Choosing an industrial fanless PC is not simply a matter of selecting a computer without a fan. For an industrial application, the hardware must be sized to meet the required computing power, temperature, vibration, dust, connectivity, 24/7 operation, and integration constraints. The right choice therefore depends first and foremost on the application and its environment.
Production monitoring, data acquisition, automation, edge computing, machine vision, or predictive maintenance: industrial PCs have numerous applications, and not all of them require the same configuration. A model suitable for an automation cabinet may therefore be completely unsuitable for a machine vision or artificial intelligence application.
This guide outlines the key criteria to consider when selecting a fanless industrial PC suited for an existing installation or a new project.
6.Fanless PCs and industrial Edge Computing⇒ Key takeaway: An industrial fanless PC should be selected based on the application, its environment, and its integration constraints. The absence of a fan is a design criterion, but it is not sufficient on its own.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Why choose an industrial fanless PC?
2. In which applications should it be used?
3. The 8 selection criteria
4. Fanless or ventilated: which one to choose?
5. What power rating should you choose?
7. Fanless PCs and predictive maintenance
8. Fanless PCs and industrial retrofits
9. Case study: replacing a machine’s PC
10. Mistakes to avoid
11. How to select the right industrial fanless PC?
FAQ
A fanless PC isdesigned without an active fan for cooling. The heat generated by the processor and other components is dissipated through a thermal architecture that relies primarily on heat conduction and dissipation through the chassis. This design offers several advantages in industrial environments.
The absence of a fan reduces the number of moving mechanical parts used for cooling. This can be advantageous in applications requiring continuous operation or installed in environments where maintenance must be kept to a minimum.
In a ventilated computer, the cooling system relies on forced air circulation. In some dusty environments, this circulation can cause particles to accumulate inside the equipment.
A fanless PC eliminates this active ventilation. However, it is still necessary to check the hardware’s protection rating: it is not automatically waterproof or dustproof.
Depending on the model, these PCs may be designed to operate under more demanding conditions than a standard computer:
However, the level of ruggedness must always be verified in the model’s technical data sheet: temperature range, IP rating (where applicable), resistance to vibration and shock, power supply, certifications, and other characteristics.
Many industrial fanless PCs are compact and can be installed as close as possible to the equipment. This feature is particularly valuable forindustrial edge computing, where data must be collected and processed locally before being transmitted to a server, an MES, an IoT platform, or the cloud.
The choice of a fanless PC depends primarily on its role within the industrial architecture. In particular, it can be used for:
A fanless PC can run a monitoring application and centralize data from production equipment. In this case, priority may be given to reliability, connectivity, storage availability, and compatibility with the software in use.
The industrial PC can also collect data from sensors, PLCs, or industrial equipment. The number and type of interfaces then become critical: Ethernet, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, USB, GPIO, or other specific interfaces.
For a vision application, the computing power requirements can be much greater. The PC must therefore be capable of receiving data streams from cameras and performing the necessary processing. Depending on the application, high CPU power, a GPU, or a specific accelerator may be required.
In an edge architecture, the PC performs part of the processing directly on-site. For example, it can filter data, perform calculations, analyze images, or detect certain events before transmitting the relevant information to the central system.
Hardware specifications must therefore take into account computing power, memory, storage, and network connectivity.
Choosing an industrial fanless PC based solely on the processor or the number of available ports is not enough. The hardware must be compatible with the application as a whole.
Before comparing models, you need to determine what the fanless PC will actually be used to do. In particular, ask yourself the following questions:
This initial analysis helps avoid unnecessarily oversizing the system or, conversely, using hardware that is too limited.
The processor should be selected based on the application’s actual workload. Industrial monitoring or data acquisition may require moderate processing power. A computer vision, data analysis, or artificial intelligence application may require more resources.
The main factors to consider are:
It’s also a good idea to allow for some headroom in terms of power when the PC is expected to remain in service for several years. A fanless PC is therefore not necessarily a low-performance PC. The level of performance depends on the thermal design, the processor, and the chosen configuration.
Thermal management is a key factor in selecting an industrial fanless PC. Without a fan, heat must be efficiently dissipated by the cooling system provided by the manufacturer.
You should therefore check:
A very compact, heavily used fanless PC may have different thermal constraints than a larger model designed for a high computational load. Therefore, “fanless” does not mean “without thermal constraints.”
