7 Step Process to Selecting an Industrial Panel PC
Industrial Panel PC is designed to meet the demanding requirements of a typical Industry 4.0 application including exposure to moisture and dust, extreme temperatures, and high shock and vibration. The best Panel PC offers a wide array of connectivity, processing and mounting options and are well suited to any number of human machine interface (HMI), automation or industrial control applications. But the proliferation of Panel PCs means that choosing the best system for your particular project, as well as for the environment in which it will be installed, can be challenging. We’ll walk you through a 7 step process to select the best industrial panel PC solution to meet your requirements.
1) Do you need a Fanless Solution?
Fanless PCs that do not have vents or other openings are a great choice if they are being installed in an area subject to dust and debris. A fanless and ventless solution will keep any airborne particulate out of the internal casing which can lead to performance degradation and often lead to expensive maintenance downtime. Even if the Panel PC is going to be installed in a location where environmental conditions are less of a factor, a fanless Panel PC still maintains the benefit of removing the most common point of failure for most computers – the fan. The end result is a solution with a longer lifecycle which can save you money over the long run. Check out this article to learn more about fanless computing.
2) Capacitive or Resistive Touchscreen?
Industrial Panel PCs come in two distinct touchscreen varieties, capacitive and resistive. The primary difference between the two involves how input is detected. Capacitive touchscreens use the human body’s electrical field to process input, similar to many of today’s smartphones.
Capacitive touchscreens are frequently used for installations that require highly accurate touch sensing or multi-touch capabilities such as pinch to zoom so they are frequently used for kiosks and interactive digital signage.
Resistive screens rely on physical pressure to transmit touch data. Since resistive touchscreens can be used while wearing gloves, they are a great choice for factory automation and healthcare applications. They are also used when a more tactile interface is preferred. Industrial touch panel Pc is really a good choice.
3) Where will you Install your Industrial Panel PC?
As the saying goes, “Location, Location, Location” and this absolutely applies to selecting the right PC for the job. Making the decision about whether or not your Panel PC will be embedded within another enclosure or machine, affixed to a stand, or be mounted to a wall should be considered well before purchase. This should not be determined once the system has arrived and is ready for installation.
4) Is IP Rating Important?
The IP rating of your chosen Panel PC can be a very important consideration depending on the environment in which you plan to use it. IP, which stands for Ingress Protection, is a standard designation which indicates how effective an enclosure is at sealing out ingress from both solids and liquids.
The first digit in an IP rating represents an enclosure’s ability to keep out solids. The rating is based on size ranging from the operator’s fingers to particles like dust and debris. The highest solids ingress rating is 6, indicating protection even against dust particles.
5) What Size Touchscreen Do You Need?
Panel PCs come in a variety of sizes to meet virtually any situational need. Obviously, depending on your application, you may be limited by a number of factors when you choose touchscreen size. It is important to consider whether it will be mounted, on a stand, on an articulating arm, or otherwise. If so, the weight of the system may also be a factor. You’ll also want to think about the resolution of the display. Furthermore, you need to consider how clear and large you’ll need the images on it to appear. On that same note, consider whether your application will require a standard (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio screen.
6) Are you Using the Solution in Direct Sunlight?
When the sun shines directly on a device screen it can be nearly impossible to see. The fact is that the vast majority of consumer, and even industrial monitors and touchscreens can’t emit enough light. It is hard to compete with the glare of the sun. Standard screens are also subject to high glare, which can cause additional viewing restrictions. This is where high brightness (sometimes called sunlight readable) screens come in. Sunlight readable displays provide higher light output. Sometimes the output is double the nits (a common measure of brightness) of standard displays. In additions, screens often feature special filters to reduce glare. If you are looking into purchasing an industrial Panel PC for outdoor use, or for installation in an area subject to direct sunlight, a high brightness, or sunlight readable screen becomes a vital consideration.
7) Do You Need a Solid State Industrial Panel PC?
When it comes to a rugged PC system that can handle harsh conditions or mobile installations, simply going fanless isn’t enough to ensure reliability. Solid state systems go one step further by replacing the spinning hard drive with solid state storage. An SSD, or Solid State Drive, has no moving parts. Moving parts are more apt to wear out or potentially fail due to vibration, shock or frequent power cycling. Solid state storage has come a long way in just the last few years. Storage capacity ranges into multiple terabytes with prices much lower than when the technology first hit the market. SSD storage is a vital component to creating a truly solid state device for the ultimate in reliability. This is particularly true for vibration or impact prone installations.
