Resistive Touch Screen

The cost effective workhorse of touch technologies

Sizes Available in: 5.7" to 22"

A resistive touchscreen panel is composed of several layers, the most important of which are two thin, metallic, electrically conductive layers separated by a narrow gap. When an object, such as a finger, presses down on a point on the panel's outer surface the two metallic layers become connected at that point: the panel then behaves as a pair of voltage dividers with connected outputs. This causes a change in the electrical current which is registered as a touch event and sent to the controller for processing.

Resistive technology excels in reliability, durability, and expected product life. Impervious to environmental conditions such as liquid spills and splashes and washdown, these screens are the most contamination-resistant available.

Benefits

• Low Cost Solution
• Very Stable Operation, drift free
• Can accept many types of inputs (hand, glove, etc.)
• Contamination resistance
• Accuracy in high-use applications
• Long product life -cycle
• Meets NEMA 4/4x/12 and IP 65 sealing standards

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Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW)

Superior optical characteristics for best clarity

Sizes Available in: 6.4" to 42"

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the touchscreen panel. When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed. This change in the ultrasonic waves registers the position of the touch event and sends this information to the controller for processing. Surface wave touchscreen panels can be damaged by outside elements. Contaminants on the surface can also interfere with the functionality of the touchscreen. Its pure glass construction provides superior optical performance and makes it the most scratch-resistant technology available. It's nearly impossible to physically "wear out" this touchscreen.

Benefits

• Pure-glass touchscreens for superior image clarity, resolution, and light transmission
• Durable, scratch-resistant glass surface—continues to work if scratched
• Stable "drift-free" operation
• Finger, gloved hand, and soft stylus activation
• Quick touch response
• Can register touch sensitivity

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Capacitive

Durable, cost effective solution, impervious to on-screen contaminants

Sizes Available in: 5.7" to 32"

A capacitive touchscreen panel is a sensor typically made of glass coated with a material such as indium tin oxide. This type of sensor is basically a capacitor in which the plates are the overlapping areas between the horizontal and vertical axes in a grid pattern. Since the human body also conducts electricity, a touch on the surface of the sensor will affect the electric field and create a measurable change in the capacitance of the device. These sensors work on proximity, and do not have to be directly touched to be triggered. It is a durable technology that is used in a wide range of applications including point-of-sale systems, industrial controls, and public information kiosks. It has a higher clarity than Resistive technology, but it only responds to finger contact and will not work with a gloved hand or pen stylus unless the stylus is conductive. Capacitive touch screens can also support Multi-touch.

Offers durable solution that is unaffected by on-screen contaminants such as chemicals, grease, dirt, and water. This makes it ideal for applications where exceptional performance, vibrant optics, and environmental robustness is required.

Benefits

• Fast, accurate, and reliable touch response
• Hard Coating provides protection against surface wear
• Operation unaffected by on-screen contaminants
• Excellent dragging performance
• Excellent light transmission ~91.5%

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Infrared

Suitable for harsh environments and outdoor applications

Sizes Available in: 8.4" to 17"

Conventional optical-touch systems use an array of infrared (IR) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on two adjacent bezel edges of a display, with photosensors placed on the two opposite bezel edges to analyze the system and determine a touch event. The LED and photosensor pairs create a grid of light beams across the display. An object (such as a finger or pen) that touches the screen interrupts the light beams, causing a measured decrease in light at the corresponding photosensors. The measured photosensor outputs can be used to locate a touch-point coordinate.

Infrared is the only technology that does not use an overlay or substrate to record the external touch; which in turn means it provides excellent optical performance and is impossible to wear out. It is also ideal for gasket sealing applications for Ingress protection. Regardless if touched with a finger, glove, fingernail, or style, it should deliver a precise and quick response.

Benefits

• Stable, no-drift calibration performance
• Capable if ensuring harsh environments
• Can be combined with vandal resistant glass
• Can be sealed for ingress protection (IP) and NEMA standards
• High Durability

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3M MicroTouch^TM DST Touch System

Large touch screens for digital signage

Sizes Available in: 32", 40", 42", 46"

3M MicroTouch DST touch systems offer a chemically-strengthened glass, stylus-independent touch solution with fast-accurate-repeatable response and operation unaffected by contaminants, static objects or other touches on the screen. DST is ideal for large-format LCD displays used for interactive digital signage and point-of-information applications.

3M Dispersive Signal Technology (DST) is poised to become the touch technology standard for large-format interactive displays. Traditional touch technologies detect "touch" by interrupting acoustic waves, optical fields or infrared light above the surface of the touch screen. What’s different about MicroTouch DST is that it precisely calculates touch locations by analyzing the bending waves within the glass substrate that are created by the user’s touch. This allows for fast, accurate, reliable touch performance that is unaffected by contaminants, scratches, or static objects on the screen, as well as enabling stylus support and multi-user capability.

Benefits

• Fast, accurate, and reliable touch response
• Operation unaffected by surface damage, including scratches
• Input flexibility, accepting touch from finger, pencil, credit card, fingernail, and almost any type of stylus
• Exceptional optical characteristics
• Scalable for sizes above 32” diameter

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