PCAP Touch Sensors

Zytronic can create bespoke prototypes and solutions to solve your current touch surface issues.

What is projected capacitive touch technology?

PCAP touch solutions provide a high level of sensitivity and reaction, coupled with the durability and reliability needed for use within high-traffic sectors. PCAP touch technology powers everything from your smartphone and interactive tablet, to the ATM you use to withdraw cash and the self-service ticket machine at the train station.

Our PCAP touch technology provides a number of benefits for your business and your customers, including:

• excellent readability
• high-impact resistance
• millisecond-fast response times
• excellent touch-point resolution
• quality construction and longevity
• adjustable sensitivity
• optical clarity
• high durability and reliability
• the ability to integrate with other functional solutions
• the ability to recognise complex gestures, such as pinching to zoom
• the ability to be applied to extra-large screens, up to 86’’
• versatility across various sector applications
• a fulfilling user experience.

Our capabilities enable us to create customised PCAP touchscreens, tailored to your business requirements.

How do PCAP touchscreens work?

All PCAP touchscreens utilise a sensing medium, which is laminated inside between at least two optically transparent substrates.

Single-touch PCAP touchscreens work by sensing minute changes in frequency in an invisible, metallic X-Y matrix of conductive traces.

Capacitive coupling occurs at the point of touch, disrupting the electromagnetic field of the sensor and altering the frequency. The singular touch point is then calculated using the change in the frequency within the X-Y array, which is processed to create coordinates by the touch controller and output accurately to the operating system.

Multi-touch PCAP solutions feature a two-layer matrix of optically transparent metallised conductive cells. A small transfer charge is applied to one layer, which is received by the other.

The point of touch, or multiple touches, induces a small but discernible difference in the charge, which is detected by the nodes at and around the adjacent cells. The position of this change is then processed and calculated accurately by the touch controller and is output to the operating system.

Zytronic is able to harness either of these PCAP technologies and develop a solution to suit your specific user requirements.

What are the main advantages of PCAP touch sensing?

Multi-touch capability

Multi-touch projected capacitive touchscreens allow for multiple touches from multiple users at once, without compromising on accuracy.

This is especially useful when it comes to high-traffic applications, such as interactive maps in the retail sector and self-service touchscreens in public areas.

Our multi-touch PCAP technology is capable of fast response times and accurate touch-point resolution, so even on large touchscreen tables with four or more simultaneous users, such as casino touchscreen tables, our touch solutions see no reduction in functionality.

A multi-touch solution also allows for easier collaborative work within a corporate or educational setting.

Longevity

Unlike conventional capacitive touch sensors, Zytronic’s PCAP touch solutions feature components embedded behind the front substrate, ensuring extra protection and longevity for your touch solution.

Adjustable sensitivity

Zytronic’s PCAP solutions have been uniquely developed with a high level of sensitivity, allowing a touch to be detected through specific glass strength enhancements, such as thick glass overlays of 10mm or more. This will increase the overall durability of your screen.

Our solutions can also be easily used by those wearing gloves, making it the perfect touchscreen for use in outdoor applications and also by professionals within the healthcare sector.

The sensitivity can also be altered to ensure accidental touches are not registered in high-traffic or outdoor areas, such as in industrial settings.

Integrated solutions

Zytronic’s projected capacitive touchscreens can be fully integrated with your current system to seamlessly elevate the user experience.

The ease of integrating a touch controller into the rest of the system is an important component of the overall success of a touch solution. Our touch controllers are available in a range of popular communications interfaces, including USB, Serial, SPI and I2C.

All our controllers are compliant with the Human Interface Device (HID) protocol and are therefore capable of ‘plug and play’ operation with the majority of Windows, Linux and Android operating systems.

Durability and reliability

Our PCAP touch solutions are highly durable and reliable – they can be used outside in varying weather conditions, without any loss of functionality. They can withstand rain and snow on the surface of the glass, as well as intense periods of heat.

Our PCAP sensors can be constructed from a laminated toughened glass substrate, up to 10mm thick. This makes the resulting touch solution durable enough to withstand most impacts and extreme or industrial environments.

Our thermally toughened glass is 3-5 times stronger than un-tempered glass of the same thickness, making our PCAP touchscreens the ideal solution for public use.

Our PCAP touchscreens can also be used in both high-traffic areas and remote locations – their reliability means they do not require constant monitoring by staff. This makes them the perfect touch solution when it comes to touchscreen signage in the retail sector, outdoor EV charging touchscreens and more.

Customisable and intuitive

Our single- and multi-touch PCAP touch solutions are available in a near limitless range of sizes, and in glass or film formats of various thickness and types, to suit your specific requirements.

With Zytronic, you can also specify whether your glass touchscreen is flat or curved and request special edge profiles, cut-outs, holes and slots, as well as screen-printed logos and borders in a range of colours and finishes.

Image clarity

Our PCAP touch solutions boast superior image clarity, faithfully displaying a variety of options and company logos on the surface of the capacitive touchscreen.

We can also provide specialist optical enhancements to ensure your touch solution remains fully viewable regardless of the surrounding environment, such as anti-glare and anti-reflection coatings. You can also opt for low-iron glass to enhance visual clarity.

Why choose Zytronic for PCAP solutions?

Zytronic’s PCAP touch sensors have revolutionised how we interact with a variety of touch applications. Our patented multi-touch PCAP (trademarked as MPCT™ technology is capable of detecting 100 or more touch events at once, without compromising on accuracy.

Zytronic can provide full customisable PCAP touch sensor solutions in a variety of formats. We provide an end-to-end service, working with you to collaboratively shape your touch solution and ensure it’s the right fit for your business application, as well as providing dedicated after-sales care and maintenance advice.