Introduction
With the continuous advancement of computer performance, heat generation has also increased significantly. While traditional fan cooling methods can effectively lower computer temperatures, they introduce dust and debris, reducing computer operation reliability and even affecting lifespan and uptime. As material manufacturing technologies progress, fanless industrial computer cooling technologies have developed, significantly enhancing computer performance and reliability, becoming one of the common cooling methods in industrial computer design.
Fan-cooled vs fanless industrial computers
Fan cooling is the most common computer cooling method. Fans remove heat from the heatsink, expel hot air from within the computer, and draw in cool air, achieving airflow and heat dissipation.
| Type | Fan Cooling | Fanless Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Simple, low cost | Complex, higher cost |
| Dust/ Debris | Prone to dust accumulation | Simple  |
| Maintenance | Frequent(dust/ debris cleaning, fan maintenance) | Minimum(near zero maintenance) |
| Application Range | Application must be habitable and provide easy access to computer due to maintenance requirements | Application can be harsh environments and confined space deployment |
| Noise | Moderate to loud | Near silent |
What are the advantages of Fanless Industrial Computers
Compared to fan-cooled industrial computers, fanless industrial computers use alternative cooling methods with strategic component placement and increased-size heatsinks being the most common. This effectively avoids the heat-soak, dust and debris problems caused by fan-cooled industrial computers.
- Dust and debris: The fanless design of the entire unit minimizes dust, debris, and other foreign objects in the air from entering the computer, reducing damage or affecting heat dissipation.
- Reliability: Since fanless industrial computers do not use fans, they are less prone to dust accumulation or reduced heat dissipation efficiency. Therefore, they have a lower failure rate, meeting the requirements for 24/7 operation.
- Low power consumption: Without active air cooling, the design must consider power consumption and minimizing heat generation for a lower overall power expenditure and deployment costs.
- Compact size: Fanless industrial computers do not need to reserve space for air circulation so the overall size can be more compact. Therefore, they are more suitable for installation in narrow spaces, such as cabinets, carriages, integrated automation equipment, or narrow gaps.
- Near silent operation: The absence of fans makes fanless industrial computers operate quietly. Making them suitable for deployment in areas that require silence such as in hospitals, and libraries.
- Maintenance: Fanless industrial computers do not require regular cleaning (fan and system), significantly reducing maintenance (downtime) and improving convenience.
Overall, adopting fanless industrial computers can reduce downtime, extend system lifespan, and lower operational costs. Therefore, they are more suitable for deployment in harsh environments to meet high-reliability application requirements.
FAQ
Q1: Will fanless industrial computers overheat?
Any computer can overheat, and overheating can lead to decreased system performance and even abnormal shutdowns. Therefore, heat dissipation design is particularly important. Special considerations go into power supplies, components, and other heat-generating parts, as well as the overall structure for fanless industrial computers. At Neousys, we use dedicated from-the-ground-up system design to ensure the stable operation of fanless industrial computers to achieve true wide operating temperature range.
Q2: Why are fanless industrial computers recommended for industrial applications?
Industrial applications are mostly in harsh environments such as factories, buses, and trains. System installation are often space-constrained and require 24/7 stable operation. Fanless industrial computers are often considered for their reliability, and ease of installation into tight spaces.
Q3: Which industries use fanless industrial computers?
Most industrial application customers will use fanless industrial computers for its near-zero maintenance, compactness, and reliability. They can be found in industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, public transportation, energy management, smart agriculture, smart cities, etc.
For customers pursuing stable and reliable systems, we strongly recommend using fanless industrial computers. If your operating environment has drastic temperature changes, we would recommend using fanless industrial computers with wide temperature operating range.
Q4: Can fanless industrial computers be placed in semi-outdoor areas?
In addition to dust, you need to confirm the temperature, humidity, salinity, vibration, chemical concentration, etc. and choose an industrial computer specification that suits you. If necessary, we recommend choosing computers with IP66/IP67/IP69K ratings for extra environmental condition protection. You can refer to the Neousys SEMIL series (IP67/IP69K rated) or AWP series (IP66 rated) to meet your application’s semi-outdoor environment conditions. We recommend that you confirm the conditions at the deployment site before purchasing the industrial computer.
