Integration Guidelines: Sealing PCAP Touchscreens
Proper integration of Projected Capacitive (PCAP) touchscreens from Elo — Now part of Zebra Technologies allows for the creation of robust dust-tight and watertight seals. Depending on your design and integration methods, seals can be engineered to meet NEMA 4, NEMA 12, and IP65 standards.
Critical Placement & Material Rules:
- The seal or gasket must never contact the active area of the touchscreen. It must only be applied around the inactive border region of the cover glass to prevent false touch triggers.
- Always use non-conductive materials for sealing.
- Avoid sulfur-vulcanized elastomers. Sulfur can chemically attack and degrade the silver electrode pattern inside the touchscreen sensor.
Gasket Material Recommendations
When designing dust or watertight barriers, the following material specifications are recommended to ensure long-term performance:
| Seal Type | Recommended Materials | Application Details |
|---|---|---|
| Dust & Dirt Seal | Open-cell foam gaskets. | Applied lightly between the touchscreen and the front bezel. |
| Watertight Seal | Silicones, polyurethanes, and saturated polyolefins (cross-linked using high-energy irradiation, peroxide, or other chemical cross-linking). | Elastomer gaskets applied to the inactive border region of the cover glass to prevent liquid ingress. |
Sealing for Specific IP Ratings
If your application requires a specific high-grade IP rating (e.g., outdoor kiosks or industrial environments), Elo recommends using a protective front layer of cover glass with a thickness of up to 6mm.
- Install the protective front layer of cover glass (up to 6mm thick) over the touch sensor.
- Access the monitor's On-Screen Display (OSD) menu and enable the "Touch Through" configuration setting.
- Seal the cover glass directly to your enclosure bezel to finalize the protection barrier.
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