Tag: industrial LCD display

Industrial LCD Monitors: How to Choose the Best Ones for Your Professional or Personal Applications

Posted on: February 28, 2019

As you’re probably already aware, commercial monitors and industrial LCD displays come in all shapes and sizes with a number of different resolutions that are designed to meet specific applications and demands. For the untrained consumer, learning the differences between these features and configurations is a daunting task. At the end of the day, you need to consider what you’re using the monitors for as well as the type of environment in which they’re going to be used the most.

Generally, there are four categories of industrial LCD monitors that are most commonly used in the tech industry. Keep reading to learn about what they all have to offer.

What Is an LCD Panel?

LCD stands for liquid crystal display. This technology is most commonly used in small industrial or commercial devices like tablets, computers, or POS systems. One of the main advantages of using LCD monitors for industrial applications is that they use very little power which can help you save a ton of money on your business’s energy consumption and keep your carbon footprint to a minimum.

Different Types of LCD Panels

The different types of LCD panels on the market that are perfect for industrial applications include:

Twisted Nematic (TN)

Not only is TN the most common type of LCD technology on the market, it’s also been around the longest. Professional gamers tend to choose TN largely because of its ultra-fast response times, reduced lagging, high brightness levels, and low power consumption. TN models are also very easy and cheap to manufacture, which makes them all-the-more affordable.

In-Plane Switching (IPS) Panel Technology

IPS has come a very long way since its early days. It used to be one of the most expensive types of LCD monitors on the market. Improved colour contrast ratios, loading time, reduced lagging, and more affordable prices have made this the technology of choice for a lot of industrial applications. Aside from all of these features, IPS also boasts superior viewing angles, which makes it the appropriate choice for industries that rely on proper aspect ratios.

Vertical Alignment (VAP) Panel

VA panels are an even greater improvement on the IPS configuration. They offer exceptional refresh rates as well as better contrast levels. The only downfall is that VA panels have inferior colour production, viewing angles, and a generally longer loading or lag time than their IPS counterparts.

Advanced Fringe Field Switching (AFFS) Panel

Also known as Fringe Field Switching (AFS), this technology is also very similar to IPS in the sense that it offers a high-quality colour contrast and brightness range along with better performance than many of the other models on this list.

At Nauticomp Inc., our custom designed and constructed high-end LCD displays are intended to meet your needs and specifications. Regardless of the type of industry you work in, we can provide the right LCD display to suit your needs. Contact us today to learn more about our products and how we can help you enhance your business operations.

Obstacles Faced by Engineers when Designing Marine LCD Displays

Posted on: October 29, 2018

The rough and tough marine lifestyle isn’t always conducive to sustaining electronics. Excessively extreme temperature variations, not to mention the severe and constant threat of heavy exposure to sunlight, seawater, snow, and other potentially harmful elements can damage insufficiently protected LCD displays. These are just some of the numerous challenges faced by engineers who are responsible for designing and constructing solid marine LCD displays that could potentially make or break the success of each mission.

Marines need technology that’s dependable even in the worst possible weather and circumstantial conditions. When it comes to developing an LCD marine display, there are a few important factors that engineers need to keep in mind.

Sunlight Readability and Waterproof Features

Since marines spend an immeasurable amount of time at sea or working outdoors, they need to be able to rely on the readability and maintenance of their devices at all times, including when they’re exposed to a great deal of sunlight and water. Working conditions for marines can be vastly unpredictable and therefore they need to be able to make suitable adjustments whenever the moment calls for it. Adjusting the brightness on the screen to suit the specific time of day and the amount of sunlight exposure is essential and so is preventing water or other liquids from penetrating the surface of the device and causing internal damages that could also lead to personal injuries.

Capability to Control Exposure to Thermal Energy

Since these devices are most likely going to spend extended hours being exposed to the strong UV rays of the sun, it’s important that they inhabit features that can help them control their internal thermal energy production and absorption. High ranking marine corps officers should go to great lengths to ensure that all of the displays used by their crew come equipped with strong UV resistant overlays that can protect the devices from the harmful rays of the sun and prevent them from overheating due to overuse. Keep in mind that these devices are constantly in use and therefore, their internal temperatures need to be neutralized at all times.

High-Quality Optical Bonding Materials

Optical bonding is a multilayered protective glass that acts as a shield for devices that are primarily intended to be used in harsh outdoor conditions, which makes them perfect for daily marine operations. After all, one of the greatest challenges engineers must compete against when designing and creating these devices is finding a way to make them last for a long period of time. Strong optical bonding materials and adhesives can prevent damages caused by rough usage, blunt objects coming into contact with the screens, and inclement weather conditions.

