Industrial Panel PC (Touchscreen ...

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Industrial automation is transforming many industries and the way companies work by automating processes and improving them via the use of technology. The huge potential of automation makes it a top priority for businesses to adopt it. Up to 50 percent of work functions today can be automated without replacing legacy equipment and machinery. 

However, some industries face a greater challenge when implementing automation, particularly the heavy industry sector (e.g., utilities, mining, energy, and manufacturing), which is striving to build robust infrastructure, requiring immensely powerful and ultra-durable automation solutions. Among the increasingly popular solutions, industrial panel PCs are widely sought-after within the automation industry due to their ability to consolidate workloads. After reading this article, you will understand what an industrial panel PC is and how essential they are for industry 4.0.

What Is an Industrial Panel PC?

(

5

Key Features to Better Understand

)

 

An industrial panel PC is a computer that’s built into a flat-screen, multi-touch screen display that is ruggedly built, allowing the entire system to be mounted in places where displays can be mounted. Hence, eliminating extra space to set up a separate PC and external display. Industrial Panel PCs are an excellent alternative to tablets and HMIs due to their extreme durability and ease of integration into existing automation equipment.  

In contrast, a tablet’s infrastructure is replaced frequently despite its multi-touch display and various features. Because, when it comes to industrial deployments, tablets are limited in their durability, lacking I/O inputs, lacking mounting abilities, battery power, etc. Similarly, HMIs are constrained by their lack of flexibility.  

In the event of downtime, HMIs’ programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are very limited in that they can only be replaced with the same exact part. In contrast, industrial panel PCs are modular, allowing organizations to replace specific parts that fail without replacing the entire device. That said, Premio can provide you with information on how industrial panel PCs create a more efficient and reliable infrastructure that’s easily serviceable. Industrial panel PCs offer extra-durable features and rich versatility I/O inputs. Here are some key features to review when looking to integrate an industrial panel pc into industrial automation deployments.  

This blog article will dive deeper, explaining the advantages of industrial panel PCs over tables and HMIs.   

Feature #1

-

Industrial Touchscreen Panel PCs are Tough

 

A rugged design is crucial to guarantee the longevity and reduce downtime associated with deploying industrial panel PCs. Industrial panel PCs are able to withstand deployment in volatile environments while operating reliably and optimally. Some important features of rugged panel PCs are that they are equipped with tough display panels, they employ a fanless design, and have military-grade capabilities (extreme temperature resistance, IP rating, shock, and vibration resistance).

Industrial LCD vs

.

Standard LCD

When choosing an industrial panel PC, choosing an industrial-grade LCD instead of a standard consumer-grade LCD is important for improving the performance of your system and ensuring that it can withstand deployment in harsh environments.  

Standard LCDs can’t survive in challenging environments, and for some use cases, they aren’t bright enough, especially when placed in direct sunlight. For the best viewing experience, a display must have a bright screen; standard LCD displays only offer 250 – 350 nits of brightness. Compare this to Premio’s industrial panel PCs, which can be equipped with a panel that offers up to 1000 nits of brightness, making it a perfect option for outdoor deployments.    

Premio’s LCD displays combine high brightness and optical bonding technology to dramatically improve readability in outdoor spaces, especially when the display is placed in glaring sunlight. These improvements make industrial panel PCs the ideal solution for deployment in kiosk machines and digital signage that’s deployed outdoors, where they will be exposed to direct sunlight.

Additionally, they are equipped with tough, scratch-resistant glass, which is important and something that you should look for on a rugged panel PC. Premio’s industrial panel PC’s screen glass is harder than most of the LCD screens on the market, ranked 7H for hardness according to the Moh hardness scale. 7H hardness is twice as hard as 6H, which means that the display is harder than a copper penny, knife plate, or steel nail, making the displays resistant to scratches from hard materials that usually scratch displays.    

