ATEX & IECEx Explosion Proof Tablets

Explosion Proof Tablets for ATEX and IECEx Zones

A tablet that leaves the office and enters a refinery, a chemical plant or an offshore platform stops being an ordinary IT purchase and becomes safety equipment. The explosion proof tablets in this category are certified under ATEX and IECEx, which means an independent certification body has verified that the device cannot act as an ignition source in an explosive gas or dust atmosphere. That is the difference between a rugged tablet and a certified one: rugged survives the environment, certified protects it.

Android, Windows or iOS

Most hazardous area work runs on one of three platforms, and this range covers all of them.

Android. The Tab-Ex series by ecom (a Pepperl+Fuchs brand) is built on Samsung Galaxy Tab hardware, so it feels familiar and fits into existing device management. The i.safe MOBILE IS940.2, the fully rugged Getac ZX10-EX and ZX80-EX and the BARTEC ET60/65EX2 complete the Android line-up.

Windows. The Getac K120-EX and UX10-EX bring full Windows to Zone 2/22, which matters when your field engineers need the same SCADA clients, inspection software or Office environment they use at their desks. The Pad-Ex 01 P12 DZ2, the i.safe MOBILE IS945.2 and the BARTEC ET60/65EX2 Windows are further Windows options. For heavier workloads ATEXshop also offers an explosion proof laptop, the F112 LT.

iOS. Certified enclosures let teams use a standard Apple iPad in the field: the universal Armadex Ex UniCase (Zone 2/22, also for Samsung Galaxy Tab and Microsoft Surface Go), the Xciel XCRiPad cases for Zone 2 and the flameproof Xciel XCZ1 for Zone 1. See all ATEX tablet cases.

Match the tablet to your zone

The single most important line on any datasheet is the zone rating. Zone 1 and Zone 21 are areas where an explosive atmosphere is expected to occur in normal operation; Zone 2 and Zone 22 are areas where it is unlikely and short-lived. A device certified for Zone 1/21, such as the Tab-Ex 05 DZ1, may always be taken into Zone 2/22, but never the other way around. Most tablets here are Zone 2/22 devices, because that is where the majority of inspection rounds, maintenance work and logistics actually happen. Several models additionally carry a Division 2 rating for sites that follow the North American NEC system.

Many of these devices achieve their certification as intrinsically safe tablets: their circuits are designed so they cannot release enough electrical or thermal energy to ignite a surrounding atmosphere, even under fault conditions. Intrinsically safe tablets use the same protection principle as Ex-rated radios and gas detectors, applied to a full touchscreen computer.

ATEX, IECEx or both

ATEX is the European directive: mandatory for equipment placed on the EU market. IECEx is the international certification scheme built on the same IEC 60079 standards, widely accepted in the Middle East, Asia and Australia. For companies running global projects, IECEx tablets simplify acceptance across borders because one certificate travels with the device. Most models in this category carry both approvals; some, such as the Durabook tablets and the Xciel XCRiPad cases, are ATEX only. The product pages state the marking, so you can match it against your site classification before ordering.

Choosing in practice

Three questions settle most selections. Which zone is the device actually entering, not the plant's strictest zone but the zone where the work happens? Which platform does your software require? And does the team need built-in barcode scanning, 5G or hot-swappable batteries for full shifts? The answers usually reduce the range to two or three options. If you are unsure, send us your area classification and use case; advising on this is our daily work, and recommending the right ATEX tablets costs you nothing.

IECEx certificates can be checked in the official IECEx database, and we send the certificates and documentation for any model on request, so your safety officer can verify the approval before the order is placed. We confirm the delivery time per product in your quote. Where hazardous areas once meant paper checklists carried past the gate, certified ATEX tablets now bring the digital workflow to the work itself, and with the right explosion proof tablets, safety and productivity stop being a trade-off.