3M's Tough Touch Screens Offer Privacy

“This new security feature will have a major impact on touch screen adoption in the financial market,” commented Francesco Fasoglio, European Marketing Manager, 3M Touch Systems Division. “Users will have increased peace of mind, whether they are withdrawing cash from an ATM, topping up their mobile hone credit or purchasing tickets, as the privacy film reduces viewing angles to 60 degrees. Only the person standing directly in front of the screen can see the information being displayed. To anyone standing off to the side, as in a typical ATM or ticketing queue, the screen appears black.”

Quick integration is achieved by simply laminating a Vikuiti Light Control Film (LCF) between the ClearTek II capacitive sensor and 4mm backing glass of the MicroTouch ToughTouch II Capacitive Touch Screens from 3M. The thin plastic film contains closely spaced black, micro-louvers that let light pass perpendicularly to the screen surface, while absorbing light emitted at other angles. The film also enables increased display contrast and reduced glare by physically blocking ambient light from reaching the display screen.

ToughTouch II touch screens with privacy will be available in 15 and 17in sizes as standard. Other sizes can be developed as custom requests. The screens are ideally suited to unsupervised ATM and self-service kiosk environments, offering durability against damage from accidental or malicious activity with added impact resistance. They also offer superior wear resistance making them at least five times more wear resistant than competitive capacitive touch screen solutions on the market.