Resistive touch screens are created by placing a minimum of two flexible sheeting layers on top of a glass substrate. The sheets, polycarbonate in this instance, are coated with resistive substances and are held separate from each other by numerous tiny dots.
When pressed, the flexible layers of the resistive touch screen are pushed together and this has the effect of creating a slight change in the resistance levels operating on both the horizontal and vertical axis.
Sensors located on the screen’s edges are able to detect this change in resistance and determine the location of the change utilizing the horizontal-vertical axis coordinates to indicate the touch point. There are, of course, different types of touch technologies out there, including capacitive display, infrared, and surface acoustic wave (SAW), among others.
Why resistive industrial touch screens need to be sealed
As a basic requirement, touch monitors that are to be used in industrial computer settings are designed to be waterproof, which means that their components themselves must be waterproof.
Our resistive screens easily meet or surpass IP65/66 and NEMA 12/4/4X environmental exposure standards in addition to being easily sealed up within the bezel of any standard industrial display unit. Technology which relies on optics, such as infrared isn’t quite so easily sealed and are thus are more susceptible to malfunction when exposed to extremely dirty surroundings.
Similarly, acoustic-based technologies have some weak points.
When they are bonded to an enclosure in order to seal the unit, as the bonding operation may bring about changes in the acoustic properties of the glass.
Touch displays that work with styluses and gloves
Resistive touch screens monitor can also be considered purely touch sensitive, as anything that is pressed against the screens will register as a touch. The obvious advantage of such a feature is that it’s possible for an operator to work with the screens using a stylus made out of almost any material, which is extremely useful in situations where high precision is required for effective operation and fingertips would simply be too large.
Another somewhat less obvious advantage of this is that one can operate the screens using a gloved hand.
Capacitive screens, for the most part, won’t function if the user is wearing heavy gloves because they work by detecting the electric properties of the user’s finger. Resistive screens have absolutely no problem in this area; heavy gloved operators can use our screens with ease – something that can’t be said for capacitive PC screens. Try it out on your capacitive smart phone screen and see for yourself!
No glass touch screen solutions
Most facilities working within the food and beverage industry have strict no exposed glass regulations, and this is for a good reason; they simply can’t afford to risk bits of chipped glass coming off the screens and falling into their customer’s food!
Most touch screens render themselves unsuitable in this regard as they use raw plate glass as their outer layers.
Our resistive screens avoid this pitfall by manufacturing extremely tough polycarbonate outer layers incorporating acrylic hard-coats to further boost their scratch-resistant qualities.
This outer layer is what we bond to the front of our industrial bezels so that they may be able to withstand extreme frontal impacts that completely shatter the LCD and touch sensor substrate without releasing glass into the environment. This quality is what makes us number one for clients who simply can’t compromise on this aspect.
The different resistive touchscreen types by Faytech North America
Our polycarbonate-layered screen sensors give them an edge over most other all-glass touchscreen devices but we do encounter the rare case of failure, such as when a user might try to make use of a box-cutter as a stylus, which might allow liquid to penetrate the screen through the cut membrane.
Should this be a possibility in your operating environment, we have two possible solutions for you; first off, we provide a line of industrial screen protectors made of the same material as the touch sensor itself but with a transparent adhesive added.
These were initially designed to protect displays in the very worst environments, but have proven effective low-cost screen protectors for our clients that are easily replaced with time and wear.
Second, we cater to those among our clients that would like all the benefits of resistive touchscreen PC systems while requiring a surface that’s entirely scratch-proof. These are armored touchscreens which are built with a thin glass layer within the outer screen’s layer.
They are extremely durable and resistant to scratches and cuts, which makes them highly suitable for industrial settings.
Contact us today to speak with our specialists about your specific industry needs.