Magelis iPC industrial all in one Pc for stand-alone or distributed applications has four levels of processors and screen sizes. Smart is a pre-configured, all-in-one terminal for client and HMI applications. Compact iPC includes dual-Ethernet, multiple connectivity options and data storage options; Flex PC Box adds advanced features.
Industrial Touch Screen Computers & PCs
If you’re interested in learning more about industrial touch screen computer, you’ve come to the right place as we will share all there is to know about them. Also, if you’re looking to buy an industrial touch screen PC, you’ve come to the right place. Premio offers a wide variety of industrial touch screen PCs for you to choose from.
What Is An Industrial Touch Screen PC?
An industrial touch screen PC is a flat monitor and PC combined into a single system, creating an industrial-grade computing solution that’s capable of surviving deployment in challenging environmental conditions that are not ideal for regular desktop computers and monitors. Premio’s line of industrial touchscreen computers is engineered and built to reliably withstand deployment and operation in the most extreme environments. Touch panel PCs are capable of withstanding exposure to vibration, shock, extreme temperatures, dust, and debris. Furthermore, one of the main benefits of deploying industrial panel PCs is that they can be mounted in any location where monitors can be mounted, freeing up precious space for other industrial machinery and activities. Another main benefit of deploying an all in one industrial PC is that they are hygienic, meaning they can easily be cleaned via high temperature, high-pressure water jets.
What Are The Main Features Of Industrial Touch Screen Computers?
We will now discuss the features and benefits of deploying industrial touch panel PCs. Here are the most important features:
1. Performance – CPU Options
Industrial grade touch screen PCs can be configured with either the powerful Intel Core processors or the low-powered yet efficient Intel Celeron Processors. The type of processor that’s suitable for your deployment depends on the tasks you want your PC to perform and how many applications you want to run simultaneously. The simpler the applications and the fewer there are to run simultaneously, you will need less compute power.
2. Waterproof & Dustproof
Industrial touchscreen PCs are waterproof and dustproof because organizations often deploy such systems in environments that expose them to dust, dirt, debris, grime, and liquids. As such, they are water-resistant and dust resistant, enabling deployment in challenging environments that are not suitable for regular desktop computers.
3. High Brightness Hardened Panels
The second important feature of industrial touchscreen PCs is their display panel. Typically, panels you will find used in consumer-grade monitors have a brightness that ranges from 200 to 300 nits of brightness. However, the panels that Premio uses in its touchscreen industrial PCs feature a whopping 1000 nits of brightness, allowing operators to see what’s on the display regardless of whether the system is deployed indoors or outdoors where it’s exposed to sunlight.
4. Aspect Ratio
Moreover, at Premio, you will find industrial touchscreen computers that come in a 16:9 aspect ratio for compatibility with new equipment, as well industrial touchscreen PCs that come in a 4:3 aspect ratio for legacy equipment that still supports that standard. However, the trend is to abandon the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio monitors in favor of the 16:9 aspect ratio. Nevertheless, if you have equipment that supports the old standard, you will find 4:3 aspect ratio AIO PCs at Premio.
Industrial applications require industrial computers, and there is no question about this. Industrial computers are rugged solutions that offer long life cycle support, the two main requirements for long term mission critical applications. That being said, there are two different implementations that are often considered for these deployments. One solution is an all-in-one touchscreen computer or panel PC. The other option is a two-piece solution consisting of an industrial box PC and touchscreen display. There are benefits with both of these implementations, and I would like to outline the use cases where one may be desirable over the other.
Industrial touchscreen panel PCs are the most straight forward solution for most VESA mount and panel mount applications. The computer and touchscreen are integrated into one package, so external cables are unnecessary. All-in-one touchscreen computers can be mounted to an arm or stand or hang on a wall using the VESA mounting holes for a clean appearance. All-in-one touchscreen panel PCs can be panel mounted into a cutout in an enclosure, where the screen is flush with the enclosure surface. Stainless steel all-in-one computers can be mounted in areas that are exposed to liquids, and they offer IP66 protection in wash down areas, which is common in many food manufacturing and pharmaceutical applications. These panel PCs and all-in-one computers simplify industrial automation and OEM equipment designs, as they can be easily integrated as a single piece of hardware.