Product category:
Electronics manufacturing: equipment, automation, software
News Release from: MacDermid Autotype | Subject: Autoflex EB polyester film
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 November 2003
Coated film cuts touchscreen production
costs 20%
By using the high-quality hardcoated film, the London-based touchscreen overlay manufacturer has created a reliable product and has also slashed production costs by 20%.
U-Touch entered the large-format touchscreen overlay market with an innovative product based on Autotype's Autoflex EB polyester film By using the high-quality hardcoated film, the London-based firm has created a reliable product and has also slashed production costs by 20%
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 20 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Hardcoated polyester film ideal for displays
MacDermid Autotype has launched a hardcoated polyester film specially designed to offer excellent levels of clarity and scratch resistance for the displays of communications devices.
Film is high gloss scratch resistant
A high quality hard-coated polycarbonate film is being used to cover three-dimensional automotive trim components using film insert moulding.
Plasma screens are the must-have audio-visual accessories in boardrooms up and down the country.
The streamlined displays, sleek profiles and crystal-clear images define modern corporate communication.
Business doesn't stand still for long, however, and there is a growing demand for additional uses for these impressive wall-mounted screens.
Further reading
Autotex changes face of EL for 200mph Ascari
Autotex hardcoated polyester films are playing a crucial role in a range of advanced electroluminescent (EL) lamps being used for dashboard displays and instrumentation
Pencil hardness test is not reliable, says study
A Gauge repeatability and reproducibility study on the effectiveness of the 'Pencil Hardness' test shows that this standard is not a reliable, repeatable or accurate measure of film properties.
The innovative retrofit solution introduced by U-Touch exploits Autoflex EB's inherent properties to create a truly interactive and durable display, converting large-format plasma screens into resistive touchscreens, which can be used to navigate around Windows or multimedia programmes.
U-Touch's overlays are formed from Autoflex EB films, which have been coated with a clear, conductive ITO material.
This process is known as sputtering and eliminates the need for additional lamination.
It has provided U-Touch with considerable cost savings and a tangible advantage over its competitors, which typically rely on conventional methods of lamination.
Liam Slattery, one of U-Touch's founding directors, says the 175-micron film is a fundamental element of the company's ultra-thin overlay design.
"It's the absolute crux of how the overlay works," Liam says.
"Not only does it have an antiglare surface, it's also thin enough to retain the look and feel of the plasma screen, to the extent that customers often don't know the overlay is there." "Before launching U-Touch in 2001, I had gained a lot of experience working for touchscreen manufacturers that used traditional multi-layer methods to produce touchscreens," Liam explains.
"When I started my own business, I wanted to use Autotype because I knew it supplied good-quality materials that can make a real difference to production costs.
For example, because Autoflex EB already has a conductive layer, we save about two hours of production time on each touchscreen.
Add materials to that, and it roughly translates into a 20% cost saving on each unit." Autoflex EB's chemical, abrasion and scratch resistant surface also protects the plasma screen, helps to eliminate reflection from the face of the screen, and allows text or graphics to be drawn on the outer face.
Liam concludes that, "Autoflex EB is the only film of its kinds that provides the levels of performance we need for our customers. Request a free brochure from MacDermid Autotype ...
It has exceptional clarity, superb scratch resistance and is easy to process.".
• MacDermid Autotype: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
