An industrial PC can only be noisy. Right?
Wrong! One of the first things that come to mind when thinking about industrial production environments is the relentless processing and noise of machinery. The computers used in these contexts play their part with noisy fans spinning non-stop to dissipate heat… but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Are you looking for a silent industrial computer to reduce the noise in your working environment? Then this is the right article.
Sure, up until a few years ago, PCs designed for use in harsh environments had four to five fans built into them, even more with a video card, but now technology has made great strides.
Did you know that there are also silent industrial PCs?
Picture a mountain landscape, completely surrounded by dense forest, with nothing but trees, birds singing, and the wind rustling through the leaves… now, take away the wind and the birds chirping. That’s the sound of a fanless PC.
Indeed, they are totally silent industrial computers that will make your working environment considerably less noisy. In this article, we’ll show you the reasons for the noise of industrial PCs and how you can eliminate it completely with fanless models.
What causes the noise of industrial PCs?
We’re all familiar with the incessant, annoying hum of a PC running. But what causes it exactly?
You might not be aware of this, but traditional desktop PCs have more than one fan to dissipate heat – especially older industrial ones. Or rather, one of the fans disperses the heat produced by the processor and prevents the device from overheating, but also other fans contribute to the not-so-pleasant symphony we all know.
Indeed, some models integrate up to 2 fans in their case to help recycle the air inside the computer. Additionally, if the PC has a graphics card, the extra fans to dissipate its heat can be up to 3.
Another factor contributing to the noise of these PCs is mechanical components: the mechanical hard disk, for example, as well as other parts such as the DVD drive, which cause noise with the friction generated by movement.
How to reduce the noise of an industrial PC?
The most effective way to eliminate the noise of industrial PCs is simply to solve the problem at its source: remove all mechanical components, including fans.
The result is a fanless computer. These PCs have no cooling fans, which are the main cause of noise as mentioned above. Besides, there are no other mechanical parts in fanless PCs. An example is the hard disk, replaced by the SSD to eliminate noise.
“But how is the heat dissipated if there are no fans?”
“Doesn’t the PC risk overheating?”
Absolutely not: the heat produced by the CPU and other internal components in fanless PCs is dissipated entirely through the aluminium case, which has a specifically designed structure to disperse it into the external environment.
This represents a significant gain not only in terms of quietness but also in terms of operation.
The mechanical components of PCs, including the fans, can be severely damaged if used in harsh environments, such as damp or dusty areas. Indeed, the cooling fans inevitably draw production residues, dust, and moisture into the computer, which eventually causes the components to overheat and make the PC completely unusable. Fanless PCs, on the other hand, can operate even in the most extreme contexts: since there are no fans, this problem simply does not arise.
A point worth mentioning is that fanless industrial PCs generally cannot integrate a graphics card, which would generate too much heat along with the processor to be dissipated by the case alone.
If business requirements demand that industrial PCs with an integrated graphics card, tailor-made solutions are to be considered.
Kimera Computers: silent and compact PC
Industrial PCs by Kimera Computers are not ordinary fanless PCs, like others on the market. In fact, Kimera Computers is the first brand of industrial PCs entirely made in Italy: in other words, all the production phases take place in our laboratory, from stock to design, from development to pre and post-sales technical support.
Furthermore, all fanless Kimera Computers come with a 3-year warranty and are CE certified, meeting the safety requirements of the applicable EU regulations and directives. Choosing a fanless Kimera Computer means choosing an extremely quiet and safe PC, up and running in your company in just 3-5 days from placing your order.
Fanless PCs by Kimera Computers are available in different models: overall, they can be rack (to be inserted in rack cabinets), box (the most common industrial PCs), and custom (tailored to satisfy every customer need).
Finally, they are much smaller compared to other industrial PCs on the market (rack Kimera PCs are 1U and 1.5U) and are available with different processor types, ranging from Celeron to i3/i5/i7 to Xeon.
The result? Silent, high-performance industrial PCs with incredibly low power consumption.
Try it for yourself – seriously though, you can try Kimera Computers for free for 15 days – more details at the end of the article.
Here’s what our customers say about us
1U Fanless Server for ATEN European Demo & Training Centers
Hi, I’m the Technical and Sales Manager for Italy at ATEN, a Taiwanese company with 40 years of experience in the KVM and Professional Audio/Video sectors. I was looking for fanless servers in 1U format for the setting-up of the first Demo & Training Center in Milan. We didn’t have any particular performance requirements, and the usual commercial servers were just too big and noisy for us. Matteo’s good job with SEO allowed me to find KM Soltec and their fanless Kimera Computer Rack 1U. His helpfulness and professionalism were essential to get the 4 servers configured as we needed them. 6 months afterwards we were so satisfied with our purchase that we bought 4 more of them for the Demo & Training Center in Madrid. And soon it will be the turn of the one in Paris…
- Luca Enea Spilimbergo, ATEN
Kimera for Digital Kiosks
My name is Rosa Fanelli, and I work at BBS Italy, an indoor and outdoor digital kiosk manufacturer. We were looking for industrial devices to integrate into our products to solve malfunctioning issues. Indeed, using unsuitable hardware for 24/7 operation under adverse weather conditions caused severe computer damages, which, in turn, led to malfunctioning and failure of the entire kiosk. Therefore, we had to carry out frequent and very costly maintenance operations. After several searches we found Kimera Computers. They provided us with technical support throughout the entire process and they always offered the best solutions for our needs, providing us with fanless PCs suitable for 24/7 operations.
We turned to Kimera Computers because of their reliability and competence. They were also able to design and realize our industrial solutions more quickly than other suppliers: indeed, they delivered each of our orders within the guaranteed 5-day delivery time!
- Rosa Fanelli, BBS
Professionality and collaboration
We at Mager S.r.l. had long been looking for a reliable supplier of industrial computers or their fanless alternatives. As a manufacturing company, we were interested in substituting some onboard computers on CNC machines, looking for the right balance between economic investment, operational performance, robustness, and reliability. Matteo and his team provided a prompt response and maximum helpfulness at every stage, from analysing the problem to the technical and financial designing of the solution. The industrial PCs (KIMERA) we bought from KM Soltec have been operating for several months now, producing the expected performance in terms of energy-saving and reduction of machine downtime. Matteo and his team have shown great professionalism and care also in the management of the customer-supplier relationship.
- Gian Luca Rivalta, Mager Srl.
Would you like to test the quietness and performance of Kimera fanless PCs? Fill in this form to request a 15-day free trial and test them directly in your company!
We’ll carefully analyse your project and realise the perfect solution for your needs.