The system must be properly sized for the application and installed under conditions compatible with its specifications.
A PC installed in an air-conditioned computer room is not subject to the same constraints as a computer mounted directly on a machine. The actual operating conditions must be analyzed.
-> Temperature:
The ambient temperature can vary significantly in a workshop, a cabinet, outdoor equipment, or an embedded system.
-> Vibrations and shocks
Machines, vehicles, and mobile equipment can subject the computer to continuous vibrations or shocks.
-> Dust
The presence of particles must be taken into account, particularly in production environments where the air may be laden with dust.
-> Humidity and Splashes
Certain applications require special protection against moisture or splashes.
-> Electromagnetic Compatibility
Proximity to motors, variable-speed drives, and power equipment may also impose specific requirements regarding electromagnetic compatibility.
The term “industrial PC” is therefore not sufficient to characterize the level of robustness. The specific hardware specifications must be examined.
Connectivity is one of the most important criteria when integrating a PC into an existing system. Depending on the application, the following may be required:
The number of ports must also be considered. In an industrial architecture, multiple network interfaces may be necessary to separate different data streams. Serial ports can be used to maintain communication with existing equipment.
The right PC, therefore, is the one that integrates into the machine’s communication architecture, not necessarily the one with the most impressive spec sheet.
Storage capacity should be sized according to the data to be processed. The PC may need to store:
SSDs are particularly well-suited for many compact industrial PCs, especially because they contain no moving mechanical parts. For applications that generate a high volume of write operations, the data volume and the storage medium’s lifespan must also be taken into account.
In an industrial setting, the PC may operate continuously. A system failure can affect monitoring, interrupt data collection, or—depending on the architecture—disrupt machine operation.
Therefore, the following must be taken into account:
Hardware longevity is particularly important in the industrial sector. A PC intended for an installation that must operate for several years should not be selected based solely on its purchase price. The future availability of the hardware and replacement terms must also be considered.
An industrial fanless PC can be installed:
Dimensions and the mounting system are therefore technical criteria. Before choosing a model, check:
A high-performance PC that cannot be properly integrated into the system is not a suitable solution.
The choice between a fanless industrial PC and a ventilated industrial PC depends on the application.
computing power + heat dissipation + environment + footprint + connectivity + application criticality.
The choice should not be “fanless versus ventilated,” but rather “which cooling architecture is best suited for my application?”
It is not always necessary to choose the most powerful processor. A configuration suitable for a monitoring application may be insufficient for machine vision, while a very powerful configuration may be unnecessary for simple data acquisition.
The appropriate configuration depends, in particular, on:
The power requirement must therefore be defined based on the workload, not simply on the PC’s model tier.
Example:
The industrial fanless PC is a valuable component in an Edge Computing architecture when data needs to be processed locally. The principle is to bring part of the computing process closer to the data source: a machine, sensor, camera, or piece of industrial equipment.
The main benefit is to limit certain data transfers and maintain processing capabilities locally. However, the PC must be sized according to actual computing, storage, and connectivity requirements.
In a predictive maintenance architecture, equipment generates a large amount of data: temperature, vibration, pressure, power consumption, and other operating parameters.
The industrial PC can serve as an intermediate layerbetween field equipment and analysis tools.
The choice of PC therefore depends on the number of data sources, the acquisition frequency, the volume of data, and the required processing. A fanless PC is therefore not a predictive maintenance solution in and of itself. It is one of the IT components of the architecture.
The industrial retrofit This involves, among other things, modernizing an existing facility without necessarily replacing the entire machine. The PC may be one of the components involved in this modernization.
A machine may still be mechanically operational even though its computer system has become obsolete, its storage is reaching the end of its life, or its connectivity no longer meets current needs.
The main consideration is compatibility with the existing system. Before selecting hardware, it is necessary to identify the interfaces, protocols, software, and mechanical constraints already in place.
-> A point that is often overlooked during a retrofit:
When replacing an industrial PC, compatibility with the existing software environment is just as important as the hardware specifications. Before selecting the new PC, it is necessary to verify the operating system, software versions, drivers, communication protocols, and interfaces used by the machine.
Situation
An industrial machine has been in operation for several years. The mechanical components are still functional, but its control computer is nearing the end of its service life. The PC is installed in a cabinet located near the machine.
