Computers are now an integral part of the industrial environment. Computers control all sorts of processes in the manufacturing and production industries. From monitoring production lines to stock control computers are often as important for industry as they are for the office.
There is however, one convention that differs between industrial environments than that of an office, in that computers in industry are quite often left on continuously.
While there are obvious environmental and financial downsides to leaving a computer on 24 hours-a-day there are also safety risks. Computers contain electrical equipment that for much of the time runs quite hot. Much of the time this does not cause a problem but in industrial areas where dust is fairly prevalent a computer left continually on can smoke and even catch fire.
Whilst a computer in an industrial area may not be an expensive item, a fire in any production area most likely will be. The problem with this type of fire is that if a computer does catch alight the chances are there will be nobody around to see it. In fact the first time many business owners realise they have had an IT fire is when the building is on fire and the emergency services are attempting to put the blaze out.
A potential solution in preventing potential fires and in the case of areas where there are high levels of dust of vapour; preventing explosions too, is to use and industrial computer enclosure.
These computer cabinets are often protected to European fire and explosive directive ATEX ensuring the enclosure will protect any problem computer from the flammable elements of the environment. Any computer contained in an industrial computer enclosure that sparks or catches alight will soon burnout in the enclosure with any spark or flame being secured inside the protective cabinet.
An industrial computer cabinet is essential (and even law) if the environment contains enough flammable material, protecting property and investments whilst also offering piece of mind.
