Touchscreens Let Your Fingers
Do the Work

Touchscreens are natural operator input partners for flat panel displays. Their negligible size, reliability and ease of use make them ideal complements to our flat panel display systems. We offer a variety of touchscreen technologies, described below, each having advantages for particular applications.

Resistive Technology
Offering excellent durability and resolution, resistive technology is used in a variety of applications and environments. Resistive touchscreens consist of a glass panel with a coating of uniform resistivity, plus a polyester cover sheet which is tightly suspended from the top of the glass and separated from it by small, transparent insulating dots. The cover sheet has a hard, durable coating on the outer side, and a conductive coating on the inner side. When touched, the conductive coating makes electrical contact with the coating on the glass, and a touch is registered by the analog controller.

Near Field Imaging (NFI) Technology
Ideally suited for harsh environments, Near Field Imaging touchscreens withstand high pressure washdown and are unaffected by most surface contaminants found in industrial environments. NFI technology is able to detect touches made by conductive objects (fingers, etc.) and through gloves and other potential barriers (moisture, oil, gels and paints).

Sensing circuitry generates a profile of a touch through data acquisition and image processing techniques. Made of strengthened glass and a laminated construction with no mechanically sensitive components, NFI can withstand significant vibration and shock in extreme environments.

Surface Acoustical Wave (SAW) Technology
A set of transducers emits a mechanical "wave" across the horizontal axis and vertical axis via reflective arrays. Receivers on the other side pick up the flow of these waves. If the surface of the screen is touched then a disruption in the wave occurs and the software determines the X and Y coordinates. SAW touchscreens offer high durability and can be used while wearing gloves.

Infrared Technology
Infrared (IR) technology uses infrared emitter-collector pairs to project an invisible grid of light a small distance over the surface of the screen. When a beam(s) is interrupted, the absence of the signal at the collector is detected and converted to an X/Y touch coordinate. Since the method of determining a touch is electrical instead of mechanical, IR touchscreens are not as sensitive to damage as some technologies, such as resistive and capacitive. A plastic overlay allows excellent transmissivity, and a polarizing filter option for use with EL displays. IR technology offers a lower resolution than other touch technologies, requiring a slightly larger minimum touch target size for proper operation. Due to this resolution limitation, infrared technology is not recommended for Windows applications.

Capacitive Technology
A glass substrate with a tin oxide coating is charged with a slight electrical current. When the human hand touches the surface it causes a current draw at that point. The controller measures the current drop and calculates the X and Y coordinates. Capacitive technology offers durability and scratch-resistance. It is not affected by dirt, moisture, or grease that may come in contact with the screen.