Delkin Blog

Solid state drives, or SSDs, come in various grades in order to meet the functional needs of the devices in which they are used. Industrial SSDs are frequently utilized in industries such as transportation and automation, where they are likely to encounter extreme temperatures, shock, and vibration. Commercial SSDs, on the other hand, are used in some professional devices and in most devices intended for the consumer market. The difference between these grades of SSDs usually lies in the kind of flash memory they feature. Industrial SSDs are typically designed with single-level cell, or SLC, flash memory. Commercial SSDs are designed using multi-level cell, or MLC, flash memory. A middle ground between these products is utility grade SSDs. Utility SSDs are not available in all formats, but for some applications, they have the ideal combination of industrial and commercial SSD features.

Industrial vs. Commercial Grade

The SLC flash storage found in industrial SSDs is considered to be the highest available grade of flash-based storage. With this kind of flash, one bit of data is stored per cell. The advantage of this is that there are fewer chances of an error occurring in the data programming cycle. In addition, the lifespan of the device is longer, since the cells are being used as efficiently as possible. However, because one bit of data is stored on each cell, capacity is restricted by the number of cells that can fit into the SSD. In addition, industrial SSDs feature a locked BOM.

Commercial grade SSDs have MLC flash. With MLC flash, two bits of data are stored per cell. Although storing two bits of data on each cell does slightly increase the risk of data loss and shortens the life of the SSD, it does increase the potential storage capacity, which is the most important factor for some applications.

Utility SSDs

SSD utility grade options offer a combination of the increased storage capacity of commercial SSDs and the reliability of industrial SSDs. Utility SSDs have locked BOMs, so no essential device component can be changed without advanced notification and a new product number. They also feature extended temperature ranges, so they can be used in rugged operating conditions.

Delkin offers a utility mSATA SSD with capacities ranging from 32GB to 1TB for applications that require industrial grade reliability with extended capacities. To get more information on SSD utility options or to request an engineering sample, contact our product team today.

ORDER DELKIN INDUSTRIAL FLASH STORAGE TODAY through our distribution partner Newark.