What Are The Four Elements?
Since the beginning of time, the four classical elements are described in ancient philosophy and early science as; Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. These elements were considered the fundamental building blocks of nature and were used to explain the composition of matter and phenomena observed in the natural world. These elemental concepts were also used to describe the basic principles governing the natural world and were often associated with qualities, forces, seasons, and even symbolic representations within different cultures and belief systems. However, this isn’t the case for IP-rated industrial panel pcs. These ruggedized touch display systems are engineered with ruggedized features and can withstand some of the harshest elements in the world today from: Water, Air, Fire, and Earth. For example, IP-rated industrial panel pcs such as the VIO Series (Front IP-65) modular panel pc and the SIO Series Washdown panel pc (IP66/IP69K) are completely designed to withstand some of the greatest environmental challenges in industry 4.0 deployments today that ensure ultimate reliability in unstable deployment scenarios.
Water
Water is considered powerful and is included as one of the four elements for several reasons. It is a life-sustaining essential, it cleanses and purifies, and it is used as a symbol for fluidity. However, in the world of computing, water can be detrimental to the functionality and reliability of industrial panel pcs. For example, if a panel pc has not been hardened or ruggedized to withstand water ingress, this key element can cause major harm to electronics and unwanted downtime for mission-critical applications. Therefore, industrial panel pcs like Premio’s IP66/IP69K SIO-200 Series and IP65 Front VIO Series both carry robust ingress-protection (IP-Ratings) for ultimate durability.
SIO-200 Series: Water Protection
The SIO Series is able to sustain high-pressure, high-temperature system washdowns required in hygienic and aseptic environments. It does this by having a full IP66/69K stainless steel design and waterproof M12 I/O connectors. Compared to the IP66 rating, the IP69K offers premium protection against close-range high-pressure, high temperature washdowns. The SIO Series features a native touchscreen enable/disable control, allowing the device to remain powered throughout intense system washdowns. This feature allows the SIO to maintain automation, monitoring and critical control functions.
VIO-200 Series: Water Protection
Premio’s VIO Series Modular Panel PC and Monitor touch is reliably designed specifically for HMI automation, information and communication applications. The VIO’s front panel is IP65-rated, providing full protection against low-pressure water jets with a pressure of up to 30 KPa. This feature allows the VIO to be the ideal solution in various industries including smart agriculture, factory automation, and kiosk and retail.
Air
Moving on to the element that is considered the “breath of life”, air. The SIO Panel Series withstands high air pressured water jets for an IP69K rating and also leverages a ruggedized stainless steel pressure valve to remove unwanted pressure buildup. As for the VIO Series Panel PC, the fanless and dust tight enclosure ensures a silent operation and ultimate reliability.
SIO-200 Series: Air Protection
The SIO Panel comes standard with an automatic pressure valve that keeps the SIO safe in environments where pressure can differentiate due to changes in altitude, temperature, or rapid temperature fluctuations. The automatic pressure valve does this by balancing the internal pressure inside the panel from the outside environment. The valve regulates internal pressure and acts as a safety measure, protecting the PC from any damage from sudden pressure increases, and ensuring overall reliability and safety in harsh industrial environments. These environments are common in industrial applications such as marine applications, oil mining facilities, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and even outdoor kiosks. This pressure valve maintains the integrity of the enclosure, which also prevents entry of dust, moisture, or other contaminants. Which helps the SIO Panel Series overcome the second element, air.
VIO-200 Series: Air Protection
The VIO Panel is engineered to perfection with a completely fanless and rugged design. This innovative design feature ensures not only silent operation but also dust-proof performance, guaranteeing uninterrupted productivity in any environment. The fanless design extends mean time failure and minimizes maintenance costs that would be caused by a system fan. With this robust fanless design, the VIO does not include any ventilation holes and is completely sealed. This creates a complete dust tight enclosure in the VIO-200.
Fire
The SIO Panel Series and the VIO Panel Series are resistant to water and air, but it is however important to highlight each models fanless design, which does bring us to our third element, fire. Wide temperature operation is crucial in rugged touch panel systems, especially when it is used in industrial environments. Industrial touch panels operating in harsh conditions, such as extreme cold or heat, need to function reliably. A wide temperature range ensures that the touch panel remains operational even in environments with significant temperature fluctuations. Electronic components can also be sensitive to temperature extremes, that is why a wide temperate operation is crucial.
VIO Series = -10°C to 60°C | SIO Series = -10°C to 50°C
SIO-200 Series: Heat Protection
VIO-200 Series: Heat Protection
The industrial panel VIO-200 is designed using modular technology, offering multiple display modules for flexibility. It is designed with a fanless system, while still implementing an operational temperature of -10°C to 60°C. This allows the VIO 200 to thrive in extreme temperatures with no performance setbacks. This cutting-edge design allows the VIO to be the ideal choice in industrial settings such as frigid cold warehouses or sweltering outdoor locations.
Earth
Earth is obviously a stable element in the four elements as it is associated with stability and solidity. Same association with the overall purpose of rugged industrial computing. The sole design purpose of the SIO Panel Series and the VIO Panel Series is strongly focused on ruggedness. We mentioned before how ruggedized it is in terms of water, air, and fire. It is however also designed to meet elements of earth, more specifically dust. The SIO and VIO panel series are both completely dust tight enclosed and carry specific IP ratings that prevent dust/particle intrusion into the entire systems. For example, two unique features prevent dust build-up in the overall system:
- Optical Bonding: Eliminate dust and decries after assembly.
- Fanless Design: Venting holes no longer needed to create complete tight enclosure.
These features make the SIO and VIO Panel Series reliable in industrial rugged applications. Allowing the panel PCs to have:
- Environment Protection
- Preventing Malfunctions
- Durability in Harsh Conditions
- Maintaining Optical Clarity
- Extended Lifespan
- Reducing Maintenance Requirements
- Meeting Industry Standards
In conclusion, rugged industrial PC panels such as the SIO and VIO series are designed to stand up against the four main elements in the environment. Having IP rated PC panels is crucial for harsh environments and applications. Each feature mentioned has a specific purpose to meet with in one of the four elements. However, their overall purposes combined is aimed to make the SIO Stainless Steel Industrial Touch Panel PC and the VIO Rugged Industrial Touch Panel PC an ideal industrial touch display product line in any harsh environment and IIoT application.
