Custom Glass Touch Screen Solutions

Touch screens are electronic input devices usually layered on top of the display. Depending on the screen type, they can be either capacitive or resistive.

A GFG (Glass-Film-Glass) resistive touchscreen is a laminated glass touch sensor that uses a conductive layer printed on the lower substrate. When pressure is applied, the upper and lower ITO electrodes conduct each other to detect touch position.

Flexibility

Touchscreens are a key component for many products, including point-of-sale systems, kiosk and wayfinding applications, classroom settings, and more. They provide a seamless, user-friendly experience that enhances interaction with your product. While there are many touchscreen options available on the market, selecting the right one for your product can be challenging. Nelson Miller specializes in customizing the perfect solution for your needs, and offers a wide range of innovative touch screen technologies optimized for various operating characteristics.

There are two main types of touch screens: surface capacitive and projected capacitive. Surface capacitive touchscreens are activated by bare fingers or gloves, and allow for multi-touch activation. They are thin and sturdier than less expensive resistive touchscreens. They are able to withstand dust, humidity and other environmental factors that can interfere with performance.

Projected capacitive (P-Cap) touchscreens are composed of a glass substrate embedded with transparent electrode films and an IC chip. This creates a three-dimensional electrostatic field, which is activated when a finger touches the screen. It is a more versatile option than surface capacitive touch screens because it can be activated with a bare finger, surgical gloves or conductive plastics like polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The P-Cap touch screen is also thin and can withstand dust, humidity and other environmental factors. P-Cap can be integrated with a display or mounted on a separate printed circuit board.

Transparency

Transparent touch screen glass allows you to display information in a sleek, modern aesthetic, while still providing a powerful and user-friendly interface. MetroClick can integrate a custom-designed or off-the-shelf touch screen into a complete interactive glass solution, making your display glass truly unique and memorable.

Surface Capacitive touch screens are activated by the static electrical capacitance of a finger or conductive stylus holding an electrical charge. Upon contact with the monitor screen, this capacitance decreases, allowing the touch controller to detect a point of contact and transmit that data to the system. This type of touch screen can be used with bare skin, fingernails, gloves, and soft-tip pens.

5-Wire Resistive Touch Screens

A resistive touch screen uses two metallic layers separated by a narrow Custom Glass Touch Screen gap to create the sensing area of a touchscreen. When a finger touches the sensor, the layers make contact and cause a change in electrical flow, which the touchscreen software interprets as a touch command.

DITO and OGS stack-ups have the X and Y patterning on separate layers of a glass or film substrate, while SITO is newer to the market and incorporates a single layer of ITO with the X and Y patterns co-planar with cross bridges on the cover lens. This reduces the number of layers and manufacturing steps, and provides a lower-cost option that can be further customized with a clear or anti-glare surface finish.

Impact Resistance

Glass-film-glass (GFG) touch sensors provide a strong and durable front layer for displays and touch inputs. They offer the durability of resistive touch 4 wire and 5 wire screens with the added touch input functionality of capacitive touch. They are available in a range of sizes and Custom Glass Touch Screen can be manufactured to suit any shape or form factor. They can also be customised with screen protection, anti-glare or hardcoat finishes.

Unlike other display technologies, which leave the LCD exposed to contamination, GFG touch sensors have an optical adhesive between the substrate layer and the LCD. This prevents dirt, dust or moisture from entering the system and rendering the display unreadable. This adhesive is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, abrasion and harsh environments. Its performance in side-by-side tests against commercial grade urethane acrylates, epoxies and silicones has proven it to be superior for both abrasion resistance and UV aging.

GFG touch screen substrates are abrasion resistant, scratch-resistant and water-resistant, making them suitable for public use. They can be made to withstand high impacts and are available in a wide range of thicknesses. In standard 3 mm tempered glass, the resulting screen can withstand up to around 1.5 Joule of impact (which is the equivalent of dropping a steel ball with a weight of 500 g onto the surface from a height of one meter). The durability of these products can be further enhanced by using chemically strengthened and heat tempered glass substrates.

Durability

A touch screen with cover glass offers better optical clarity than those that have a plastic top layer. This helps the screen produce clearer images that can be seen more easily by people using the touchscreen in a commercial setting. A glass top also provides protection from scratches that can occur on the screen. This can help protect the image quality of a touchscreen device and reduce downtime for repairs and replacements.

A screen with a glass top is also easier to clean than those that have a plastic top layer. The glass surface resists moisture and grease. This helps maintain a clear and functioning touchscreen, even in harsh environments where liquids or dirt can build up on the screen.

Glass screens are also more durable than those with a plastic top layer, making them suitable for rugged and demanding applications. This durability is particularly important in applications where a touchscreen will be exposed to high temperatures or heavy use. The durability of a glass-top touchscreen is further enhanced by the fact that cracks in the screen don’t interfere with the function of the touchscreen device.

Projected Capacitive (P-Cap) screens are made with a thick, scratch resistant glass top. They offer a higher degree of optical transparency than resistive screens and are capable of supporting medical or thick industrial glove operation as well as passive stylus operation. They can also be actuated by a bare finger or multiple fingers simultaneously, which can make them more user friendly than other touch technology options.