Types of Custom Glass Touch Screen Technology
Whether you’re designing a touch screen for a kiosk, ATM or ticket vending machine, there are many different types to choose from. It’s important to select the right technology for your application.
For example, a touch screen with a cover glass is more durable than a plastic top layer because the latter tends to suffer from scratches. It also produces clearer images due to its glass construction.
Projected Capacitive
Projected Capacitive Touch Screens are a type of touch screen technology that combines the user-friendly multi-touch experience associated with smartphones and tablets with a more durable glass surface. The screens can be ordered in standard or customized sizes to meet your specific application requirements, and they feature a variety of mounting options.
They are ideal for commercial and industrial applications such as ATMs, self-service POS, slot machines, interactive digital signage and other touchscreen-equipped devices. They offer excellent visibility and a high level of durability, so they’re an ideal solution for many of today’s challenging applications.
These screens are made of a front layer of glass with a matrix of conductive elements behind it. These conductive elements, which are typically made of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Silver, Copper or Carbon, create an electrostatic field that registers a change in electrical current whenever the device’s sensor detects contact with a finger.
The matrix of electrodes also generates a warped area that helps the screen recognize a touch event. The warped areas are determined through a sophisticated set of algorithms that analyze the changes in the electrostatic field and determine the location of the touched point.
Another benefit of the projected capacitive touch screen is that it’s less susceptible to environmental variables than resistive screens. Resistive screens can be damaged by external factors like dust, scratches and temperature changes, which can reduce the accuracy of touch commands.
This is because the film substrate commonly used to cover resistive screens can expand and contract based on temperature, causing the distance between the conductive layers to change and altering touch accuracy. This is especially noticeable on smaller screens where the distance between the conductive layers is larger and more susceptible to distortion.
Moreover, the films can be scratched and worn away with Custom Glass Touch Screen repeated use, which increases the likelihood of the conductive layers wearing out over time. This can impact the overall appearance of a resistive screen and require a recalibration of the display to maintain its functionality.
In addition, resistive screens are not as durable as projected capacitive touch screens, and they can be susceptible to fingerprint smudges. To keep a resistive screen looking its best, dampen a soft cloth with rubbing alcohol or a mild nonabrasive soap and water solution before gently wiping the surface clean.
A projected capacitive touch screen is also more responsive to touch commands than a resistive touchscreen. This is due to the fact that it features a grid-like configuration of intersecting electrodes. The intersections of the electrodes provide an increased sensitivity to touch commands than that of a resistive screen, and some projected capacitive screens can register touch commands through thin gloves — a function that isn’t possible with surface-capacitive touchscreens.
A projected capacitive touch screen is often considered the optimal solution for demanding, public-facing and unattended touchscreen applications. Because it provides a clear, accurate and reliable input device that can operate under harsh conditions, it’s the ideal solution for a wide range of applications including banking and financial services, retail, healthcare and transportation.
Resistive
Resistive touch technology is a popular choice for many custom glass touchscreen applications. It can be used in a variety of applications that require low-cost and Custom Glass Touch Screen simple touch features, and it is highly accurate and durable.
Resistive touchscreens work by using two electrically conductive layers separated by tiny, transparent dots to detect touch events. When pressure is applied to the top layer, it indents and presses the conductive surface on the bottom layer causing a difference in voltage that is detected by a sensor.
This is then registered by the touchscreen system, which uses a lookup database to determine the location on the screen where the touch event occurred. The system interprets this information as a touch and then sends it to the device’s controller, which then uses a specialized algorithm to translate the touch input into a command.
There are several types of resistive touch screen technologies available, but five-wire is the most reliable and accurate. It consists of a clear, tempered or heat-treated glass panel that is coated with an electrically conductive and resistive layer. The resistive layer has a 3H or 4H hardness rating, and it is designed to resist scratches from objects with pencil point hardness.
The conductive layer is then covered by an insulative glass or plastic substrate. The insulative glass or plastic can be made from various materials such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polycarbonate, or acrylic.
A gap or spacer is also included in the design to separate the conductive glass or plastic from the soft, semi-flexible top layer. The gap or spacer can be made of air or inert gas.
Unlike capacitive touch screens, which are sensitive to the electrical property of capacitance, resistive touchscreens are more precise in detecting the exact position where the touch is made. This helps them to avoid false touch commands, and it also makes them more immune to EMI noise.
Another advantage of resistive touch technology is that it can be activated with bare fingers, gloved fingers and other standard input devices such as a stylus or a pen. This means that the screen can be used by a wide range of people, including children.
It is very easy to customize a resistive touch screen by adding rounded corners, holes or cutouts, and indentations. These can be inserted at the base or the tail of the screen structure. A logo can be laminated on the decor film to compliment the structure.
Resistive touch screens are typically smaller than their capacitive counterparts, and they are more light in weight. This allows them to be used on laptops and handheld devices where weight is a consideration.
These touchscreens are also very easy to install, making them an excellent choice for any application that requires a quick and easy way to add touch functionality. They are also very resistant to wear and tear, and can withstand high impact without breaking.
Resistive touch screens are an affordable and effective solution for a wide range of applications, from simple, low-cost, and low-resolution touchscreens to industrial and military applications. They are available as off-the-shelf products, and can also be custom manufactured to meet specific needs.