As one of the world’s leading marine display technology designers, developers, and distributors, Nauticomp Inc. has built completely customized touchscreen monitors and displays for businesses across numerous industries. From retail, restaurant, construction, and medical companies to the armed forces and marine corps, we have over 20 years of experience producing the highest quality displays. To learn more about our products or place an order, please contact us today.

7 Tips to Clean Your LED or LCD Display’s Monitor

Posted on: December 18, 2017

Keeping your precious rugged LCD monitors or LED screens clean and tidy can be challenging. This is especially true if you happen to have handsy young children who like to touch everything or pets running amuck in your household or even if you happen to work in a particularly messy environment such as a construction site or restaurant. Sometimes, rogue bits of debris can attach themselves to your electronic devices and while this is entirely out of your control for the most part, there are a few effective and harmless cleaning solutions you can put into practice to keep your electronics clean and running smoothly. Continue reading to learn about helpful tips for cleaning your LCD and LED screens without causing internal or external damage.

Prepare the LCD or LED Screen

Before you can get down to the cleaning part, you need to prepare your LCD or LED screen in order to reduce the risk of liquids penetrating the surface and causing internal damage. Keep in mind that modern screens might technically include higher end features than the old school CRT screens from your childhood, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re more durable. In fact, modern LCD and LED screens are actually a lot more fragile and easily susceptible to damage if they’re not cared for properly. To prepare the screen for cleaning, make sure you shut down the system entirely, disconnect it from its power source, and then let it cool down for a few minutes. This will reduce the risk of electrocution and it’ll make it easier to clean the screen without resulting in annoying and unattractive streaks.

Never Press Down on an LCD or LED Screen

Occasionally, you’ll have to contend with a tough spot, streak, or fingerprint marking that takes a little extra effort to clean. If this happens, don’t panic and definitely don’t press down harder with a cloth or try to scrape it off with your fingernails or any other tool as this can cause severe damage to the top layer or anti-gloss coating. The best thing to do is use a non-abrasive cleaning solution such as isopropyl alcohol that’s diluted with either pure or distilled water. Spray the solution onto a microfiber cloth and gently wipe down the area in either an up and down or side to side motion. Applying too much pressure to even the most rugged touchscreen can compromise its limited durability.

Types of Cleaning Cloths to Use

There are a few types of cleaning cloths you can use to wipe down your rugged LCD monitor either at home or at work. The most recommended one is microfiber cloth for a multitude of reasons. First, microfiber is a state-of-the-art technological development that’s a thin and soft, yet strong enough material to thoroughly clean your electronic devices without risking damaging them in any way. Most of the time, computer and flatscreen TV manufacturers provide microfiber cloths with their products along with a specific set of maintenance and cleaning instructions. Microfiber cloths are immune to collecting or spreading lint across your screen, and because of the intricate way in which the minuscule fibers are intertwined these cloths are able to trap larger quantities of dirt and dust without leaving streaks. You can also use a cotton tea towel, a cotton t-shirt, or cotton handkerchief if you’re in a bind and don’t have microfiber cloths on hand.

Never Spray Liquid Cleaners Directly onto the Screen

This point can’t be emphasized enough. Even though it may seem like common sense that electronic devices shouldn’t come into direct contact with any liquids (especially if they’re still plugged in), not everyone seems to think so and many people have made the mistake of spraying cleaning agents onto their devices. The safer and smarter way to clean any rackmount LCD display is by first wiping it down with a dry cloth and then spraying a small amount of the cleaning solution onto a different cloth and wiping it down gently. After you do this, wipe it down with a clean dry cloth to remove any remaining liquid.

Refrain from Using Cleaning Products That Contain Ammonia

Always avoid using ammonia or rubbing alcohol based cleaners on your touchscreen devices. The devices themselves might be constructed with the capability to withstand most types of damages, but certain features they possess aren’t. Ammonia and rubbing alcohol can irreparably strip away or damage the extremely delicate anti-glare coating on the screen, which will not only negatively alter your viewing experience but also make your device a lot harder to use in strong sunlight.

Vacuum Dust from the Edges

Dust that settles between the gaps in the screen where the bezel and the top layer of glass or plastic meet can penetrate deeper and cause internal damage to your device. Regularly using a vacuum with a soft-bristled brush (to prevent scratching) can help you keep your device clean and free of any issues.

