At ARC, some of our most impactful innovations don’t begin in a conference room, they begin in the field. The Controlled Ventilation System (CVS) is one example.
Working with so many distribution centers, ARC has observed that kiosks were accumulating dust. While the system was already performing reliably and the client was satisfied, this insight revealed an opportunity to deliver even greater value. From there, the team moved into research, design, testing, and implementation to bring the solution to life.
Distribution centers and warehouses are naturally high-dust environments. Corrugated packaging, loading docks, truck traffic, and industrial equipment all contribute to constant airborne particulates. It’s an unavoidable part of day-to-day operations.
This is where our core value—Customer Obsessed—comes to life. Being customer obsessed means going beyond meeting expectations to actively improving outcomes alongside our clients. We see our customers as long-term partners and continuously look for ways to enhance performance, reliability, and experience.
In this blog, we’ll explore the dust challenges common in warehouse environments, the insights that guided our design improvements, and the solution ARC developed to further strengthen kiosk performance in the field.
Distribution centers, warehouses, and logistics hubs are dynamic environments where airborne dust is an unavoidable byproduct of daily operations. In these settings, ARC kiosks can draw in unfiltered air through small gaps, seams, and locker doors during normal operation. Over time, this can lead to dust accumulating on internal components and, in some cases, becoming visible when doors are opened.
While the systems continue to perform reliably, this level of dust exposure can contribute to longer-term concerns, including reduced cooling efficiency, increased heat retention, added maintenance needs, and potential impact on sensitive electronic components.
As we studied these environments more closely, we focused on how air moves through the kiosk. Like most electronic systems, ARC units circulate air to maintain safe operating temperatures. In high-dust conditions, however, that same airflow can also draw in fine particles even with existing filtration in place.
This insight shifted the focus from managing dust after it enters the system to preventing it at the source by improving how the kiosk interacts with its environment.
This context helped shape the development of the Controlled Ventilation System (CVS). The following sections walk through how that solution was designed, tested, and refined from concept through real-world deployment.
Our goal was simple: ensure ARC kiosks continue to perform at their best, even in challenging warehouse environments where dust and airborne particles are part of daily operations.
Throughout the project, the team followed a disciplined, data-driven approach. As Senior Product Manager Cadman Styers explained, “The process was challenging because we had to mitigate dust while still meeting requirements for heat management, uniform airflow, and maintaining a clean, user-friendly experience. The only way to solve this was to isolate one variable at a time and analyze results.” That mindset guided every phase of the project, helping the team identify what worked, refine solutions, and build a more effective long-term approach.
The project unfolded across five key phases:
The team began by studying deployment environments and dust accumulation patterns to understand where and why particulate exposure was occurring. Key contributors included high-traffic warehouse areas, loading docks, and open-door airflow conditions.
With root causes identified, the team implemented early fixes to reduce dust intrusion, including improved gasketing and enhanced maintenance practices. These quick wins provided valuable insight and a foundation for further design work.
Next, the team refined internal airflow through multiple design iterations and tests. They explored new airflow paths and component upgrades through both CFD analysis and simulated testing to better control dust while maintaining system performance and thermal stability.
The focus then shifted to filtration. Multiple back-filter designs were tested against key metrics like airflow, dust control, durability, and serviceability. This iterative process led to a retrofit solution that balanced performance and long-term reliability.
With a validated solution in place, the team assessed performance across broader conditions and prepared for scale. Final reviews focused on real-world environments, serviceability, and deployment readiness to ensure the solution could be replicated reliably across sites.
Designing a solution is only part of the process. Proving its effectiveness in the real world is what matters most.
ARC conducted extensive performance testing to ensure the system met operational requirements. As Senior Product Manager Cadman Styers noted, “The engineering team understood that simulating an environment explains only a portion of what’s going on. We decided to test inside the actual client environment so we could ensure what we are building is going to work in the real world.” This approach was critical to validating performance under true operating conditions.
ARC conducted field testing at a Distribution Center to evaluate long-term performance in live conditions.
After seven weeks, kiosks without the Controlled Ventilation System showed noticeable dust buildup, while those with the CVS remained clean and continued to meet thermal requirements.
The system performed as intended even in one of the most demanding environments tested—positioned directly beside active forklift traffic in an open warehouse.
Performance testing also confirmed that the new design maintains the required airflow to effectively dissipate heat from the installed devices, demonstrating that improved dust protection does not come at the expense of cooling performance.
These results validate the core design: a positively pressurized, MERV 13-filtered intake system that effectively prevents dust intrusion while maintaining thermal performance.
Overall, testing confirmed the solution performs reliably in real-world operating conditions.
The result was ARC’s Controlled Ventilation System (CVS).
Our engineering and product teams collaborated to redesign the enclosure’s airflow architecture from the ground up. The ‘beret’ design plenum enclosure sits on top of the kiosk with a high-performance filter, paired with an industrial fan, and rubber gasketing to positively pressurize the kiosk and push clean air out through lockers.
Key improvements included:
The team developed a new plenum enclosure designed specifically to improve airflow management and filtration performance.
A higher-powered fan was introduced to maintain the airflow necessary to keep devices operating within safe temperature ranges.
Strategically placed gasketing helps prevent unwanted air infiltration and minimizes opportunities for dust intrusion.
Perhaps the most significant innovation was reversing the airflow pattern. Traditional designs pull external air into the enclosure, bringing dust along with it. ARC’s CVS instead pushes clean, filtered air outward from the kiosk. This ensures that the kiosk’s intake air is more easily filtered and controlled.
By changing the airflow strategy, we transformed the enclosure from a passive recipient of environmental contaminants into an active barrier against them.
The Controlled Ventilation System is more than a ventilation upgrade. It’s an example of how ARC approaches problem-solving.
We listen to our clients. We visit sites. We observe real-world challenges firsthand. Then we bring together engineering, product development, operations, and service teams to create solutions that address the root cause.
As Senior Product Manager Cadman Styers reflected, “What made this project successful was the team’s commitment to a disciplined development process. Every design decision was informed by testing, data, and real-world deployment conditions. By combining thoughtful engineering with a deep understanding of customer environments, the team was able to develop a solution tailored to the unique demands of warehouse operations.”
By building on previous improvements and testing new solutions, our team focused on finding proactive ways to reduce dust buildup, improve long-term reliability, and create a better experience for our clients. This initiative reflects our commitment to continuously enhancing ARC and delivering dependable performance in real-world conditions.
The result is a smarter, tested, field-proven system that protects critical devices, improves reliability, and helps clients operate with greater confidence in demanding environments.
