Device Protection Beyond Ruggedization

By Bob Lemmons, New Vision Display

Presented at the SID 2018 Exhibitors’ Forum on March 22, 2018

Smart phones, tablets, point of sale devices, medical equipment and other handheld devices are tools we use in our everyday lives. How many of you do not have a smart phone or tablet? Do the above image on the left look familiar to you? These devices have become part of our everyday lives, even something we are addicted to.

Displays and touch panels are key, critical components in the functionality of a wide range of handheld devices: Medical devices, point-of-sale terminals, smartphones, tablets and more. The display and touch panel is one of the first considerations design engineers make during the concept and development phase of a new product. In part, because they are one of the most costly components within the bill of materials. However, in many handheld devices, they are often left unprotected or else protected by bulky plastics bezels and enclosures (a.k.a. ruggedization).

Displays and touch panels are subject to two conditions which cause them to fail:

• Scratches, from daily wear-and-tear or use of a stylus, where dust particles can become embedded on the tip and scratch the device. These scratches can cause a crack to propagate, which can eventually render the device completely useless.
• Drops onto hard or sharp surfaces, which typically cause instantaneous fractures. (Click here to continue reading..........)