Industrial PCs - pointers for performance

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 13, 2000

How can an OEM really be sure that the industrial PC they are buying will withstand the rigours of industrial operation as well as be an open and powerful hardware platform?

Modern control solutions in OEM and automation applications are increasingly based around the industrial PC (IPC) as an open and powerful hardware platform.

The days of the IPC being used purely for additional functions such as visualisation and production data acquisition have passed, with the IPC now acting as the controller, without a second processor or complex hardware additions.

Given the variety of operating environments and conditions in modern industry, coupled with increasing demands for improved productivity at reduced costs, it is essential that any OEM integrating an IPC into their machine or system has total confidence in its performance reliability and longevity.

There are many suppliers that purport to have effective IPC solutions; but how can an OEM really be sure that the product they are buying will withstand the rigours of industrial operation, as well as meeting other key criteria, such as seamless integration with their machines, systems or processes? A good IPC should be designed at board level to accommodate factors such as variations in temperature, shock and vibration, as well as attack from corrosive substances, the ingress of dirt, dust and liquids and EMI/RFI interference.

There are a limited number of mother boards, LC displays, plug-in cards and hard drives that are truly suitable for use in industrial environments, with a number of suppliers using relatively untested, cloned products.

Worse still, some unscrupulous suppliers have been known to simply re-house office desktop machines and badge them an IPC.

The more established suppliers, however, have focussed their efforts on leading developments in rugged and highly stable components for the IPC market, such as 'all-in-one' mother boards, interface boards, low voltage power supply units, keyboard controllers and other electronic modules.

Furthermore, suppliers of IPCs are working hard to extend MTBF (mean time before failure intervals), with a number of systems now available with intervals in excess of 500,000 hours.

All IPC manufacturers should be able to prove the integrity of system components with extensive, documented test procedures.

Hayes Control Systems' Beckhoff range of IPCs, for example, are subjected to 24 hour temperature and vibration tests.

Furthermore, each unit must pass electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests for fault-free operation within a temperature range from 0deg to 55degC, with up to 95% no-condensation humidity.

Computer technology is developing fast in all spheres of industry, with products and suppliers often changing rapidly and without warning.

The average life of some IPC components from certain suppliers can be as short as 3 - 6 months.

This can cause havoc on the factory floor, where a change in a single chip can catastrophically alter the way a system functions.

To avoid potential problems created by changing technology, continuity of supply is essential to the OEM.

Choosing an established supplier, with a proven track record, ensures trouble free access to ongoing product support and an effective and reliable upgrade path.

Manufacturers such as Beckhoff build durability and flexibility into all their hardware, specifically with industrial applications in mind.

Additionally, all components are fully documented and, even if components change, the company can continue to support systems without difficulty.

One area which does not appear to be an issue with IPCs for OEM applications is pricing.

Although OEMs are under consistent pressure to reduce their manufacturing costs, in most instances, the benefits of a quality IPC in terms of reliable, powerful, fit for purpose application seems to be recognised by an industry which is continually looking for faster, more reliable processing and control systems.