Touch Screen Monitors use touch screen technology such as Capacitive, Resistive, SAW, ClearTek, Near Field Imaging, in touch screen LCD monitors, flat panels and CRT touch screen displays. Touch Screen Monitors in India are made by VR Touch Screen System in association with Palas, India master distributor of 3M MicroTouch, USA.
Touch Screen computers with VR Touch Screen Systems MicroTouch technology are used in Touch Screen panels for touch applications like Information Kiosk, Point-of-Sale, Medical & Industrial automation, e-governance, tourism, banks, games, transaction bill payment kiosks, pos, restaurants and many more.
Touch sensitive screens, in-built into displays, or as add-on touch, or touch overlay, are used with PC Touch screen software. In India, touch screen drivers are provided by VR Touchscreen Systems.
| Technology | Touch Screen Applications |
| ClearTek Capacitive | Unaffected by surface contaminants such as dust, grease, moisture. Ideal for Indian conditions. The most durable and robust touchscreen technology, warranted for greater than 200 million touches. First choice for use in any application unless touching with gloves. Used extensively in public access information kiosks, industrial automation, medical, gaming, banking, POS, hundreds of other applications |
| Near Field Imaging | High durability, as touchscreen sensor is behind a glass sheet. Tempered, shatterproof front glass can be hit with a force as high as UL #1950 Steel Ball and not break. Scratches or cracks on the front glass have no affect. Ideal for tough, demanding usage. Can be Nema4X sealed for use in hazardous and harsh environments with industrial monitors. More expensive than capacitive |
| 5 Wire Resistive | Used when touch is with a gloved finger. Top surface is plastic, hence not as durable as Capacitive, typically 50 million touches. Cheaper than capacitive. Used in hospitals, manufacturing, POS terminals, wherever gloves are used. |
| 4 Wire Resistive | Top surface and bottom surface are both plastic, hence not as durable as 5 wire, typically 5 million touches. Cheaper than 5 wire. Used in personal appliances, such as PDAs and mobile phones. |
| 8 Wire Resistive | Similar to 4 wire, but better accuracy makes it a cheap alternative to Capacitive and SAW, for monitors upto 17". |
| Digital Matrix | Fixed position buttons, typically 128 buttons on one screen. Used in telephones, machine tools, microwaves, home automation. Much cheaper than 4 wire. |
| Infrared | The oldest touch technology, depended on a grid of infra-red beams in front of the monitor. Not very common now |
| Acoustic | Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sends sound waves across the front of the sensor. Not recommended in Indian conditions, as once the sound transducers get covered with dust, performance is erratic. Used in clean-room environment. Cheaper than capacitive |
So Which Touch Screen Should Be Used?
| Capacitive | Ideal for all applications in India. Information kiosks, POS, industrial, gaming, retail, ATMs and process control. |
| TouchPen | For dense menus in industrial applications, handwriting recognition. |
| PrivacyTouch | ATMs |
| Near Field Imaging | Unattended kiosks or where impact resistance is desirable. Though a bit more expensive than capacitive, ideal in India as it is not affected by scratches, cracks, contaminants. |
| 4 Wire Resistive | Personal appliances, PDAs, phones, control panels, small displays. Not for public access and not for monitors above 12". |
| 8 Wire Resistive | A cheap alternative to Capacitive and SAW, for monitors upto 17". |
| Infrared | Mostly obsolete. Not used much. |
| Acoustic | Affected by dust, so use in clean room areas. |