5 Types of Touch Screen Monitors

Which TYPE OF touch screen Is Best For You?

You interact with a touch screen monitor constantly throughout your daily life. You will see them in cell phones, ATM’s, kiosks, ticket vending machines, manufacturing plants and more. All of these use touch panels to enable the user to interact with a computer or device without the use of a keyboard or mouse. But did you know there are several uniquely different types of Touch Screens? The five most common types of touch screen are: 5-Wire Resistive, Surface Capacitive touch, Projected Capacitive (P-Cap), SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave), and IR (Infrared).

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We are often asked “How does a touch screen monitor work?” A touch screen basically replaces the functionality of a keyboard and mouse. Below is a basic description of 5 types of touch screen monitor technology.

The advantages and disadvantages of type of touch screen will help you decide which type touchscreen is most appropriate for your needs:

Resistive Touch Screen

5-Wire Resistive Touch is the most widely touch technology in use today. A resistive touch screen monitor is composed of a glass panel and a film screen, each covered with a thin metallic layer, separated by a narrow gap. For instance, when a user touches the screen, the two metallic layers make contact, resulting in electrical flow. The point of contact is detected by this change in voltage.

Advantages:

• Can activate with virtually any object (finger, stylus, gloved hand, pen, etc.)
• Has tactile feel
• Lowest cost touch technology
• Low power consumption
• Resistant to surface contaminants and liquids (dust, oil, grease, moisture)

Disadvantages:

• Lower image clarity compared to other touch technologies
• Outer polyester film is vulnerable to damage from scratching, poking and sharp object

Surface Capacitive Touch Screen

Surface Capacitive touch screen is the second most popular type of touch screens on the market. In a surface capacitive touch screen monitor, a transparent electrode layer is placed on top of a glass panel. This is then covered by a protective cover. When an exposed finger touches the monitor screen, it reacts to the static electrical capacity of the human body. Consequently, some of the electrical charge transfers from the screen to the user. This decrease in capacitance is detected by sensors located at the four corners of the screen, allowing the controller to determine the touch point. Surface capacitive touch screens can only be activated by the touch of human skin or a stylus holding an electrical charge.

Advantages:

• Better image clarity than Resistive Touch
• Durable screen
• Excellent resistance to surface contaminants and liquids (dust, oil, grease, water droplets)
• High scratch resistance

Disadvantages:

• Requires bare finger or capacitive stylus for activation
• Sensitivity to EMI/RFI

Projected Capacitive Touch Screen

Projected Capacitive (P-Cap) is similar to Surface Capacitive, but it offers two primary advantages. First, in addition to a bare finger, it can also be activated with surgical gloves or thin cotton gloves. Secondly, P-Cap enables multi-touch activation (simultaneous input from two or more fingers). A projected capacitive touch screen is composed of a sheet of glass with embedded transparent electrode films and an IC chip. This creates a three dimensional electrostatic field. Therefore, when a finger comes into contact with the screen, the ratios of the electrical currents change and the computer is able to detect the touch points. All our P-Cap touch screens feature a Zero-Bezel enclosure.

Advantages:

• Excellent image clarity
• More resistant to scratching than resistive
• Resistant to surface contaminants and liquids (dust, oil, grease, moisture)
• Multi-touch (two or more touch points)

Disadvantages:

• Sensitive to EMI/RFI
• Must be activated via exposed finger, or thin surgical or cotton gloves

SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) Touch

SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) touch screen monitors utilize a series of piezoelectric transducers and receivers. These are positioned along the sides of the monitor’s glass plate to create an invisible grid of ultrasonic waves on the surface. When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed. This allows the receiving transducer to locate the touch point and send this data to the computer. SAW monitors can be activated by a finger, gloved hand, or soft-tip stylus. SAW monitors offer easy use and high visibility.

