IndustriePCs

IndustriePCs, also known as industrial PCs, are purpose-built computing devices designed to operate in harsh industrial environments where consumer-grade computers would fail or be unreliable. They provide long-term availability, ruggedization, and predictable performance for automation, monitoring, and control tasks.

Form factors include box PCs, panel PCs with touchscreens, DIN-rail mounted embedded systems, and rack-mount units. They typically feature extended temperature ranges, dust and moisture resistance, shock and vibration tolerance, and sealed or semi-sealed enclosures. Many models employ fanless or low-noise cooling, solid-state storage, and redundant or protected power inputs (commonly wide-range DC like 9–36 V).

Industry PCs emphasize reliability and real-time operation. They use x86 or ARM processors from Intel, AMD, and embedded vendors, and support operating systems such as Windows Embedded/Windows IoT, various Linux distributions, and real-time operating systems. They offer multiple serial ports, industrial Ethernet interfaces, fieldbus adapters, USB, PCI/PCIe, and sometimes vision interfaces for machine-vision cameras. They often include watchdog timers, serviceable components, and hardware-level redundancy.

Usage and applications include factory automation, process control, HMI, SCADA, robotics, energy management, railway and transportation systems, and building automation. They are selected for long product lifecycles, stable supply, robust support, and receptiveness to regulatory and safety standards.

Standards and lifecycle: Industrial PCs typically meet EMC/EMI requirements, environmental and protective ratings (IP67/IP65 on enclosures), and safety certifications (CE, UL, FCC). They emphasize long-term availability through multi-year or decade-long product lifecycles and regular firmware updates. Security and remote management features are increasingly emphasized in newer models.