Ideum has recently been integrating optically bonded 55-inch touch displays into our products. This includes optically bonded versions of the our popular Platform II and Drafting II touch tables, as well as their Presenter and Inline models—and their Tasting Table. 

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Touch screen displays are comprised of a monitor and a touch sensor. In large-format displays, these components are usually separated by a small air gap. This is fine for many (even most) displays and configurations, but there are some instances where optical bonding improves the quality of the touch display. In this process, a clear adhesive is used between the touch sensor and the monitor, bonding the two components together. But what does this mean to the user? 

Removing the air gap and replacing it with a transparent adhesive has several advantages. The first is that the display appears to be visibly brighter; this is due to removing any reflection that might occur from the surface glass. In addition, the viewing angle of the display is greatly improved since the display and sensor glass are effectively one, bonded unit. There is no reflected light off the back of the sensor glass, making the integrated touch display brighter and clearer.

Bonded units don’t have issues with parallax, which is the perceived gap between the touch sensor and the display, again because they are bonded together. We have focused on the 55-inch model (and soon the 65-inch model) because they are the most popular, but also because this gap can be noticeable, and closing it improves the viewing quality of the display.

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Optical Bonding Benefits

We’ve always taken pride in creating touch screen tables and displays that are practically indestructible. Our all-aluminum frames and chassis, and tempered glass, provide exceptional security and durability. Optically bonded displays are even stronger than their air-gapped counterparts! This makes sense as the clear adhesive bonds the display and sensor together.

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Optical bonding also makes it impossible to introduce dust or other particulate matter between the layers, making it perfect for challenging environments. The bonded touch display is also more resistant to spills (that’s why we use it for the Tasting Table). All in all, it is a superior product; the only downsides are that the manufacturing method is more involved and expensive, and the process inherently means that any flaws in the display or the sensor compromise the entire assembly. Air-gapped touch displays allow you to replace damaged components more easily, since those parts remain separate. Bonding is forever.

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Display Case Design Changes

We’ve also improved the display’s case by creating a design that appears slimmer. Our patented manufacturing process for displays uses extruded aluminum as the frame making it appear sleeker and smoother. To create corners that don’t have fasteners, we designed 3D-printed metal corners that can be fastened to the extruded aluminum frames from the inside. The new design provides a better-looking profile and differentiates this new model from its predecessors. 

This Fall, we will be announcing all of the available optically bonded models. They will be referred to as the Plus Series, since they appear across all of our offerings, from displays to various touch table formats. We will continue to offer all of our models, so the Plus Series will simply expand our offerings for our customers.

For more information: 

Ideum 

Platform II Display

Touch Screen Displays