When it comes to deploying reliable industrial computing solutions, finding the right balance between performance and cost can be tricky. In many of these cases, a fanned industrial solution stands out as a versatile option. Premio’s KCO Series, designed with a focus on efficient cooling and rugged durability, offers the performance and reliability you need for factory automation, control systems, and other demanding applications. But is a fanned solution the right fit for your application? This buying guide will walk you through key considerations and help you make an informed decision.
Why Fanned Industrial Computers?
Before we explore the KCO Series, it’s essential to understand why fanned industrial computers are an ideal choice for certain applications.
- Efficient Heat Dissipation: The inclusion of internal fans ensures active cooling, making fanned industrial computers suitable for environments where high-performance processors generate significant heat.
- Cost-Effective: Fanned solutions tend to be more budget-friendly than fanless counterparts while maintaining reliable performance.
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Performance-Driven: These systems can handle higher processing loads, thanks to their effective cooling mechanisms.
For applications that don’t require a fully sealed, fanless design, a fanned industrial computer provides excellent value and performance.
Where Fanned Industrial Computers Excel: The Industrial Edge
The KCO Series lies within our industrial edge, one of our three buckets that fall under the Edge Continuum. Products that fall within the Industrial Edge category are classified as having the following features:
- Placed in controlled environments
- Passive or active cooling
- Flexible performance
- Ubiquitous IoT connectivity
- In Band or out-of-band connectivity
- Standardized form factors
The KCO Series strategically caters to the evolving needs at the "industrial edge" of the matrix, where flexibility and environmental adaptability are paramount.
This positioning highlights its suitability for varied industrial applications—from manufacturing floors to high workload scenarios – offering balanced price to performance efficiency with powerful computational capabilities at the edge.
X86 Semi-Rugged Fanned Industrial Computers: KCO-2000-RPL & KCO-3000-RPL
For businesses anticipating growth or exploring new industrial applications, the KCO Series delivers the adaptability to scale operations efficiently and cost-effectively.
The KCO Series offers two versatile models to match different application requirements. Both models offer distinct sizes that carry unique features of connectivity and performance.
- KCO-2000-RPL: A compact 2U system ideal for space-constrained setups, featuring essential PCIe expansion and storage options for moderate industrial workloads.
- KCO-3000-RPL: A 3U system designed for performance-heavy applications, offering dual-GPU support, extensive PCIe slots, and flexible storage for advanced tasks like AI and machine vision.
Key Features of Premio's KCO Series
Premio’s KCO Series fanned industrial computers are engineered to deliver reliable performance in harsh industrial conditions.
Key Features:
- Industrial Grade Design: Built to withstand shock, vibration, and fluctuating temperatures, ensuring longevity in industrial environments. Additionally, the KCO also features an external dust filter to prevent dust and debris from entering.
- Intel Core Processing Power: Equipped with Intel® Core™ processors, the KCO Series offers powerful computing capabilities for data-intensive tasks.
- Flexible I/O Options: Extensive connectivity options, including USB, Ethernet, COM ports, and more, ensure compatibility with various peripherals and systems.
- GPU-enabled Performance: Leveraging the latest PCIe Gen 5 standards, the KCO Series is compatible with a selection of dedicated GPUs to enable AI workloads. In addition, the KCO-3000 Series allows for dual GPU integration for real-time edge AI and machine vision applications.
- Expandable Storage: Support for multiple storage configurations, including SSDs and HDDs, allows for flexibility in data handling. Additionally, the KCO-2000-RPL features an external, hot-swappable drive bay for quick and easy data offloading.
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World Class Certifications: With UL, CE and FCC Certifications, the KCO Series is certified to provide utmost safety and reliability in harsh industrial environments.
- Short-Depth Rackmountable: Designed with a compact form factor for seamless integration into shallow-depth racks, the KCO Series maximizes space efficiency without compromising performance.
Selecting the Right KCO Model: What to Consider
Premio’s KCO Series fanned industrial computers provide a balance of performance, rugged durability, and efficient cooling. By evaluating your application’s processing needs, environmental conditions, connectivity requirements, and storage capacity, you can select the perfect model to ensure long-term success.
Choosing the right KCO Series model requires understanding your specific needs and application requirements. Here are the key factors to consider when choosing which KCO series model for your industrial application:
- Processing Power Requirements: Leveraging the latest in x86 silicon, the KCO series offers specific processors in 35W or 65W options to help system integrators scale their applications.
- Connectivity & Storage: Connectivity across all types of new and legacy products is provided on the KCO-Series' single-sided interface panel. This allows system integrators and OEM designers to have easy accessibility. If storage is a big consideration, however, the KCO-2000-RPL offers easy data offloading with it's external, hot-swappable drive bay.
- PCIe Expansion:For AI workloads that require hardware acceleration, the KCO series allows for low profile GPU with the latest PCIe technology. If your application requires higher performance, the KCO-3000 series is the ideal choice, allowing for dual GPU for heavy processing workload applications, such as machine vision.
- Form Factor: The KCO Series is built around Premio’s standard Micro-ATX Industrial motherboard, allowing the system to be compact and offer two form factor chassis, in 2U or 3U. If size is a big consideration, the 2U short depth chassis will be the ideal choice.
Real World Success: Precision Welding with the KCO Series
The KCO-3000-RPL proved to be the perfect fit for a leading manufacturer's precision welding automation system. The application required reliable, high-performance industrial computer to handle real-time processing, machine vision tasks, and future scalability, all within a clean manufacturing environment.
By leveraging the dual-GPU support and Intel's 12th Gen processors, the system enabled precise image recognition and efficient control, ensuring accurate welds and boosting productivity. Its expandable PCIe slots and hot-swappable storage allowed seamless integration with their evolving hardware needs, while the fanned design delivered consistent performance without the added cost of ruggedization.
This success story showcases how the KCO Series excels in demanding industrial applications, delivering precision, scalability, and value. Learn more about this case study.
To explore how the KCO series can integrate into your operations, visit Premio’s website for detailed product specifications and benefits.