What differentiates industrial-grade monitors from their consumer- and even commercial-grade counterparts? Given that price is often the primary driver of so many of our consumer-technology purchases these days, the temptation to carry that habit into the industrial arena can feel irresistible. For example, I received a Black Friday email promotion last week tempting me with a 60-inch flat-screen TV for under $1000 – cheap enough to support a rationalization that I really could’nt afford not to buy it! But, when it comes to industrial applications, selecting monitors based on price alone can cost your enterprise far more in lost productivity, monitor longevity and system compatibility than it saves in both the short and long terms.
Consumer-grade monitors are designed to operate just a few hours per day and are commonly matched to systems that use screen-saver graphics to avoid burn in. Yes, modern consumer LCDs are far less susceptible to burn-in than were their CRT predecessors, but they are still far from burn-in proof. Just check a waiting-room flat-screen TV that’s tuned to one of the cable news channels throughout each business day and you’ll see from the ghost of its lower-corner logo that burn-in is still alive and well among consumer-grade monitors. In the industrial arena, where production data and other similarly-static graphics are displayed hour after 24/7/365 work hour, “burn in” will soon defeat lessor monitors.
Throw in the heat, dust, moisture and vibrations common to industrial settings and consumer-and even commercial-grade components start looking decidedly fragile. By comparison, the front panels of Advantech’s industrial-grade flat-panel monitors (FPM series) are NEMA4/IP65 compliant.
Consider also power-supply options. Industrial 24- to 48- or 10- to 30-Volt DC power inputs? You’re not likely to find them on consumer- or commercial-grade monitors. Lastly, consider the manufacturer’s warranty. Installation of a consumer-grade monitor in an industrial setting will, of course, void the manufacturer’s warranty, and for good reason.
Advantech’s FPM-series options are specifically designed to meet the extreme challenges of industrial applications, delivering a comprehensive range of capabilities and a generous viewing angles, along with screen brightness that is often twice that of even commercial monitors. Of course, the rugged, anti-corrosion chassis of all FPM-series monitors support panel, wall, desktop, rack and VESA-arm mounting formats. What differentiates Advantech’s industrial-grade monitors from consumer- and commercial-grade options? Everything!