When Do You Need a Waterproof IP6X Monitor or Panel PC?

A fully waterproof display is needed wherever the unit meets dust, water jets, or routine washdown that an unprotected monitor would not survive, and the cleaning regime decides how far the sealing has to go. An IP65 housing keeps out dust and water jets. IP69K goes further: it withstands high-pressure and steam-jet cleaning, which is why industries with strict hygiene requirements specify it. Our IP6X series has covered both levels. It is developed by FORTEC Integrated (formerly Distec), our sister company in Germany within the FORTEC Group, and we supply, integrate, and support it from Ronkonkoma, New York.

Which IP6X monitors are available now?

Two compact high-brightness touch monitors, sealed all around to IP65:

• The IP6X 10.1 HB Touch, at 1,500 cd/m², with a 12 to 24 V supply.
• The IP6X 7.0 HB Touch, at 1,000 cd/m², with a 9 to 36 V supply.

Both have a 10-point PCAP touchscreen and automatic brightness adjustment that keeps the image readable and glare-free as the light changes. They operate from -20 to +60°C and are built from durable, long-term available components. A waterproof, dustproof cable with HDMI and USB comes in the box, together with a 75 x 75 mm VESA mount for swivel arms or stands and two brackets for wall mounting. Our post on designing a display for harsh environments covers the wider design questions.

What did the IP69K stainless steel panel PCs offer?

Complete sealing for washdown areas. The IP69K generation of the IP6X series, launched in 2022, combined a 10-finger PCAP touchscreen with power-saving Pentium N4200 or Core i3 processors in a housing sealed all around to IP69K. It withstood dust, strong water jets, and high-pressure and steam-jet cleaning at up to 85°C. IP69K was originally developed for road vehicles and later adopted by food, beverage, and other industries that need frequent cleaning and particularly hygienic conditions.

• Housings of 316 stainless steel, which suits pharmaceutical production, high salt concentrations, and chemical applications, resists oxidation and corrosion, and is fully recyclable.
• A finely polished, smooth, flat surface that drains water quickly and prevents bacterial growth.
• A stainless pressure equalization element that prevented condensation inside the sealed unit while keeping fluids out.
• 15-inch and 19-inch models with rear ports, and a 21.5-inch model with bottom ports and an RFID smart card reader, all supplied with waterproof adapters, cables, and an external power supply.

They served food and beverage production, hospitality and catering, pharmaceutical plants, feed production, and chemically critical environments. These IP69K panel PCs are discontinued and no longer in our catalog.

What if the application needs a larger or custom sealed display?

Then the sealed display is designed for it. The FORTEC Group has built IP-rated displays for more than a decade: in 2014 it developed a 55-inch IP65 monitor with an integrated PC for harsh environments inside buildings and workshops, with a hermetically closed housing and a lockable service door for access to the main components. Tell us where the display has to work and how it will be cleaned, and we will take it from there. We recommend the sealing level, touchscreen, and computer, integrate the assembly, and stay with the project from first samples to series production, backed by our technical services.