Keeping equipment such as computers, printers, touch screens and other monitors such as LCD TVs protected in industrial locations is vital to ensuring the continued operation of such equipment.
Ensuring a computer will continue to function could even be mission critical so it is vital that any of the hazards located in the areas where the computer will be working are identified so that they can be countered. Her are some of the elements contained in industrial areas and how they are bets protected against:
Dust
In many production and manufacturing facilities, there is often quite large amounts of dust. Dust is often created from manufacturing processes but it will also contain a wide variety of other materials including metals and other conductive elements. Dust can penetrate electrical systems and cause short circuits and it can also block up filters and cause over-insulation, a primary cause of failure in computer systems.
Protecting against dust can be quite complicated as most computer systems need fresh air to help dispel heat, sealing off the dust can be problematic. One solution that many industrial PC enclosures employ is to ensure there is positive pressure inside the enclosure keeping the dust outside and allowing airflow within the enclosure.
Liquids
Liquids, particularly water, are commonplace in some factory areas, especially in food production where water is liberally used to hose down areas for hygiene reasons. Water is also problematic to defend against for similar reasons to dust.
Water can have an even more damaging effect on equipment if it penetrates an enclosure which is why printer and computer enclosures that are used in washdown areas use plenum chambers which are air vents that dont allow water access.
