Interactive Touchscreen Displays; Which is the Right One for You?

Introduction

Interactive Touchscreen Displays are becoming increasingly popular in the business world as more companies move to a work-from-anywhere environment. These displays allow for better digital collaboration between teams working remotely, but choosing the right type of display can be difficult. 

This blog post covers various aspects of industrial touchscreen displays, including their definition, purpose, types, and benefits. It also focuses on how to leverage Aidio services to choose the best-in-industry Interactive Touchscreen Displays.

What are Industrial Touchscreen Monitor Applications?

These are desktop monitors comprising a bare chassis and components enclosed in a touch glass overlay integrated so that Original Engineer Manufacturers (OEMs) can assemble them with minimal complexity.

Industrial Touchscreen Monitors are designed to work in harsh environments and to work 24/7. So the best use cases of industrial touchscreen monitors are with Self Serve Kiosks, Interactive Digital Signage boards, and CNC machines. These industrial Touchscreen Monitors are designed to handle heavy-duty applications. Recently touchscreen displays have now gained ubiquitous status with cell phones, tablets, Ticket vending machines, ATMs, Self-order kiosks and car GPS systems.

Types of Touchscreen Displays

The most common types of Touchscreen displays available in the market include:

• 5-Wire Resistive 
• Surface Capacitive
• Projected Capacitive 
• Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) 
• Infrared touchscreen technology. 

5-Wire Resistive Touch Screen

These comprise a film screen covered by a glass panel and metal sheets placed in the form of a layer. So whenever you touch the screen both the metal plates come in contact with each other and produce an electrical signal thus identifying the area of the touch point, leading to the most important advantage of this technology that the users can operate them with bare fingers, a stylus, or gloves.

Advanatges of 5-Wire Resistive Touchscreen

• Least Expensive of all touchscreens.
• Resistant to liquid and surface contaminants like moisture, dust, grease and oil

Limitations

• Offers low quality image
• Polyester film based screens are easily susceptible to scratch.

Surface Capacitive Touchscreen

It is another popular touchscreen technology. This consists of a glass panel, a transparent electrode layer, and a protective screen or cover. This touchscreen works with bare fingers or electrically charged stylus. 

Advantages

• Offers better image quality than the 5 resistive touchscreen.
• It is more durable and is more resistant to water, grease and dust.
• Also scratch resistant.

Limitations

You cannot use it in an environment that demands gloves as it does not function with gloves.

Projected Capacitive touchscreens

Comprise of an Integrated Chip, an electrode film and a sheet of glass. It works on the principle of 3D electrostatic field.  This screen has a “multi-touch activation” feature that accepts inputs from different sources using this feature. 

Advantages

• It offers Multi-touch activation feature.
• Offers better image quality than its predecessors.
• Highly resistant to liquids and other surface contaminants.
• More resistant to scratch and nicks than Surface capacitive screens.

Limitations

You have to operate projected capacitive touchscreens with bare fingers or cotton gloves or surgical gloves.

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Technology

This is based on piezoelectric transducers. They operate by converting variations in pressure into an electrical signal. These screens create an invisible network of ultrasonic waves on the panel surface whenever users touch it and send the data to the connected computer. More importantly, It works with high precision producing high quality images.

Advantages

• Offers high visibility and better image quality than its counterparts.
• These screens can be activated with bare skin or heavily gloved fingers which is a definite edge over other counterpart technologies.
• It is easy to use and operate.

Limitations

• These screens are extremely sensitive and cannot be operated with hard items like fingernails or other hard objects.
• They are not suitable to be used in harsh environments.
  

Infrared Touchscreen Technology

This consists of IR receivers and emitters to create an invisible network of light beams across the screen. These screens do not require any protective layer or screen over the display. Thus, it offers the best image quality and clarity. It offers the best image quality and light transmission features.

Advantages

• Superior image clarity and quality with unlimited touch life.
• It is totally resistant to surface scratches.

Limitations

• Not suitable in harsh environments as dust, oil, and grease accumulation can easily make them malfunction.
• Highly sensitive and needs to be operated in a clean environment.
  

Market Share of Resistive Vs Projected Capacitive Touchscreen Displays

Source: Statista-2022

The market share for Projected Capacitive touchscreen panels is growing tremendously and in 2021 it recorded a shipment of 63 million units.

Choosing the Right Touchscreen Displays

Before you take a decision on adopting or buying a touchscreen your organisation you should focus on various parameters such as:

• Which Touchscreen technology is apt for your business needs?
• What should be the Screen Size?
• What are your actual requirements or use cases?
• Do you need an immovable or movable screen setup?

5-wire resistive touch technology	Less expensive and Operational with all types of stimulus- bare fingers, stylus, Gloved fingers.
Surface Capacitive technology	Suitable for almost all applications except Restaurant Kitchens and Medical Labs where you operate with Gloved fingers. Suitable if no Electromagnetic Interference or Radio Frequency Interference exists.
Projected Capacitive touch technology	It is a universally accepted touchscreen technology used in almost every business domain inclusive of medical and healthcare fields that require the usage of gloved hands to give stimulus. Provides crystal image clarity and multi-touch functions.
Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Touch Technology	Suitable for a sophisticated and clean environment that demands fantastic image clarity, accurate touch response and the ability to be activated with both gloved or ungloved fingers.
IR touch technology	Offers state-of-the-art Superior image clarity and quality with unlimited touch life. Suitable in indoor environs which are free of dust and harsh climate.

How Aidio Helps You to Take the Right Decision?

Aidio is a Bengaluru-based Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of Interactive Touchscreen Displays. We have 7+ years of experience in enabling a long list of clientele from Hospitality, restaurants, Banking, Finance, Sports, Retail, Education, Automobile, and Healthcare with our Interactive displays and Kiosks.

Moreover, Aidio Interactive displays fulfil all the needs of commercial applications, provided with high reliability, integrated touch, and flexible mounting options, keeping in mind rough public usage. Finds major applications as an interactive kiosk self-service, way-finding, In-store, point-of-sale, corporate, and hospitality environments.

Our Interactive Touchscreen displays have all commercial grade standards with a wide array of mounting options that include; Wall-mount, Table Top, Standee, and Kiosks.

We can assess your requirements and suggest the right type of Touchscreen Interactive display to suit your business needs.

Get in touch with us. Click here.

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