An industrial computer is specifically designed to manufacture machinery, produce goods, or process raw materials. This custom-built PC is more beneficial than the average consumer desktop. It is crucial to construct PCs in such a way that they will withstand all the environmental factors such as dust, temperature variation, vibration, etc. They must also provide all of the functionality required. These design requirements lead to reliable and sturdy industrial computers, which are utilised in many applications and industries. Some of the applications include outdoor use-cases, robotics and digital signage. The term “industrial computer” is used as a catch-all term in marketing for systems that approximate these specifications. Due to the wide range of requirements, they can be found with extremely efficient low power processors such as Atoms and Celerons, all the way up to Xeons and high powered i7s. There are many benefits of using an industrial PC. You can read further to learn more about the advantages.
- It is durable: Industrial PCs are supposed to work in harsh conditions. They have to carry on functioning whether they have to contend with dust and vibration on the factory floor or powered by outdoor kiosks to contend with wind, cold and heat. They are designed to sit on desks in a climate-controlled environment as opposed to brittle consumer computer products. These computers are designed from the start bearing all these environmental considerations in mind. When it comes to the consumer PC, the brittle internal components would fall apart and sustain damage in the face of vibration and shock. But with an industrial PC, you can ensure that they will be constructed and mounted onto a surface with a sturdy metal chassis to reduce vibration and with internal components to receive less shock.
- It has specific power requirements: Many equipment and applications require specific voltages like 9V, 12V or 24V. Well, there is a variation between the nominal voltage and what the machine receives. A varying voltage can cause severe damage to the PC on the receiving end since many power sources are unregulated. In order to combat this issue, several industrial PCs comprise a vast range of voltage input like 9V to 48V to protect the device. So, you don’t have to invest in exorbitant protection circuitry. Moreover, they have access to several power options like Wake on Lan, POE and Power on Ignition for many in-vehicle applications.
- It can be customised: One computer might not fit all the applications since no two applications are the same. Hence, many industrial PCs are modular and configurable. The ability to pick various components enables the computer system to fit a vast range of requirements. The configuration options provided by an on-the-market industrial computer might not fulfill the requirements. Hence, it becomes a need for a customised or custom-built PC to get that perfect fit. Although traditional computers are designed with features that meet the consumer’s need, the industrial ones can be customised for particular functions related to Medical Imaging, Broadcast, Kiosk and Telecom.
- It is reliable: Industrial PCs are installed into various applications where the operating time is 24/7. It means that the usage is more than the average consumer application in an office setting. Furthermore, computers can be installed in locations that are difficult to access. Hence, reliability becomes important. Industrial PCs are built with components that are appropriate for continuous operation. For instance, SSD’s are more favourable than HDD since the potential point of failure is the spinning disk within the HDD. Due to this reason, they are constructed to be without a CPU fan. Although in an average computer, fans do not allow the unwanted dust inside the computer, it can result in a major failure in the industrial ones. In case a fan doesn’t work, the computer can overheat and shut down, damaging the components in the process. If you are looking for a personalised industrial computer, make sure that there are no moving parts within it.
