Ever since technicians and others wanted to take their iPhones into hazardous areas, technology developer companies have been making compute and communication products specifically for those areas.
This news comes from a seemingly unlikely pair—Pepperl+Fuchs and Rockwell Automation (identified in the press release by a product it acquired Automation Control Products in 2016—ThinManager).
This headline is marketing not at its best—being the first solution for a specific product:
Pepperl+Fuchs and ThinManager Unveil the World´s First ThinManager-Ready Tablet Solutions for Rugged and Hazardous Areas
Be that as it may, here is a tablet compute product specifically made for hazardous areas. That, in itself, makes it useful.
Pepperl+Fuchs and ThinManager – a Rockwell Automation technology – announced that they have partnered to provide operators and technicians an even easier and safer experience working with ThinManager software. Originally launched (sic) by Rockwell Automation more than 25 years ago, the ThinManager device management and content delivery platform is used by plant operators and maintenance technicians in manufacturing and process industries to centralize thin-client device management.
Together, Rockwell Automation and Pepperl+Fuchs now offer a complete portfolio of ThinManager-Ready products designed to meet the needs of any customer application. This includes everything from dedicated HMIs and industrial box thin clients to a newly introduced range of tablet products by Pepperl+Fuchs. The Tab-IND and Pad-Ex tablets are available with the ThinManager BIOS onboard and no other pre-installed OS. This allows users to boot firmware directly from ThinManager and transforms the tablets into centrally managed endpoints that provide mobile visualization for frontline workers—in harsh industrial and even hazardous environments. It also increases the cybersecurity of the solution. Pepperl+Fuchs offers hardware solutions for two application areas: non-hazardous and hazardous areas.
Tab-IND Features: (Non-Ex Areas)
- Available in 8” and 10” industrial-grade tablets with a bright, 700 and 800 cd/m2 display for outdoor use including glove and pen support
- Shortcut button and fingerprint sensor for fast authentication
- Rugged unit—designed for a life cycle of at least 5 years—offers extended -20 °C to 50 °C temperature range
- SmartBack technology allows easy USB accessory integration
- Accessories include scanner frames, docking stations, holders, and power supplies
Pad-Ex Features: (Hazardous Areas up to Class I, Div. 2 / Zone 2)
- 11” field mobile tablet and desktop PC with up to 8.5 hours of battery life
- Intel Core i5-1235U, 12 Gen processor with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory with NVMe, PCle and SSD
- Connects to a docking station via a 35-in. Pogo connector
- I/O ports include one Thunderbolt 4, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type A), one micro-HDMI, one audio in/out (combo jack), one microSD card (microSDXC), and one DC-in jack
- Supports 4G LTE / Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (802.11 ax), augmented reality, and Bluetooth 5.3
