Interactive Touch Screen Glass
One of the most widely used pieces of tech ever has to be the cell phone – we all have one, we are probably all dependent on them to some point (although we probably don’t want to admit it)… How they have changed our lives!
It’s amazing to look at a toddler performing actions on a screen as if it is second nature (it is), and it’s kind of sad when you see a family sat at a restaurant table together yet they are all engrossed in their own individual device and screen. (FYI, cell phones are banned when my family and I are having a meal!)
The positives that modern day cell phones and their touch screens give us far outweigh the slight negative above though, I think we can all agree on that.
Interactive touch screen glass – how does it work?
Most touch screens use a transparent conductive oxide – obviously glass is not conductive, so something needs to be applied to provide a connection to the device. The most common transparent conductive oxide is ITO (Indium Tin Oxide).
Touch screens can be produced using ITO in two (very different) methods:
Resistive touch screens – A touch command is delivered by applying downward pressure to the screen. The base layer of the screen, which can be glass but is more often plastic, has an ITO coating that registers the downward pressure via an x-y circuit to identify the location of the touch. This form of interactive touch screen glass is widely utilised in applications that demand an element of robustness. The longevity of a resistive touchscreen is impressive.
With this in mind, the usage of resistive screens is very much in the public domain. Touch ATM’s, retail kiosks and the touch ordering system at your favourite clown-based burger restaurant all utilise resistive screens.
There is a downside to resistive screens though and this is down to the limited touch functionality. Although strong enough to handle a session with the most heavy handed, resistive screens can only provide a single touch command at any given time.
Capacitive touch screens – (the good-looking older brother… not as tough though). The technology behind a capacitive screen would suggest that they were invented after what could be considered the more basic resistive screens, but they came first. Capacitive screens work by having an ITO coating applied on the surface of the interactive touch screen glass.
The clever bit here is the touch location is recognised as human contact changes the charge running over the surface of the glass. This means the device can identify the location of touch, but also register the command – a swipe for example. Although not as robust as a resistive screen, a capacitive screen can identify multiple touch gestures at the same time. As a result of this, capacitive screens are used more for consumer-based touch screens.
Diamond Coatings Inc
Our parent company, Diamond Coatings, are able to supply both resistive and capacitive touchscreens for development or manufacturing volumes in sizes of up to 1000 x 1000mm, available on rigid or flexible plastic and glass.
Get in touch with us if you need more information or would like to discuss a specific order.
