At mental healthcare institutions, prisons and hospitals, the safety of patients and prisoners is a top priority.

Many healthcare facilities require companies to supply them with products that are rated “anti-ligature” (or
ligature resistant) to protect patients and prisoners from harming themselves and/or others. It is particularly popular for lounges and activity rooms to have LCD enclosures installed, so that individuals can watch TV and relax. However, facilities must take into consideration the area that the LCD will be used and choose the safest possible solution to avoid injury.

If you plan on installing an enclosure in a hazardous area, it is always paramount to install a ‘purge system’ that will withstand harsh surroundings and meet safety or regulatory compliance.

Purge systems are available in many different sizes and configurations, so it is wise to do the proper research and talk to a company or installer who has experience with this type of system. A poorly planned or poorly executed purge system can end up causing a disaster or explosion. But, first comes first, what is enclosure purging and how can it be used to protect computers and other essential peripherals?

How to find the best purge system for the application:

What is purging?  

Purging is the process of supplying enclosures with compressed air or inert gas at the proper flow and pressure, in order to reduce the hazardous gas inside of the enclosure to a safe or more moderate level. Pressurization is the process of bringing compressed air within an enclosure to a pressure where there is no ingress of hazardous gases or combustible dust. Both purging and pressurization are required in a Class I or gas atmosphere. However, only pressurization is required in a Class II area or dust atmosphere.

With dynamic digital menu boards, Quick Service Restaurants have the ability to quickly and efficiently update or change various aspects of the menu.

The entire chain can make a menu change with a click of a button, which saves a great amount of time, especially for large chains like Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFC, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Arby’s. With over 70% of the overall business accounted for in the drive-thru, why would a QSR not want to take advantage of the benefits of outdoor digital menu boards? They can save a QSR a good deal of money in the long run.

The term “custom” often gets a bad reputation for translating into expensive and lengthy lead times. 

However, this is not always the case when researching the best computer enclosure for a factory or plant deployment. The importance of choosing an enclosure provider that utilizes off-the-shelf items - to customize a solution that meets the users’ needs - is critical.

The right enclosure solution is more than just simply picking out a box. Enclosures are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials with numerous options for mounting, connecting and climate control. End users and system integrators can simplify the process by choosing a customized solution that ships ready to be used upon delivery.

Upscale outdoor shopping malls seem to be popping upeverywhere in suburbia. The popular trend for deploying digital signage runs parallel with the growing number of outdoor retail outlets.

From wayfinding to advertisements, digital signage plays a major role at outdoor malls. Celia Anderson, in her article for Digital Signage Today, describes how digital is influential, “Sixty-three percent of people report that digital signage catches their attention. This percentage is significantly higher than TV, Internet and billboard advertising. Retailers are choosing digital signage due to its low cost and flexibility, but high impact is the key advantage.”

A big decision when planning an outdoor digital signage project is to determine if the environmental LCD enclosure or kiosk should include a touchscreen. The answer is not as easy as one would think. Some retailers may actually need a combination of non-touch and interactive touchscreen directories.

Dayparting is a vital key to a successful drive-thru!

Because many restaurants serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even late night meals, Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) need to change out their static menus multiple times a day (unless you are McDonald’s, who now offers all-day breakfast). Dayparting is one essential key to successfully selling in the drive-thru. The fundamentals are not too far off from creating an effective content strategy. Richard Slawsky, explains it best in his article for Digital Signage Today, “Instead of tired-looking static boards that crack and fade over time, digital menu boards allow operators to combine product offerings with full-motion video, easily changing dayparts, updating prices remotely and seamlessly adding or removing menu items.” With digital, changing the menu or message based on the time of day is simple, but a very important part of the content strategy.

Electrical enclosures, also known as junction enclosures, are often chosen for their multi-purpose use for indoor and outdoor applications.

There are a variety of electrical enclosures, available on the market, ranging in many sizes and configurations. When researching the various options, it can quickly become overwhelming. However, enclosing electrical and electronic controls, instrumentation, components, and associated wiring does not need to be challenging. There are a few items that should be evaluated before making a concrete decision.                                       

Considering an outdoor digital deployment in the New Year?

As prices slowly fall on enclosures, LCDs and content, more and more Quick Service Restaurant’s (QSR) are deciding that it is finally time to “go digital” both indoors and out. As Ben Sillitoe discussed in Essential Retail, “Research group IHS released a study in the summer, which predicted that digital signage revenue is set to grow by 10% year [to] year in 2015 and a further 7% in 2016. The organization's Digital Signage Industry Market Tracker indicated that, as the total cost of the technology, continues to decrease each year, expanded deployment is becoming more feasible for a variety of industry sectors.” Starbucks is a great example of a company that will be getting into the game… in a big way! The coffee giant plans on adding 2,400 outdoor digital menu boards in the next year.

With already proven indoor digital signage at many QSRs (McDonald’s, Wendy's, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFC, Taco Bell) across America, outdoor signage does not have to be a tremendous mountain to climb. In fact, some enclosure fabricators are now offering outdoor enclosures that are landscape oriented, which makes the transition from indoor to outdoor that much simpler. The content does not have to be reimagined, resized, revised, and reworked. It is already completed! Content is just one area that must be explored when planning a digital strategy. What are the five most important aspects of digital to consider from the very beginning?

Dust-free, dry and spotless production areas are not possible when working in a dirty, harsh industrial environment.

Equipment will get dirty during the manufacturing process and it is, more than likely, required to be cleaned on a daily or weekly basis. It is simply unavoidable. It is imperative to use large format LCDs on the factory floor for everything from inventory to process control to employee scheduling. How can everything exist in harmony?

Numerous options exist for differing environments and sizes of LCDs, but which one is the right choice?

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin

As long as the proper planning is executed from day one, finding the best computer enclosure does not have to be overwhelming. Taking the time for adequate research can - and will - pay off in the long run. Keep in mind: not every enclosure company has the same product for the same price. Various comparisons should be made between the products. One company’s spotlight product may be priced low comparatively speaking, but could have unknown fatal flaws, which could require additional time and cash if the product fails to operate correctly. What needs to be done to find the perfect solution?