Another advantage of Premio’s industrial panel PC is the availability of both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios within the product lineup. 16:9 widescreen LCD is an ideal complement for FHD (high-definition) content and the most popular option in today’s digital world. However, several sectors within the automation industry are still using legacy software that only supports a 4:3 display ratio, requiring industrial panel pcs to have the same aspect ratio. Since the 4:3 display ratio is harder to find on tablets or HMIs, panel PCs are a much better option for support and reliability. Premio offers industrial panel PCs that are compatible with the 4:3 aspect ratio, as well as a 16:9 aspect ratio, accommodating a variety of industrial automation lines leveraging an all-in-one panel pc.   

Feature #2

-

Optical Bonding

 For Industrial Panel Mount PCs

Touchscreen displays in Premio’s industrial panel PC line up can be configured using optical bonding technology to reduce screen reflections and improve the panel PC’s accuracy and durability. In a traditional TFT LCD panel, there is an air gap between the TFT panel and the cover glass, which causes repeat refraction between each layer of the display component in glaring environments. Reducing the inner reflection with optical bonding produces greater contrast and clarity in outdoor or bright conditions without increasing the display’s brightness.  

What is Optical Bonding? 

Optical bonding is executed

by applying a thin layer of resin between the glass layer and the TFT panel layer, bonding them together

,

making a solid laminate without any air gaps

between the two layers.

This method is

often used in

military, medical, transportation, and heavyweight sectors where

rugged displays are

required to withstand harsh environments. With the LCD screen optically bonded, there are a couple of benefits brought by applying this method.

Filling

the gap between glass and display panel with resin

reduces refractions on the screen since light does not get under the s

creen’s surface

, resulting in a much brighter and easy to read display. 

Moreover, the display is significantly stronger thanks to the resin layer in optical bonding that fills in the air gaps, making it better able to absorb shocks, increasing the durability of the display. Another obvious benefit of optical bonding is that it physically blocks dust and liquid ingress from entering the gap between the screen’s layers. This prevents condensation that can be a real issue in wet and humid environments. The foggy moisture from condensation can trap inside the gap for a long time, causing blurry images and, in some instances, even electrical damage. Finally, applying resin within the gap can increase touch accuracy because the pressure inside is equally maintained through the substrate, removing touch deviation that may have been caused by an air gap.

Feature #3 - Stay Cool with a Fanless Design  

Passively cooling a PC is possible due to an ingenious design that utilizes heatsinks to cool down the internal heat-generating components. The elimination of fans from the system leads to extra durability and greater reliability. Also, the elimination of fans adds ruggedness to the system because there is no need for ventilation holes. Furthermore, the elimination of fans creates a sealed-off system, resulting in a system that is better capable of deployment in environments where it will experience extreme temperatures. Furthermore, the fanless design adds ingress protection from dust and water splashes. Moreover, the elimination of fans produces a system that’s more resistant to shocks and vibrations, thus increasing the mean time between failure (MTBF) of the machine. Also, removing fans creates a more energy-efficient system since there are no fans in the system that need to be powered.  

Learn more about the benefits of fanless designs

Feature #4

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Wide Operating

Temperature Range 

 

The wide operating temperature range of industrial panel PCs offers those deploying them with flexibility in the type of environment in which they can be deployed. They can be deployed either indoors or outdoors. However, LCD displays have a relatively narrow temperature range, which presents challenges for outdoor deployments. Liquid crystal displays (LCD) contained a liquid substance that is housed between two layers of glass. As the temperature drops, the liquid begins to freeze, and when the liquid in the display freezes, the response time to display an image slows down. Standard LCD displays have an operating range between 0℃ and 32℃ and are only suitable for indoor deployments. Therefore, Premio offers a wide variety of panel PCs that can handle deployment in extreme environments where the temperature ranges from a low of -10℃ up to 60℃. For example, Premio’s SIO series of industrial touch panels are capable of being deployed in environments where the temperature reaches -20℃. 

Feature #5

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IP Ratings For Industrial Panel Computer Systems

 

An IP rating measures how resistant a PC is to dust and water, so your industrial panel pc needs to have an IP rating to ensure its longevity and durability, especially when deployed in volatile environments. IP ratings or Ingress Protection is a widely applied standard that indicates the enclosure’s effectiveness to seal out ingress from both liquids and tiny dust particles. This is particularly very important in automaton lines that require hygienic washdowns regularly with high-pressure water jets and cleaning agents. 

