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Enterprise mobility solutions are advancing at a rapid pace. Explosion protection is no exception. In the form of the tablet PC, the mobile office even extends into zone 1, as the latest system from Bartec shows.
The latest developments in explosion protection are dominated by the search for new communication and collaboration options. The stated goal is to improve the quality and safety of products and systems and, in particular, to simplify maintenance processes. To accomplish this, wireless networked cameras, smartphones and tablet PCs bring the office directly into hazardous areas. If field employees can exchange documentation or process and quality data with the head office in real time and without compromising quality, this can pay off quickly, bearing in mind the high costs of failure and follow-up.
Access to zone 1
Specially developed and certified tablet PCs are one of the most important tools of this mobility trend. Explosion protection specialist Bartec recently introduced the world’s first system to be fully certified in accordance with Atex and IECEx for zone 1/UL Class 1 Div 1 at the automation trade show SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg. This is a rugged, dust and water-resistant device that is targeted to a wide variety of industries – in fact everything from chemicals and pharmaceuticals to oil and gas. It has an identical range of features to the existing Agile X series but now allows zone 1 users to take their office directly into the hazardous area without having to think about explosion protection requirements.
To facilitate work with Office applications, ERP and similar systems, Bartec chose a diagonal screen size of 10.1 inches for its zone 1 instrument. This corresponds to the display of a small laptop. That is where the similarities end, however, because the Agile X IS is tailored for operational continuity from top to bottom. For example, the hot-swap battery can be replaced directly in the hazardous area without having to switch off the device. Furthermore, the special capacitive display ensures that even in rain or strong direct sunlight, the screen can be read easily and operated while wearing commercially available work gloves.
Continuous tablet PC system
With the Agile X IS, Bartec is furthermore positioning itself as the first-to-market provider of a continuous tablet PC system for industry, zone 2/Div 2 and zone 1/Div 1. The state of the art use of a uniform standard provides interesting synergy effects with regard to terminal device management.
On the hardware side, the Windows tablet includes a four-core processor, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD and a micro SD slot for storage media up to 32 GB in size. For connecting peripherals, servers and cloud services, the Bluetooth 4.1 LE, WLAN and (optional) LTE standards are available. The integrated scan engine with 2D Zebra barcode and RFID/NFC scanners is unique. The Agile X IS also provides GPS.
As an additional special feature, the Agile X IS guarantees users direct access to the optionally available USB drive from Bartec, even in the Ex zone. This specific accessory is one of many expansion options the explosion protection specialist offers as part of its overall system. For example, using the optional Hart add-on module, fast and efficient diagnostics, configuration and management are possible for field devices in the hazardous area. A carrier system adapted to the needs of each specific user increases the level of convenience and keeps employees’ hands completely free where necessary.
www.cpp-net.com search: cpp0117bartec
Benedikt Eckert
Product Manager Enterprise Mobility, Bartec
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