Rugged Industrial LCD and Touch Monitors (Fully Explained)

With the advent of AI and industrial automation, industries have begun to shift to the world of advanced automation and edge applications. However, industries require a medium between the operators and automated machines to manage their ongoing operations. Therefore, rugged display monitors can be used as interactive solutions that efficiently manage sequential tasks and control multiple functions to achieve a systematic process. In this blog, we will attempt to bring you to a better understanding of rugged LCD monitors and how they may affect industry 4.0 and edge applications.    

What are Industrial LCD Monitors?  

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is a technology that utilizes light modulating properties of liquid crystals and polarizers. Industrial LCD monitors are rugged computer displays that adopt LCD technology to connect to a computer or a machine as an interface. Moreover, rugged LCD monitors are specifically and carefully designed to withstand the harshest industrial deployments while maintaining their durability, longevity, and reliability.  

The industrial rugged LCD monitor is different from the standard LCD monitor. The standard LCD monitor can only offer up to 350 nits of brightness, which is not bright enough for outdoor deployments. In comparison, the rugged LCD monitor offers up to 1000 nits of brightness, significantly increasing readability when exposed to direct sunlight. As a result, this technology has been widely used in outdoor kiosks, retail displays, and intelligent transportation but also in even harsher environments like mining.  

What Is the Purpose of Rugged Display Monitor? 

The rugged LCD monitors are the collaborative solution in HMI deployment for industrial control systems to efficiently manage ongoing tasks and control multiple functions. HMI or Human Machine Interfaces are the display interface that provides industrial operators the ability to choose and determine a pre-planned result from the machine and applications, which usually may consist of a complex network of sensors, alarms, and on/off functions. A proper HMI infrastructure setup will lead to better productivity and operational efficiency in an industrial operation. By providing several benefits, such as anti-glare technology, tough scratch-resistant glass, and optical bonding, a rugged LCD monitor is crucial in ensuring a reliable, streamlined operation process for its operators and users, especially in harsh industrial deployments.    

Benefits of Industrial LCD Monitors  

A rugged display monitor plays a crucial role in ensuring and informing the whole operation processes to the field operators. For instance, industrial LCD monitors allow the operator to maintain smooth operations and easily detect any detrimental error that occurs in the system. Therefore, industries must make sure that the display monitor they use is reliable, durable, and flexible to resist the most challenging industrial deployments. Thus, rugged display LCD monitors offer numerous benefits, such as:    
 

Fanless Design 

 

Typically, a rugged LCD display means it is fanless. Fanless designs eliminate the need for a thermoelectric fan (TEC) to cool down the internal heat-generating components and utilize heatsink and heat pipes instead. The elimination of fans from the system allows extra durability, reliability, and longevity. Here, fanless designs manage to prevent the inflow of dust and water particles from jeopardizing the computer’s components because of the removal of ventilation holes required with active fan cooling. In addition, fanless design dissipates heat by utilizing heatsink and heat pipes, made up of ultra-conductive material, such as aluminum and copper, to effectively control the computer’s temperature. 
 

IP (Ingress Protection) Ratings 

IP (Ingress Protection) rating measures the level of resistance an industrial LCD monitor has against dust and water; therefore, a rugged industrial monitor with an IP rating helps to ensure durability and longevity when exposed to volatile environments. The display monitor’s IP rating usually ranges from IP65 to the maximum level of IP69K. The first digit with the highest rating of 6 refers to the solid ingress protection against tiny dust particles. The second digit with the highest rating of 9K refers to the protection against powerful high-temperature water jets and water immersion. An IP rating is crucial in automation lines that often require regular hygienic washdown with high-pressure and high-temperature water jets and cleaning chemicals. 

Wide Operating Temperature  

A weather-resistant LCD monitor enables flexibility for the computers to be deployed in any industrial environment, indoors or outdoors. Freezing weather can be detrimental to the LCD monitor since it utilizes liquid crystal display technology. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the LCD monitor is safe when deployed in freezing or hot operating temperatures. For example, C&T’s industrial rugged LCD monitors are specifically engineered to operate in all weather conditions with temperatures ranging from -20°C to 60°C, while maintaining reliability, longevity, and durability.   