The first digit of an IP rating ranks the solid ingress protection from huge debris to small particles like dust. The solid ingress’s highest rating is 6, where the internal system is protected against tiny debris and dust particles. The second digit in an IP rating indicates that the internal system is protected against liquids. The highest rating is 9K, meaning the entire system is waterproof and is protected against powerful high-temperature water jets.  

It’s important to check out the overall IP rating of an industrial panel PC as it indicates the entire system’s protection from the ingress of dust and water. Premio’s industrial panel PCs come with a respectable IP rating. For example, the VIO series and the WIO series have an IP rating of IP65, which means its dust-tight or no ingress of dust and protected against low-pressure water jets, which makes the systems ideal for deployment in harsh environments, such as food and beverage manufacturing facilities. Premio’s newest product line even reaches a greater extent in ensuring durability. For example, the SIO series has an IP rating that begins from IP66 up to IP69K, which means the system can be submerged in the water while being exposed to high pressure, high-temperature water jets.  

Learn more about IP ratings

The

L

ongevity

of Industrial Panel PCs 

 

Furthermore, to ensure longevity, industrial panel PCs should have shock and vibration resistance along with a wide power range. These are essential when searching for industrial panel PCs that are going to be deployed in challenging environments.  

Mounting an industrial panel PC on a moving vehicle or heavyweight machine that is subject to constant vibrations and shock is possible thanks to shock and vibration resistance. Premio’s industrial panel PCs can endure vibrations with a resistance of 1.5 GRMs, 5-500 Hz, 0.5 hr/axis and capable of enduring shock for a solid 20G, half sine, 11ms; this shows that it can survive exposure to tough vibrations and hard shocks while still maintaining its performance for a long time. 

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Additionally, mounting a panel PC onto other systems or machines can pose threats of voltage fluctuation. Industrial panel PCs have a wide voltage range to protect the motherboard and avoid downtime. Firstly, a wide voltage input covers various inputs from different system applications and regions with different power supply voltages ranging from 9~50VDC. Also, systems come with overvoltage protection (OVP) and over current protection (OCP) to prevent current fluctuation up to 55V. Without these power protection features, the internal components can be damaged from power input surges. 

Feature #6 -

FCC & CE Certifications – EMI Compliance

 

When choosing an industrial panel PC, it is vital to ensure there is no electromagnetic interference (EMI) emitted by the device that can be harmful to worker safety, environmental safety, and other nearby machines. Premio’s industrial panel PCs comes with FCC and CE certifications that are well accepted around the world to ensure that the level of electromagnetic interference emitted from the device is based on the limit range that is approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), meeting the health, safety, and environmental protection standards for Conformité Européenne (EC). Additionally, these certifications ensure you can smoothly operate Premio’s industrial panel PCs anywhere around the world. 

Feature #7 -

The versatility of an Industrial Panel PC 

 

Industrial panel PCs are not only more durable than other tablets and HMIs, but they are also more versatile due to their rich I/O, touchscreen displays, and mounting options that are far better than those provided by tablets and HMIs. More importantly, the modular design of Premio’s industrial panel PCs offers a great advantage over similar competitor products. 

Tablets and HMIs are very limited when it comes to I/O inputs, where industrial panel PCs are rich in I/O inputs and outputs. Premio’s industrial panel PCs are equipped with a wide array of customizable I/O sets from VGA, serial ports, independent display ports, digital I/O, and general-purpose I/O, USB port type A, PoE/multiple-Lan RJ45 up to M12 connectors, and PCIe slots. With these I/O options, Premio’s industrial panel PCs can deliver the versatile and flexible features necessary during IoT workload consolidation. 

Touchscreen Features 

 

Unlike legacy HMIs that use PLCs for their input system, industrial panel PCs feature highly responsive touchscreens that increase convenience and flexibility on production floors. Industrial panel PCs offer two types of touch features, resistive touch and capacitive touch. Additionally, touchscreens provide a streamlined design for a cleaner look and more hygienic architecture since there are no buttons or gaps that can trap dirt that you’ll have to clean.  

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