Modular Industrial PCs and Displays Reduce Inventory And Enable Cost-Effective Upgrades

 Manufacturers are continually looking for greater production flexibility to enable them to adapt to changes in consumer demand. This requires automation systems that can be quickly and easily adapted for a line reconfiguration or the implementation of additional lines. It also requires systems that can be cost-effectively updated, preventing the need for complete retrofits to take advantage of advancing technology and functionality that will help meet changing production demands. Companies are also striving to improve their maintenance strategies, including spare part management. Wherever possible, companies want to minimize their inventory without affecting the speed at which they can respond to part failures or required system configuration changes.

To support this, Emerson has introduced a range of modular industrial PCs and displays that provide not only the high control performance expected for demanding applications, but also the desired flexibility to meet changing system configurations and production requirements. This modular approach helps to future-proof the system by enabling new components to be implemented to an existing system without having to redesign and approve an entirely new control unit. As technology progresses or greater functionality is required, components can be easily replaced by the user.

To achieve this, Emerson’s latest industrial PCs and industrial monitors use a common set of displays (from 7” up to 24” diagonal) with different electronic assemblies providing a range of functions. The displays incorporate a TFT panel with a 10-point multi-touch PCAP touchscreen for improved operator efficiency. Sunlight readable displays with UV protection and optically bonded screens to enhance readability in high humidity environments are available.

To create an industrial monitor, a display is combined with an audio/visual electronics assembly that has HDMI and DisplayPort inputs and a USB output for the touchscreen. The industrial monitor supports DisplayPort MST daisy-chaining to allow one computer to drive up to four industrial monitors. To create an HMI that can show web pages, a display is combined with a low-end ARM- and Linux-based electronic assembly with an Ethernet connection to the web server.

To create an industrial PC, a display is combined with an industrial PC electronic assembly. The industrial PCs use high performance AMD processors and support Windows 10 and Linux operating systems. All units achieve an IP66 rating when panel-mounted and have an operating temperature of -20 to +65o C. Power is 24Vdc across the range via a common connector. The industrial PC has numerous I/O ports to support multiple use cases. All components are certified and approved for use around the world, including marine approvals for offshore and ship-board applications.

The modular arrangement allows users to buy a pre-configured and pre-assembled unit initially and then purchase the components they need separately for spares or future upgrades. This provides several benefits. Should a component fail or be damaged, the entire unit does not need to be replaced, reducing replacement costs. It also reduces spare part inventory, with only display and electronic assembly components required to be stocked, rather than complete units.

Are your displays modular? How would display modularity benefit your application?