Thinking of a standard office computer? Picture a nice, sterile desk and a controlled climate. That computer is thriving like a queen. Now, what if you took that computer and put it in an underground copper mine, or a factory that has heavy machinery that makes the floor vibrate? That computer would perish in a matter of minutes.
Meet the rugged Industrial PC, a modern gladiator in the computer world. These are built for the most hostile environments. Rugged IPCs are ultra-durable computing systems that are built for complex processing in extreme environments. These systems are sealed in fanless and sealed metal chassis, and the design has no moving parts. They withstand extreme shock, temperature, moisture and debris. These are the modern day industrial systems.
Benefits of Rugged Industrial PCs for Manufacturing
All manufacturers know that every second of downtime loses precious revenue. The durability of IPCs means that neither latency or mechanical failures will be a problem. Unlike regular consumer electronics, they have fanless designs, preventing dust or metal shavings from entering any component. IPCs have an industry leading life span, so no concerns regarding how often they need to be replaced. Their multitude of I/O port options means that they can be used seamlessly for both new IoT sensors as well as older automation robots. There is no need to make IPCs compatible, they will always be ready to be used on the factory floor(exc).
Rugged Industrial PC vs. Commercial PC: What’s the Difference?
To understand the difference between a commercial PC and a rugged IPC, one might consider how these products are designed: For looks or for long-term functionality. A commercial PC is designed with fans for cooling, which means it is likely to sustain damage from dirt and debris. It is encased in thin plastic which is breakable, and, under the constant impact of a forklift, the hard drive will stop spinning and fail.
In contrast, a rugged IPC has passive cooling by way of significant extruded aluminum heatsinks. This is coupled with Solid State Drives (SSDs) and motherboards which are encased in a conformal coating with no internal cables. These are designed with components soldered directly to the board. If a commercial PC is likened to a luxury sedan, a rugged IPC is considered a tank.
Where Are Rugged Industrial PCs Used?
These devices are used in the most challenging environments in the world and provide digital overhaul to critical industries.
Manufacturing & Industrial Automation
They are used in large assembly lines to withstand and endure the heat of smelting, and to control robotic arms in real time, to analyze quality control images, and to perform machine vision.
Energy, Utilities & Oil & Gas
Impacts inflicted by machines and temperature changes from freezing and boiling are no match for these machines located on offshore drilling rigs and remote solar farms. Designed to withstand extreme environments, these machines are built to endure drilling operations and corrosive environments including salt air and extreme temperature changes from hot to freezing.
Healthcare & Medical
These fanless medical-grade computers are located in hospitals and are able to ensure that pollutants in the air to not spread illness. These computers also power imaging machines and reliable bedside monitoring machines. Working with complete and uncompromising dedication to the task.
Smart Cities & Public Infrastructure
Located in the sun-control boxes of many large cities, these computers control street lights and public surveillance, as well as the automated control of sewage treatment plants.
Agriculture & Food Processing
These computers are pressure-washed to maintain a clean environment. For a completely sealed device, it withstands moisture in any form, and germs and waste, to control the sorting and packaging of the plant.
Aerospace, Defence & Security
These computers are operating from space, and the extreme MIL-STD withstand any levels of pressure and defects and are used in modern combat to process secure communications and radar.
Why Choose Rugged Industrial Computers for Mining
Mining is the most brutal environment for testing advanced tech. A tertiary layer of rocks is disassembled for valuable ore, and mining tech has to endure everything that comes with it.
Mining Environment Challenges
Subterranean challenges are brutal. Micro rocks eviscerate whatever tech is moving. Blasting and drilling machinery generate micro shattering vibrations that destroy normal tech. Unpredictable floods, strong local electronics destroying power spikes and densely packed aggravating rocks all present absolute disablers to mining tech.
Rugged Industrial Computers: Key Benefits
Rugged devices are created especially for the challenges present in mining. They have totally impenetrable chassis, high IP ratings, and, as a result, water and dust cannot reach the internal components. Rugged devices are smart; wide-voltage power inputs to absorb spikes from aggressive mining drills is sufficient to ensure the operating system is stable.
Productivity and Performance
High tech mining is an absolute must. When a computer doesn’t work, tribal miners have to shift to manual ore breakdown. Luckily, the stream of telemetry is sufficient to maximize the ore extracted without annoying pauses.
Cost Efficiency and ROI
The rugged IPCs are more expensive to buy than most commercial alternatives, but the ROI is extraordinary. Stopping mining production, even for one hour, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rugged IPCs can survive the harshest conditions for 7-10 years and eliminate catastrophic IT failures. Because of this, they are able to drastically cut IT failure-related project support costs, and therefore they pay for themselves many times over.
Why Vehicle Inspection Teams Use Rugged Industrial Tablets
The rugged Industrial Tablet was made for many challenging environments. Freezing rain, snow, greasy steering wheels, and accidental drops onto abrasive concrete are daily challenges confronted by inspectors working on numerous massive fleets.
Rugged Industrial Tablets are used by inspectors to record chassis damage, scan multidimensional VIN barcodes, and upload safety reports to the database in a matter of seconds. There are consumer tablets on the market, which are less durable and are incapable of rugged uses, and would shatter with one large drop, and would short circuit in the rain. These tablets are designed with large rubber shock-absorbing corner bumpers, and brilliant sunlight-readable display. The tablet is covered with a waterproof rugged case which allows the user to input data for as many hours as it takes to complete the shift.
How to Choose the Best Rugged Industrial PC?
To select the best rugged industrial tablets, the user first has to do a detailed analysis of the environmental conditions and challenges. Recognizing the design challenges and most significant obstacles must be done in advance. Is the environment extremely cold, or is there a possibility of encountering splashing chemicals, extreme heat or excessive dust conditions). The ruggedized tablets are classified using an IP rating system. Tablets with an IP65 or IP67 rating are the best options for waterproof and dustproof uses.
The tablets are powered by ruggedized operational microprocessors. Make sure the tablet’s operational microprocessor can handle the required software and data loads without the need for a mechanical cooling system (solid state is better) since rugged tablets do not have a cooling system designed for rugged environments. Lastly, when reviewing potential legacy ports, double-check that they are compatible with the language of your existing factory equipment.
Conclusion
Industrial PCs are an essential, yet often overlooked, component of modern infrastructure. These workhorses of the Industrial PC range are not destined to simply work in consumer-facing environments. They are designed to work almost anywhere, even under the ground in the most inhospitable environments, including frozen storage and fully automated factories. They are critical to ensuring the network of modern civilization continues to function.
FAQ
Can a rugged industrial PC run standard software?
Yes, of course! These PCs can run any of the standard operating systems, including Windows 10/11 IoT, Linux, and more. They just present the most standard software experience in an rugged form.
Do fanless computers overheat?
No, not with the careful design of the computer. Computers are designed with an entire aluminum chassis that acts as a large heatsink to pull heat away and then evenly distribute the heat to the air around the computer.
What does an IP65 rating really mean?
The 6 means that the design is fully sealed so that no dust can enter, while the 5 means that the design can hold up to low-pressure water jets coming from any direction.
Why are they so heavy compared to normal laptops?
The weight comes from thick aluminum housing, and military grade internal shock absorbers that are needed to withstand rough handling.
Penny
Web Content Writer
4 years of experience
This article is edited by Penny, the website content writer of COMPT, who has 4 years working experience in the industrial PCs industry and often discusses with colleagues in R&D, marketing and production departments about the professional knowledge and application of industrial controllers, and has a deep understanding of the industry and products.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss more about industrial controllers. sales@gdcompt.com
