Applications For Industrial Computers

By Author: PC Enclosures
Total Articles: 7
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Computers have already formed part of daily life. Most of us make use of them for email and internet use the way several industries do. An industrial computer serves different applications depending on the particular business making use of them. Whatever these businesses are, this type of computer renders its specific purpose.

From factory automation and communications and networking to gaming and point of sale terminals, industrial computers are of great use. Each of these applications has different uses for the industrial PC. Below are explanations for some uses and functions of an industrial computer.

Factory Automation

Factory and production automation systems provide cost savings as it gears toward energy efficiency. The most common examples of facilities operated through the aid of an industrial computer are energy management systems, hospitals and medical centers, water treatment systems, and food and raw material processing systems. Many of these industries use programmable logic controllers (PLC) in addition to industrial computers for specific industrial automation applications.
Installed ...
... mechanical and industrial automation control systems usually bring a quick return on investment and pay for themselves within the first year of production and in many cases in the first few months by finding areas where resources are being lost, such as excessive water/sewer usage, energy consumption, excessive labor hours, material waste, poor quality control, etc.

Communications and networking

This is actually one of the main functions of any type of computer. Industrial computers in this sense help to provide a much more rugged communication networks solution to several industries. Under this system, software and services are customized with the help and expertise of professionals. Every business benefits from the existence of these systems.

Management in harsh environments and industrial facilities

Operating computers in a certain harsh industrial, public or outdoor environments require some added protection of either a Nema 4 rated industrial computer or a computer that is protected in a Nema 4 rated enclosure. There are dust, water, and tamper proof enclosures and cabinets that are perfect for housing a standard computer in harsh environments. Nema 4 rated industrial computers are a nice solution, but they are typically proprietary (hard to upgrade), very expensive, and do not protect against tampering and theft.
The most cost effective and flexible solution is a Nema 4 enclosure that protects any standard computer against dust, water, tampering, and theft. Enclosures provide a return on hardware investment by not only extending the life of all electronic devices in any environment, protecting them from harsh surroundings, but also through reducing or eliminating costly production downtime. Many facilities do not calculate how much computer or other hardware downtime may cost them in terms of production loss until they have experienced it the hard way. Enclosures provide a durable, yet practical protection system that extends the life of computers and other hardware, reduces costly downtime, and offers a cost effective alternative to expensive industrial. A return on investment like this is a sure bet for anyone business that is installing computer or other electronic equipment in a harsh industrial, public, or outdoor location where, tampering, theft, or the elements may be a concern.