Beckhoff has developed a new series of ultra-compact Industrial PCs (IPCs) – starting with the C6015 and the high-end C6030.
As machines and systems are becoming more modular and control cabinets smaller, the space requirements of control components are increasingly scrutinized. At the same time, ever more complex and sophisticated machines require more computing performance. However, there are also more cost pressures in the field of automation. In order to meet all these requirements, Beckhoff has developed a new series of ultra-compact Industrial PCs (IPCs) – starting with the C6015 and the high-end C6030. These devices are ideal for a broad range of applications, including environments with decentralized architectures and today’s Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrie 4.0 applications.
The new series of ultra-compact Industrial PCs premiered with the C6015 at the 2016 SPS IPC Drives trade show in Nuremberg, Germany. Equipped with an Intel® Atom™ CPU, it is well-suited for all kinds of automation, visualization and communication tasks in the medium performance range. Measuring only 82 x 82 x 40 millimetres, the ultra-compact and industrially-suited multi-core IPC is only one-third the size of the C6905, previously the smallest control cabinet IPC in the Beckhoff portfolio. With price savings of approximately 25 percent, the C6015 ranks far below the previously lowest-cost x86 IPCs from Beckhoff. With exceptional installation flexibility, it also opens the door to application areas that were previously unattainable for IPC technology due to cost or space limitations.
The four factors of a true success story.
The ultra-compact C6015 IPC was a true success from the very start. It has already been deployed in a wide range of applications in high volumes, including many large-scale projects in Germany and abroad. The concept of the new IPC generation impressed users for several reasons:
- The most important and obvious feature of the C6015 is the extremely compact size that does not compromise suitability for industrial applications. This is underscored by a design with passive cooling and long-term availability in a robust aluminium and zinc die-cast housing. It also meets all other industrial requirements, such as an expanded temperature range from 0 to 55 °C (32 to 131 °F) and exceptional vibration and shock resistance.
- Combining high computing power with low energy consumption, the C6015 leverages Intel® Atom™ CPUs with up to four cores, providing the ideal basis to handle all applications in the low to medium performance range. – The exceptionally flexible installation concept permits vertical or horizontal back wall installation in control cabinets. Moreover, with its symmetrical cooling fins, the C6015 can be positioned freely within the mounting frame. Features like these and the free orientation of the connector level, with all connectors on a single side, allow a wide range of installation scenarios that accommodate all incoming cable feeds in even the smallest spaces. In the past, this was often impossible, precluding the use of an Industrial PC in certain machine designs.
- The features and interfaces of the C6015 are also designed for a wide range of applications with a 30 GB M.2 SSD, 2 GB of DDR3L RAM (expandable to 4 GB), one DisplayPort, one on-board dual Ethernet adapter with 2 x 100/1000Base-T connectors, one USB 3.0 port, and one USB 2.0 port. Overall, the C6015 is likely the first Industrial PC on the market to offer such a high performance density paired with all the interfaces needed in a machine design
Now the brand new C6030 Industrial PC expands the ultra-compact series with maximum processing power and up to 3.6 GHz per core.
With highly flexible application options, the new series of ultra-compact Beckhoff Industrial PCs that first launched with the C6015 has proven to be extremely successful. With the addition of the new, ultra-compact C6030 Industrial PC (IPC), the advantages of small space requirements, universal applicability and flexible installation are now also available for complex applications with the highest performance requirements. The multi-core computer, with a size of only 132 x 132 x 67 mm, integrates Intel® Core™ i-series processors of the 6th and 7th Generation to provide ample computing power and offer maximum performance with up to 3.6 GHz per core.
The ultra-compact C6030 IPC is only half the size of the closest comparable control cabinet PC, the C6930, yet it offers more interfaces even in its basic configuration. Depending on the features included, the C6030 IPC offers price savings of up to 34 % over comparable IPCs in the C69xx series. Despite its small size, the C6030 uses – besides the Intel® dual-core CPUs Celeron® and Pentium® – advanced Intel® Core™ i-series processors of the 6th and 7th Generation with up to four cores, and with an optimal ventilation concept, it boasts clock rates of up to 3.6 GHz.
This means that enormous computing power and a comprehensive range of features is available in the space-saving form factor of the C6030. The C6030 is able to accommodate almost any automation and visualisation task, including highly complex axis control, demanding HMI applications, large-volume data handling, and applications with extremely short cycle times. The onboard Ethernet adapter with four 100/1000Base-T connectors, four USB 3.0 ports and two DisplayPort connectors make the C6030 ideal for networking and high-performance Ethernet-based control tasks.
Both the new ultra-compact motherboard and the robust die-cast zinc and aluminium housing have been newly developed, taking into account all the typical Beckhoff design considerations such as: industrial suitability, Made in Germany manufacturing quality as well as dependable reliability and high-quality look and feel. Due to an extremely long-lasting, speed-monitored and controlled fan with double ball bearings, the C6030 is able to accommodate an operating temperature range of up to +55 °C, depending on the selected CPU.
As the newest addition to the ultra-compact Industrial PC series, the new C6030 also proves to be extremely flexible in terms of installation. It can be attached at its rear or side panel, vertically or horizontally as required, with free orientation of the connector level. This permits a wide variety of installation scenarios and efficient cable management, even in extremely confined spaces.
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