The environment features:
The monitoring software must be retained, and the new PC must continue to communicate with the existing equipment.
Technical constraints
In particular, the new PC must have:
Solution Focus
In this context, a fanless industrial PC can provide a coherent architecture if its thermal design, interfaces, and environmental specifications meet the installation’s requirements. The choice is therefore not simply a matter of “picking any fanless PC.” It is necessary to verify that the model simultaneously meets the following requirements:
application → performance → environment → connectivity → integration → longevity.
This approach helps avoid unpleasant surprises when replacing hardware.
The purchase price is only one component of the overall cost. A breakdown, an on-site service call, or a production shutdown can have a greater impact than the price difference between two configurations.
The processor must be capable of handling a specific workload. Starting by selecting a CPU model without knowing the software, processing requirements, and future expansion needs can result in hardware that is not properly sized.
Fanless technology relies on proper thermal management. Ambient temperature, processor load, and installation conditions must all be taken into account.
A fanless PC is not automatically IP65, IP67, vibration-resistant, or suitable for an outdoor environment. These characteristics must be verified separately.
A PC may be perfectly sized in terms of power but unusable if the interfaces required for installation are not available.
An industrial project may remain in service for several years. The availability of hardware and manufacturer support must therefore be factored into the decision.
A more powerful PC does not necessarily offer any benefits if the application does not utilize its full capabilities. System sizing should aim to strike the right balance between performance, power consumption, thermal management, cost, and scalability.
Before choosing a model, it’s helpful to define the project requirements:
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all fanless PC. The right model depends on the application, computing power, environment, required interfaces, form factor, and expected lifespan.
For industrial monitoring, priorities may include connectivity and software compatibility. For edge computing, computing power and networking capabilities may become key factors. For computer vision or AI, CPU/GPU capabilities and thermal management take on greater importance.
The choice must therefore be based on the application’s specifications, not solely on a comparisonof technical data sheets.
Factory Systemes offers a range of fanless industrial PCs designed for various environments and applications, including monitoring, automation, edge computing, machine vision, transportation, energy, and systems requiring compact integration.
Once the installation requirements have been identified, the technical specifications of the various configurations can then be compared to select the most suitable model.
What is an industrial fanless PC?
An industrial fanless PC is a computer designed without an active fan for cooling. The heat generated by the components is dissipated through a passive cooling system tailored to the hardware configuration.
Why choose a fanless PC for industrial environments?
A fanless PC may be appropriate when the application requires a limited number of moving parts, compact integration, or operation in an environment where active ventilation may be a constraint. However, the level of ruggedness depends on the specific characteristics of the model.
Can a fanless PC operate 24/7?
Yes, some industrial fanless PCs are designed for continuous operation. However, you should check their temperature range, thermal design, computational load, and the manufacturer’s specifications.
Is a fanless PC suitable for dusty environments?
It can be particularly useful in certain dusty environments since it does not use active cooling. However, the absence of a fan does not mean that the PC is automatically waterproof or dustproof. You should check the model’s protection rating.
Can a fanless PC be used for edge computing?
Yes. Industrial fanless PCs can process data from machines, sensors, or cameras locally. The configuration must be scaled to meet computing, storage, and connectivity requirements.
Is a fanless PC suitable for machine vision?
Yes, provided you choose a configuration with the CPU/GPU power, memory, storage, and interfaces required for cameras and image processing.
What is the difference between a fanless PC and a ventilated industrial PC?
A fanless PC uses a passive cooling architecture, while a ventilated PC uses active airflow. A fanless PC can be particularly suitable for certain compact applications or those requiring a limited number of moving parts, while a ventilated system may be appropriate for certain configurations requiring high computing power.
Is a fanless PC suitable for predictive maintenance?
Yes. It can serve as a computing module for collecting, preprocessing, and transmitting data from machines and sensors within a predictive maintenance architecture.
Can a fanless PC be used in an industrial retrofit project?
Yes. In particular, it can replace an obsolete industrial computer, modernize a monitoring system, or add data collection and processing capabilities. However, compatibility with existing interfaces and software must be verified before selecting the hardware.
What criteria should be considered before choosing a fanless industrial PC?
The main criteria are the application, the processor, memory, storage, thermal management, operating temperature, environmental constraints, connectivity, form factor, power supply, 24/7 operation, and the hardware’s longevity.