Pepperl+Fuchs Blog

Industrial monitors and operator workstations are installed in process plants and hazardous areas to safely monitor processes. To support and simplify input, a selection of keyboards is available. The EXTA2 industrial keyboards from Pepperl+Fuchs are specially designed for use in hazardous areas. They are ATEX and IECEx certified for Zone 1/21 and have UL Class I/II, Division 2 approval for use in the USA and Canada.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) grants plant operators access to large amounts of process data in real time from the smart devices on the factory floor. It is imperative that plant operators possess the proper tools for efficient data management to improve their processes and reduce costs. HMIs, thin clients, and software can help plant operators effectively utilize IIoT data to enhance workflows, increase safety, and perform predictive maintenance.

The FDA requires drug manufacturers to follow strict cleaning guidelines. According to the FDA, any equipment a manufacturer uses during drug production must be “cleaned, maintained, and, as appropriate for the nature of the drug, sanitized and/or sterilized at appropriate intervals to prevent malfunctions or contamination …” This is why drug manufacturers clean their batch process tanks at regular intervals.

On Friday, August 25th, Hurricane Harvey hit the South Texas coast. Consequently, the storm front struck our new manufacturing and warehouse building in Katy, Texas. High wind from a hurricane tornado damaged our roof structure, pulling air handling units from the roof and allowing water to enter the building.

Process automation plants using industrial HMI often place the equipment in remote locations in the field, away from the process control room or maintenance stations. For busy plant personnel, it's much easier to be able to configure these remote monitors from a centralized location or even off-site remote location. In addition, maintenance and technical support for the daily HMI operators can now be done remotely without needing to physically stand in front of the screen, which is often difficult and time-consuming (pharmaceutical clean rooms, large refineries for example.)

When installing a purged control panel or industrial HMI in a hazardous location, power supplied to the control panel must be regulated so that components are not energized before the panel is protected by a purge cycle.

What Is the Difference Between Zone 1 and Division 1?

A Zone 1 / Div. 1 industrial monitor must meet the requirements necessary for operating in the presence of ignitable concentrations of gases, vapors, or dusts that are likely to exist, either continuously or intermittently, under normal conditions.  That said, the certification requirements vary according to where you will be using your equipment.

Process challenges that lead to system integration

When industrial workstations are located in a hazardous area, you often need to invest in training for qualified personnel who must comply with safety guidelines as well as deal with the physical layout and restrictions of facilities that include hazardous areas. Investing in equipment that likewise meets the challenges of the hazardous area is a must.

It's rather time consuming to walk back and forth between the production area and the control room to access a local HMI system. It's much more efficient and convenient to monitor control room functions locally, right inside the process area, using properly certified equipment that is rugged enough to withstand the tough environments external to the control room. Being closer to the process empowers you with greater control and monitoring capabilities in real time.

Our remote monitor thin clients come in a variety of sizes and flavors. The standard remote monitor (RM) is designed for easy startup and maintenance. The ACP ThinManager RM is designed for users with ThinManager as their thin client management tool.

KVM Extender Selection Criteria

Industrial keyboards, video monitors, and/or mice are usually located within 6 feet or 2 meters of the source PC or thin client. However, there are times when you need to mount an industrial display farther away from the source signal—sometimes in a different building or type of location, such as outdoors, on the process floor, and/or in a hazardous location.