Shock and Vibrations 

Mounting a rugged LCD monitor on a moving vehicle subjected to constant vibrations and shock can be detrimental to the display monitor. Therefore, our panel mounts LCD monitor has been carefully tested and validated to endure 20G of shock and 1.5 Grms, 5-500 Hz of vibrations due to its capabilities in minimizing moving parts and achieving fanless architecture. As a result, these rugged LCD monitors have proven their durability and reliability when deployed in the most challenging industrial environments. 
 

Rich Industrial Ports 

 

A rugged industrial display monitor manages various tasks and ongoing functions, requiring an extensive range of I/O ports to enable expandability and capacity to fulfill workloads. Therefore, rugged LCD monitors come with rich I/O ports, such as serial ports, USB, VGA, Display Port, SIM, antenna hole, DIO, M12 ports, and much more. I/O flexibility is crucial for delivering versatile and flexible features for different industrial workloads.    
 

Wide Range Power Input 

Mounting an industrial display monitor onto a system or machine increases the chance of getting exposed to voltage fluctuations. Therefore, the ruggedized display monitor comes with a wide range of power input, ranging from 9-50VDC, Over Current Protection (OCP), and Over Voltage Protection (OVP) to prevent power inputs that spike above 50V. As a result, industrial rugged LCD monitors protect the motherboard from over-voltage burn and prevent downtime.    
 

Features of Rugged Industrial LCD Monitors 

Touchscreen LCD | Rugged Touch Display Monitor  

Rugged LCD monitors offer highly responsive touchscreens that allow the higher quality of the interface between the operators and automated machines. Additionally, a touch LCD monitor provides two features to choose from, such as resistive and capacitive touch.   

• Resistive Touch LCD Monitor 

Resistive touchscreen display monitor consists of several thin layers. It works by applying pressure on the outer layer, which is pushed onto the next layer, allowing the display to sense pressure and register input. Resistive touch enables input objects, such as fingers, fingernails, stylus, or gloves. To enhance durability, reliability, and longevity, C&T applies additional PET film (polyester film) on the resistive touchscreen LCD. PET film is a high-performance, transparent thermoplastic with low moisture absorption, UV resistance, and a higher tensile strength. C&T PET film touchscreen LCD monitor has been tested and validated to pass the knock test by receiving 10 million keystrokes. As a result, heavy industry sectors like mining, heavy transportation, or agriculture prefer to use resistive touchscreen over the capacitive touchscreen. 

• Capacitive Touch LCD Monitor 

A capacitive touchscreen display monitor utilizes electrical conductivity instead of pressure to detect input. Capacitive touchscreens sense conductive properties, such as a fingertip or conductive gloves. Using conductivity to detect touch increases responsiveness and sensitivity, allowing up to 10 register touch points and gestures, thus providing more options for users based on different industrial applications, like zoom, pinch, or multi-touch. Capacitive touchscreens have been widely used in industrial deployments, such as kiosks and retail, in which it requires high sensitivity touchscreen for better end-user experiences.
 

Optical Bonding | Sunlight Readable Monitor   

Optical bonding technology applies an additional thin resin layer between the glass or touchscreen and the TFT LCD layers. The resin layer is a plastic layer molded with a liquid synthetic resin; therefore, this resin layer bonds the glass and TFT layers to eliminate the air gaps between the two layers. As a result, this technology allows additional protection suitable for military, medical, transportation, and heavy industry applications. This technology provides several benefits, such as:

• Sunlight Readability / High Optical Clarity: resin layer reduces refractions on the screen since light cannot pass through under the screen’s surface, enabling a brighter and easy-to-read display, especially when exposed to sunlight.    
• LCD Protection: resin layer in optical bonding allows the more rugged LCD monitor to absorb better shock and vibration, increasing the durability and reliability of the display.   
• Dust and Liquid Ingress Protection: optical bonding physically blocks dust and liquid particles from entering the gap between the screen’s layers. Additionally, moisture from condensation might trap inside the gap for a long time which causes blurry images and even leads to irreversible damage.   
• Increase Touch Accuracy: resin layer within the gap maintains the same pressure through the substrate, eliminating touch deviation caused by an air gap.   