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Advantages:

• Excellent image clarity
• Even better scratch resistance than surface or projected capacitive
• High “touch-life”

Disadvantages:

• Will not activate with hard items (pen, credit card, or fingernail)
• Water droplets remaining on the surface of the screen can cause false triggering
• Solid contaminants on the screen can create non-touch areas until they are removed

IR (Infrared) Touch Screen

IR (Infrared) type touch screen monitors do not overlay the display with an additional screen or screen sandwich. Instead, infrared monitors use IR emitters and receivers to create an invisible grid of light beams across the screen. This ensures the best possible image quality. When an object interrupts the invisible infrared light beam, the sensors are able to locate the touch point. The X and Y coordinates are then sent to the controller.

Advantages:

• Highest image clarity and light transmission of all touch technologies
• Unlimited “touch-life”
• Impervious to surface scratches
• Multi-touch (two or more touch points)
• Palm Rejection Capability

Disadvantages:

• Accidental activation may occur because the infrared beams are actually above the glass surface
• Dust, oil, or grease buildup on screen or frame could impede light beam causing malfunction
• Buildup of snow and pooling of water (such as rain) can cause false triggering
• May be sensitive to direct high ambient light interference
• Higher cost

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We hope you found these touch screen basics useful. TRU-Vu provides industrial touch screen monitors in a wide range of sizes and configurations. This includes UL-1 Medical touch screens, Sunlight Readable touch screens, Open Frame touch screens, Waterproof touch screens and many custom touch screen designs. You can learn more by viewing TRU-Vu Touchscreens or call us at 847-259-. To address safety and hygiene concerns, see our article on “Touch Screen Cleaning and Disinfecting“.

Following the successful launch of our new Projected Capacitive (PCAP) Touch Screens with Dual OS one of the most pressing questions we have heard is what the difference is between the technology used in our new PCAP touch screens and the Infrared (IR) touch technology that we have used since we launched our touch screens. How are they different though and more importantly which is better?

Projected Capacitive technology (more commonly referred to as PCAP) is the new kid on the block when it comes to touch technology. It is the same technology though that is used in smartphones and tablets due to its high levels of accuracy and speedy response times. The way PCAP touch technology works is by fixing a sensor grid between a layer of cover glass and the LCD panel, so when a finger touches the glass the grid detects the coordinates of the touch point. This is shown in the diagram below.

With this type of technology no recessed bezel is required so our PCAP Touch Screens with Dual OS have a strong tempered edge-to-edge glass front for a more striking display. From easy cleaning to smooth gesture recognition PCAP is the definitive touch technology. This however comes at a cost as PCAP touch screens can be up to 60% more expensive than their Infrared counterparts. It also has limitations on how large it can scale, at this moment the largest market ready solution that we have is a 42” PCAP touch screen. Allsee uses Projected Capacitive touch technology in our PCAP Touch Screens with Dual OS.

Infrared touch technology (also known as IR) is the most widely used touch screen in commercial applications and has been the industry standard for decades. Using IR technology means that no actual contact with the screen is required so less damge is incurred over time. It works by embedding LED lights and sensors into the bezel of a monitor above the glass. These LED’s beam a signal across to the corresponding sensor on the other side forming an invisible grid. When the grid is broken by a finger, or other solid object, the sensors can detect the touch point. This is shown in the diagram below.

A bezel will always be required when IR is used due to the way it works. There is no chance of edge-to-edge glass being used with IR. However unlike PCAP, IR technology can scale to very large sizes with no drop in quality. The largest IR touch screen we have produced has been a staggering 84”. Allsee uses Infrared touch technology in a variety of different products. From our Infrared Wall Mounted range, the Infrared Freestanding and Infrared Kiosks to our Interactive touch Displays which also use IR touch technology.

PCAP and Infrared are the two most suitable forms of technology used in commercial touch screens.

Both are great but depending on the customer’s requirements one may be more suitable than the other.PCAP is the touch technology of the future but it does come at a larger upfront cost. Infrared is the tried and trusted staple of touch technology. If you are looking for a more budget friendly touch screen then I suggest choosing an Infrared touch screen. If you are willing to invest then a PCAP touch screen will be worth every penny. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to picking between the two; it is simply a matter of suitability.

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