Water is perhaps one of the most catastrophic elements to have around a computer or any other electrical equipment. Water is of course conductive (electricity passes through it easily) but it is also liquid which means it can penetrate even the smallest of gaps.
We all know that it is a good idea to keep liquids away from computers. Some organisations have strict draconian rules preventing office workers from bringing liquids to their desks others hide computers away in cabinets to protect them but what about areas where water is liberally used or where it is unavoidable?
In many food production plants water is used liberally too hose down areas and keep everything clean but these processes are often controlled by a computer too.
There are fortunately waterproof computers on the market which although expensive offer protection from any ingress of water. Unfortunately these machines are not very flexible. They often contain out-dated technology (to ensure their reliability) but also need a service engineer to repair/upgrade them. This can cost far more in production downtime than even the cost of the computer itself.
A far more flexible and inexpensive solution is to use a waterproof industrial computer enclosure. These devices allow a standard PC to be used in areas where they couldn’t normally be taken. They are often designed to European or International Guidelines (IP65 or NEMA 4) and can be made from food grade stainless steel – ideal for the food trade.
Waterproof industrial computer enclosures also offer far more flexibility than a waterproof computer per se as the enclosed computer can be any model, make or specification you require and can be replaced within minutes so if the worst comes to the worst and the machine goes down another cheap off-the-shelf PC can be inserted.
