Displays are suitable for tough environments

24th April 2017

GTK

Joe Bush

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A capacitive touchscreen technology has been developed by GTK that, when applied to TFT displays, can be used with thick gloves for applications in harsh environments. The company has offered a range of TFT modules with integral capacitive touchscreens for use in industrial applications for the last three years. Now, with the evolution of the technology, it is possible to fine tune the software so that the displays can be used even when wearing extra thick gloves, such as motorsport or safety gloves.

Clive Dickinson, Business Manager for Optoelectronics at GTK, said: “Capacitive touchscreens have been around for some time now, but as the technology advances, it broadens the number of applications that can use touchscreen displays. It is now possible to configure the software so that the screens can be used with heavy duty gloves.

“We are currently working on a project with an OEM in the fire safety industry, where we are tuning the display software so that the screen is sensitive to a specific make of thick glove that will be used in this application. When designing touchscreen displays for use in harsh environments that require gloves, it is important to keep the display design relatively simple, using big buttons and allowing simple hand gestures.”

Additional applications that can benefit from this enhanced technology include the petrochemical industry, industrial cleaning, fire and gas detection, construction and hazardous waste.

GTK’s technical experts can offer customers support in the selection of displays for use in their product designs and the company has an Optoelectronics Design Guide that provides customers with useful information on factors to be considered when choosing a display technology.