 

Mounting Options | Mountable Rugged LCD Monitor 

Industrial LCD monitors have various mounting options to best match different industrial applications. Mounting options allow the display monitor to perform in different positions and arrangements, increasing versatility, flexibility, and ergonomics during deployments. Therefore, various mounting options are panel mount, VESA mount, and Yoke mount LCD monitors. 
 

Extreme IP66/69K Washdown Touchscreen LCD Monitor | SIO Series  

 

The SIO series offers an IP66/69K washdown touchscreen LCD monitor built from ultra-durable and anti-corrosion stainless steel. Tightly sealed with IP66/69K and M12 connectors enable full water protection against close-range high pressure and high-temperature water jet up to 80°C. Additionally, stainless steel SUS316 construction provides increased corrosion resistance, specifically against chloride commonly used in water purifiers and antiseptics. The SIO series offers LCD dimensions from 12.1” (4:3) up to a thin bezel of 23.8” (16:9). Here are some key features of this series:  

• Resistive/Projective Capacitive Touch  
• ON/OFF Switches  
• Direct AC Power 
• -20°C to 60°C Operating Temperature 
• Mounting Options: VESA Mount, Yoke Mount, and Panel Mount 

Applications:  

• Food and Beverage  
• Pharmaceutical 
• Clean Rooms  

Learn More About SIO Series

Ultra-Ruggedized IP66 Waterproof Touchscreen LCD Monitor | WIO Series  

The WIO series waterproof touchscreen LCD monitor offers the best features to enable deployment in the most challenging environments. The WIO series is built from type 304 stainless steel to improve robustness and anti-corrosion resistance against water and chemical gases. Additionally, the IP66 waterproof touchscreen display is resistant to dust particles and protects against high-pressure jets. As a result, the WIO series is known for its ruggedized and robust industrial designs, suitable for extreme and heavy industry sectors. Here are the key features of the WIO series: 

• Projected Capacitive Touch  
• Optical Bonding Available 
• Power Protection 
• -10°C to 60°C operating temperature 
• Mounting Options: VESA Mount 

Applications:  

• Agriculture 
• Mining 
• Livestock 

Learn More About WIO Series

Modular Touchscreen LCD Monitor | VIO Series  

The VIO series merges a power computing solution with a durable touchscreen LCD that supports modular solutions with different configurations and upgrades. In addition, the VIO series utilized Multi-Mode Display Module (MDM) technology that allows configuring the LCD as a monitor or a panel PC for different industrial deployments. This technology allows easy maintenance and cost reductions when replacing or upgrading the LCD or the module itself. Sealed with IP65, The VIO series touchscreen display monitor protects computers from water jets and tiny dust intrusion. Furthermore, it offers LCD dimensions from 12.1” (4:3) up to a thin bezel of 23.8” (16:9) to choose from. Here are the key features of the VIO series:   

• Resistive/Projective Capacitive Touch 
• Optical Bonding Available 
• Power Protection 
• -10°C to 60°C operating temperature 
• Mounting Options: VESA Mount 

Applications:  

• Intelligent Transportation 
• Kiosk and Retail  
• Factory Automation 

Learn More About VIO Series

Why C&T? 

C&T is a global solution provider that has been manufacturing and designing industrial rugged display monitors. Our solutions are carefully designed to operate reliably and optimally in the most challenging industrial deployments. In addition, C&T helps tailor and provide a wide range of options for customers to match different industrial requirements. As a result, C&T offers our customers the most high-end and robust industrial LCD monitor. If you need assistance finding the best industrial display monitor, don’t hesitate to contact us. One of our industrial computing professionals will assist your best display monitor based on your specific needs.