Using LCD TVs in Factory Floor Settings

The LCD TV is an incredibly flexible device. The flat panel TV’s that have now all but replaced the bulky CRT monitors of yesteryear can be mounted against a wall and are ideal for digital signage and information purposes.

LCD and plasma screens have even been adopted in factory and industrial areas as they provide a far more convenient a solution for monitor and display needs than CRT monitors.

Although, LCDs are not designed for these types of areas as most flat panel TVs are built and manufactured for home use only.

Many factory elements such as dust from warehouses and packing locations to water used in wash down locations can easily permanently damage a modern LCD TV.

Enclosing the LCD is one solution to allowing their use in these sorts of areas but an LCD enclosure needs to take into account several issues.

Firstly, as with most electrical devices, airflow needs to pass through the LCD TV to keep the device cool. Normally speaking this is done by the use of filters but in a factory setting these filters will soon become clogged with dust.

An LCD enclosure gets around this by using appositive pressure system allowing air to flow through the enclosure and LCD whilst also keeping the dust out.

Another consideration with using LCD’s in factory settings, especially in food production areas, is the amount of water used. An LCD enclosure uses special shaped chambers known as plenum that allow airflow up through the enclosure but prevents any water, even from hose-down, penetrating the enclosure therefore providing waterproof protection for the LCD.

Temperatures can be another concern in factory settings especially in chillers or near furnaces where extreme temperatures on either end of the scale can cause a permanent failure of the LCD. An LCD enclosure ensures optimum operating temperatures at all time by utilising thermostatically controlled heaters and additional cooling systems allowing the LCD to operate in temperatures as low as – 30 degrees centigrade and as high as + 50.