US 
Rugged Industrial Touch Panel PCs Deployed in Heavy Industry
British Steel, the USA producer of long steel products, asked us to replace a mixed collection of desktop computers, displays and all-in-one touchscreens that kept failing on its plant floor. The equipment had never been designed for industrial use, and the dirt, heat and cleaning of a steelworks were taking their toll on both the computers and their screens.
We specified sealed, fanless rugged touch panel PCs in 316 stainless steel, supplied on a call-off basis so the plant could install a few each month. It is the kind of system we supply for manufacturing and factory automation.
What British Steel makes
- 01Construction steel
- A wide range of structural sections for the construction industry.
- 02Rail
- High-performance rail products for the rail industry.
- 03Special profiles
- Custom steel profiles designed for customers' applications around the world.
- 04Wire rod
- For the automotive, construction, engineering and consumer goods markets.
- 05Semi-finished products
- Steel for rolling into long, structural or general engineering products.
Why the old PCs kept failing
Steelmaking is one of the dirtiest industrial environments there is. Coke, dust and fumes settle on everything, production runs around the clock, and equipment is cleaned down with harsh chemicals to remove the pollutants. The existing PCs were not built for any of it, and their displays were being damaged in use as well.
The new computers also had to connect to a wide range of plant equipment, from sensitive spectrometers that check the composition and quality of the steel to the cranes that lift 170-tonne ladles of molten steel more than five storeys above the ground. Across the plant, serial RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 are the most common interfaces.
What the replacement had to handle
The initial scope set out what any replacement had to survive and connect to.
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01
24-hour dirty production
Sealed against dust, coke and fumes, with no fan to draw them inside.
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02
Harsh chemical cleaning
Materials and seals that take regular chemical wash-downs without corroding.
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03
Damage-resistant screens
A touch display that survives knocks from tools, equipment and rough handling.
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04
Serial to plant equipment
RS-232/422/485 to connect spectrometers, cranes and controllers.
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05
Dual networks
Two Ethernet ports for the internal network and proprietary devices.
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06
Versatile tasks
One platform flexible enough for a variety of roles across the plant.
The Arestech PPC-Z213
The 21.5 inch (21.5") 316 stainless panel PC deployed at British Steel, in 5-wire resistive and PCAP touch versions.
21.5″ Full HD 5-Wire Resistive Stainless Steel Panel PC with Intel Pentium N4200 and IP66/IP69K
- Display
- 21.5″ (16:9, 1920×1080, FHD)
- Brightness
- 250 nits
- Touch
- 5-Wire Resistive Touch
21.5″ Full HD PCAP Stainless Steel Panel PC with Intel Pentium N4200 and IP66/IP69K
- Display
- 21.5″ (16:9, 1920×1080, FHD)
- Brightness
- 250 nits
- Touch
- Projective Capacitive Touch
Why the PPC-Z213 suited a steelworks
- 01Full IP66/IP69K
- The whole enclosure is sealed against dust and hot, high-pressure water, so it can be cleaned down with the plant.
- 02316 stainless steel
- The molybdenum in 316 grade resists the chlorides and chemicals used to clean away pollutants.
- 03IK07 toughened display
- Protective glass resists impacts from equipment and deliberate damage; see our vandal-proof touch screen FAQ.
- 04Downward-facing M12 I/O
- Locking circular connectors face down, protected from ingress from any angle.
- 05Protocol-selectable serial
- Serial ports switch between RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 to suit each device.
- 06Fanless, dual GbE
- Passive cooling from −20 to 60 °C with no maintenance downtime, and two Intel GbE ports for separate networks.
IP69K is tested with close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature spray; our IP69K FAQ explains it in plain terms, and our 304 vs 316 stainless steel comparison sets out when the extra resistance of 316 is worth specifying. The impact level is covered in our IK rating FAQ.
Ordering these rugged touch panel PCs from Things Embedded has always been a breeze. Using the call-off service, we could take just a couple of these systems each month and meet our installation requirements accordingly. We depend on these systems for a variety of vital tasks, and to date they have been very reliable and gone above our expectations at a great price point.
What changed on the plant floor
One sealed platform replaced a mix of failing office hardware.
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Outcome 01
Reliable in a dirty plant
Sealed, fanless panel PCs replaced the computers and displays that had kept failing.
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Outcome 02
Cleaned with the plant
316 stainless and IP69K sealing take the chemical cleaning used to remove pollutants.
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Outcome 03
One platform, many tasks
Selectable serial and dual Ethernet connect everything from spectrometers to cranes.
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Outcome 04
Installed at the plant's pace
A call-off service supplied a couple of systems each month to match installation plans.
Rugged panel PC FAQs
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RS-232 vs RS-485: What Is the Difference?
RS-232 is a single-ended serial link between two devices over a short cable, typically up to about 15 m. RS-485 sends a differential signal over a twisted pair, so it resists electrical noise, runs up to about 1,200 m and lets many devices share one bus. RS-422 sits between them: differential, long distance, one sender to several receivers.
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What Is RS-232?
RS-232 is a long-established serial communication standard that connects two devices, sending data one bit at a time over separate transmit and receive lines. It is simple and widely supported, usually through a 9-pin D-sub (DB9) connector, and is still common on industrial computers for instruments, scales, PLCs and legacy equipment.
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What Is RS-422?
RS-422 is a serial communication standard that sends data as a differential signal over twisted pairs, so it resists noise and can run up to about 1,200 m. One transmitter can drive up to ten receivers, and with separate pairs for sending and receiving it works full duplex. It suits long point-to-point links in industrial plants.
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What Makes a Touch Screen Vandal-Proof?
A vandal-proof touch screen combines strengthened cover glass, a touch technology that senses through that glass, and a sealed, rigid housing with hidden fixings. Its impact resistance is graded with an IK rating under IEC 62262: IK07 withstands a 2 joule impact and IK10 a 20 joule impact.
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What Is RS-485?
RS-485 is a serial communication standard that sends data as a differential signal over a twisted pair. That makes it resistant to electrical noise and able to run long cables, up to about 1,200 m, with many devices sharing one bus. It is widely used for industrial control, Modbus RTU, building systems and PTZ camera control.
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What Is an IK Rating?
An IK rating grades how well an enclosure resists mechanical impact, from IK00 (no protection) to IK10, which withstands a 20 joule impact. It is defined by IEC 62262 (EN 62262) and is used alongside the IP rating to specify displays, panel PCs and enclosures for public and industrial sites.
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What does IP69K mean?
IP69K means an enclosure is dust-tight and protected against high-pressure, high-temperature water jets per DIN 40050-9 — 80°C water at 8—10 MPa from close range. It is the food and beverage industry standard for sanitary wash-down on both sides of the Atlantic — and it does NOT imply submersion protection.
Replacing failing PCs on a plant floor?
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