetic interference causes communication failures between equipment and voltage spikes that degrade components over time. The design of industrial computers guarantees strong insulation and stabilized voltages. For this, ground connections, shielding, and a design that guarantees isolation are used.
- Protected Power Supply– On the other hand, the PSU of these industrial equipment also has active and passive protection measures. For example, to protect against electrical spikes, surges, transients, noise, etc. In this way, the hardware will be powered in a more stable and secure way, making its useful life longer and not suffering from these inconveniences of the electrical signal.
- Durability and expandability– An IPC is typically more expandable (i.e. in terms of slots) than regular PCs, including support for legacy applications that need to run (and be maintained) without issue for 5 or even 10 years and beyond, long after commercial “off-the-shelf” components and boards are no longer available. In terms of technology upgrades or simply the availability of spare parts, this basically represents a much lower cost of ownership compared to an office PC, offsetting the higher initial investment of an IPC.
- Ensure easy access: this way you can access its interior to carry out repairs or maintenance in less time (reduces downtime).
Performance and reliability
Industrial PCs give you the ability to run powerful automation software, control complex electrical systems and processes, and operate with maximum reliability and performance. Industrial environments often require appropriate technologies and equipment to operate.
The reliability and productivity of operations can be greatly improved by selecting technologies and products designed to work in harsh conditions. To avoid costly downtime, uninterrupted operation is critical. Industrial PCs, in addition to their robust structure and their ability to be mounted in the required environment and supplied with a high-quality power supply, allow for uninterrupted operation.
Expandability and longevity
The longevity of an industrial PC is another factor to consider. Industrial PCs are more scalable than commercial PCs to accommodate the ever-changing nature of innovation, allowing legacy programs to work for 5-10 years after commercial parts are no longer available. Industrial vendors with a long history are unlikely to have low availability of upgrades or replacement parts.
costs
Cost considerations go beyond the initial investment . Although an industrial PC requires a higher initial investment, over time the total cost of ownership is much lower compared to the cost of regularly repairing or replacing commercial PCs that are inadequate and cannot withstand the rigorous demands of industrial use.
Extras
Usually, an industrial PC also has some extra features that the conventional computers that everyone uses at home or in the office don’t have. For example, they can have a mechanical structure where they are housed so that they can be easily moved, or a cabinet or bench, and even be mounted on a rack .
They can also have DAQ cards, and a panel or touch screen with which the industrial operator can interact without the need to use other controls such as keyboards or mice. In addition, in said panel they can see the industrial processes that are being carried out, monitor the parameters, etc.
Applications
Finally, another interesting detail regarding industrial PCs is the possible applications they have. Among the most outstanding you will have these belonging to the most typical segments of the industrial field:
- Data acquisition for process control applications.
- Automatic control of tools or machines.
- Autonomous control of a data collection network.
- Handling and movement control equipment.
Of course, this equipment can be used in several different industrial sectors , from metallurgy, to chemical manufacturing, food products factories, through the semiconductor sector.
