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Manufacturing companies and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) know they need to install edge computing hardware in the most challenging environments imaginable to implement industrial internet of things (IIoT) enabled projects, along with other advanced control and analytics. The seemingly easy answer is to use industrial PCs (IPCs), but the devil is in the details.

Our March 2021 article in Machine Design, titled IPCs: Standing up to the Test, points out that end users and integrators need proven hardware and software combinations, but some IPCs simply are not up to the task. Here is what users should consider when specifying IPCs.

Inhospitable Environments
Extreme temperatures, vibration, and electrical conditions are the norm at the industrial edge, and typical consumer- or industrial-grade information technology (IT) assets like PCs simply won’t survive there. Typical IT device lifetimes are about three years, but operational technology (OT) systems must run far longer, sometimes for decades. IPCs have become common, but many users are finding they may not deliver the promised performance, reliability, or longevity. This can occur because some so-called IPCs may be tested in non-real-world conditions, or perhaps performance is de-rated so they can meet thermal requirements.

An OT Focus
Emerson has responded to the need by creating a world-class lineup of IPCs built for the toughest OT environments. Some key features of the Emerson RXi2 portfolio:

• Fanless designs with extensive heat sink arrangements.
• Optimized thermal conductive paths to avoid hot spots at primary components like CPUs, and secondary components like SSDs.
• Designed with a zero-throttle principle for 100% performance at the rated temperatures.
• Tested in real-world zero airflow conditions.
• Built for an extended lifecycle/lifespan and supported for five years after product maturity.
• Upgrades and refreshes maintain backward compatibility to the greatest extent possible.
• An intelligent selection of known-good configurations simplifies ordering and stocking.

Software Options
Some users may prefer to buy “bare metal” IPCs and build up their configurations as they choose with commercial and proprietary software. Other users may prefer to select an IPC pre-loaded with the operating system and other software. Emerson accommodates either choice with a complete portfolio of industrial software for roles like:

• Visualization: Movicon.NExT
• IIoT: PACEdge
• Analytics: Pro.Energy and Pro.Lean

IPCs are also ideal as communications gateways connecting edge data to higher-level SCADA, MES, and ERP applications using communications using protocols such as OPC UA and MQTT.

IPCs Built for the Edge
IPCs are essential for collecting “little data” at the edge from a variety of sources, but they must be ruggedly built and deliver the necessary performance and durability.

Industrial end-users and OEMs can find efficiencies by standardizing on an OT-based provider of IPC solutions. An IPC running the right software suites is equally at home when used for building IIoT capabilities into new systems of all types, or for retrofits.

Check out Emerson’s complete portfolio of IPCs at https://www.emerson.com/en-us/automation/control-and-safety-systems/industrial-computing/industrial-pc-ipc.

This post previously appeared on LinkedIn.