Improving Advanced Thermography Through Modular Rugged Touch Panel PCs

 

Background

Thermography is a method that excels in providing complete solutions for checking and analyzing temperatures of objects or areas without contact. It's beneficial in some cases because it can show temperature differences clearly. This technique is applied in various tests, such as Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Energy Efficiency Assessments and Building Diagnostics.
 

Established in 1999, the company has become a frontrunner in applying thermography across multiple sectors such as electrical, manufacturing, medical, and aerospace. It specializes in gathering crucial information through its proprietary thermal imaging cameras and cloud-based platforms. However, users need help in accessing and interacting with this data due to the limitations present in industrial and manufacturing settings.
 

Challenge:

• Need a tough HMI with PC features to handle data in a harsh environment for detailed inspection and automation.
• Require a power-efficient compute solution with flexible design for different tasks, including comprehensive I/O for easy equipment integration.
• Previous options failed to deliver the needed reliability, cost-effectiveness, and local support.

Solution:

• C&T's durable IP65-rated VIO-W215/PC100 Touch Panel PC features an Intel® Celeron® J6413 processor Elkhart Lake Series and comes with a standard M.2 expansion slot and a full-size mini PCIe slot for wireless communication.
• C&T Solution sales and engineering team offers advice and local assistance.

Benefits:

• The solution's comprehensive design fully satisfied the customer's needs without compromising. 
• Formed a partnership that benefits from local support for both present and future initiatives due to its close proximity. 
• The design's compliance with IP65 standards guarantees a dependable and robust solution.

The Challenge

The customer needed help finding a device that combined efficient computing, necessary I/O communication, and durability for their rough automation setting. Although their former approach utilized a rugged,  off-the-shelf design, it fell short of delivering the required compute efficiency and communication capabilities and lacked support from a local team. Overall, the challenge was faced in four specific, different, and crucial categories: 

• A specific rugged display size
• Communication I/O availability 
• Efficient compute performance

The customer's main priorities were compute efficiency and support. They required sensors for thermographic analysis, operated via cloud-based software, which, although a basic computing task, demanded efficient power usage. A COM connection was essential for user interface interaction, real-time monitoring, and control as the sensors collected data. It was crucial for operators to rapidly adjust to thermal condition variations by modifying settings or concentrating on particular areas of interest through a touch panel interface.

This comprehensive setup demanded a ruggedized industrial panel PC that was power-efficient, provided I/O communication, and came with support from a local team.
 

The Solution

The customer chose C&T due to their proven certification reliability and their ability to quickly dispatch a sample unit, benefiting from their local presence. Key factors in their decision included the availability of a power-efficient processor, I/O communication capabilities, a 15.6-inch display, and a robust industrial seal. C&T easily met these requirements with their VIO-W215/PC100 model.
 

The VIO-W215/PC100 model fulfilled all of the customer's needs without needing additional upgrades or experiencing any downtime in product/design development. The IP65 Industrial VIO-215/PC100, powered by the Intel® Celeron® J6413 processor, met the customer's needs for processor efficiency. Equipped with standard COM ports, this rugged industrial panel PC enabled seamless integration for their communication requirements. Furthermore, the customer was able to select the desired size (15.6 inches) from C&T's extensive range of touch panel sizes, available with either resistive or capacitive touch options.
 

C&T's Industrial VIO series, characterized by its rugged IP65 rating, features cutting-edge modular designs that enable module enhancements without requiring a complete unit overhaul. This fanless unit boasts a robust build, ensuring the front panel is IP65 certified for being waterproof, dustproof, resistant to shock and vibration, and capable of operating in a wide temperature range from –10 °C to 60 °C.

• Enclosure sealed against dust
• Resistant to water jets from a nozzle without damage
• Constructed with a durable aluminum die-casting shell
• Offers protection in the most extreme conditions

The Benefits

C&T's off-the-shelf solution directly tackles the main challenge of sourcing a ruggedized industrial touch panel PC that can be standardly customized to suit the customer's specifications. The inclusion of the Intel® Celeron® J6413 in the rugged VIO panel PC facilitates energy-efficient computing. The distinctive design of C&T's VIO panel not only supports customization in terms of dimensions and touch technology (both resistive and capacitive) but also ensures the device's durability in the most extreme environmental conditions.

C&T's modular design of the VIO series offers the customer flexibility for easy upgrades, either to the module or the panel itself. With more than 10 years of experience in product engineering and providing comprehensive computing solutions, C&T plays a crucial role in their partners' success.

Find the suitable Panel PC for you here. 

 

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