Spray the Surface with Compressed Air

For extra measure, you can also spray the surface of your screen, computer keyboard, or even the vent on the back of the device with a can of compressed air to blast away any lingering and stubborn debris or dust. If any of it lands on the surface of the device, make sure to gently wipe it away with a clean cloth to prevent it from making its way back into your device. Implementing this cleaning method on a regular basis will ultimately help to guarantee the longevity and functionality of your device.

Nauticomp Inc. is the proud designer, manufacturer and distributor of countless rugged LCD and LED monitors and displays. We’ve been working in the technological industry for more than 20 years and supply a variety of businesses including marine bases, military bases, restaurants, casinos, retail stores, shopping centers, and healthcare facilities with durable and high-quality LED and LCD displays that serve a wide range of purposes. For more information about our company or our products, please feel free to contact us.

Types of Touchscreen Displays for Industrial Applications

Posted on: May 31, 2017

Contrary to what you might think, touchscreen displays aren’t a new or even relatively recent invention; in fact, they’ve been around for many years, but have only lately been integrated into mainstream use and consciousness. Over the years, many different types of touchscreen displays and monitors have come into fruition, further advancing this already impressive technology and propelling it into the throes of popularity. Touchscreen monitors have varying configurations, each of which serve different purposes and are suited for specific circumstances.

5 Different Types of Touchscreen Displays

Here are five different types of touchscreen technology that are currently making huge waves in the tech industry:

Resistive Touchscreen

Resistive touchscreens are the most commonly used touchscreens for several reasons. They’re inexpensive to produce, they’re highly durable, and they harness a great deal of versatility. They can be used with virtually any instrument including your fingers, stylus pens, the edge of a credit card, etc. You can even use them with gloved fingers. Resistive touchscreens are comprised of a carefully crafted multi-layered infrastructure glass and a protective film screen with a metallic layer shielding both, as well as a tiny gap that facilitates precise point of contact recognition. When you touch the outer layer, the two layers meet at the exact point of contact.

Capacitive Touchscreen

Capacitive touchscreens aren’t as durable or versatile as resistive touchscreens as they can only be used by niche industries. They’re generally more likely to succumb to environmental damages and they can’t be used with different objects. Since they rely on conductivity produced by the human body, they can only respond to the touch of a bare finger. However, they’re ideal for indoor office or retail use. There are two types of capacitive touchscreens:

  • Surface capacitive touchscreens have an additional protective layer that’s scratch, drop, dirt, and liquid-resistant. These are ideal for the retail or restaurant industry because they have quick response and dragging capabilities.
  • Projected capacitive touchscreens are also ideal for indoor use because they’re equipped with an external layer of tempered glass, making them resistant to cracks, defacement, and rough usage.

Surface Acoustic Wave Touchscreen

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) touchscreens can be used with almost any instrument because they don’t rely on conductivity to function. This perimeter-based technology uses ultrasonic waves to recognize point of contact. Since there’s no filmy protective layer present, they also have spectacular visual capacities. Unfortunately, this makes SAW touchscreens more susceptible to external damages.

Infrared and Optical Touchscreens

Infrared and optical touchscreens are also perimeter-based. Infrared touchscreens use infrared light beams. One side of the screen has LED sensors and the other side has light sensors that interact with one another until they’re interrupted by a touch at a point of contact. Optical touchscreens are similar to infrared touchscreens in that they also use infrared lights, but their setup is slightly different. There are two cameras within the structure of the screen that detect touch and calculate the exact point of contact.

Nauticomp Inc. masterfully crafts high quality capacitive, resistive, SAW, infrared, and optical touchscreen monitors that are suitable for all kinds of working conditions. To learn more about our incomparable products, please contact us at 1-705-328-2992 for Canadian service and at 1-800-267-9491 for U.S. service.

Industrial LCD Monitors for Point of Sale (POS)

Posted on: October 6, 2016

Nowadays, it is absolutely crucial for modern businesses to keep up with the growing demands of their customers and clientele. One way to accomplish this is to install touchscreen point-of-sale (POS) systems that are equipped with industrial LCD monitors.

Should You Use POS Systems for Your Business?

The answer to this inquiry is complicated because it depends on whether the touchscreen POS system will reap any benefits for the specific business in question. For businesses that are in their infancy, it makes sense to start with a traditional cash register until they build up their customer base and increase foot traffic. Businesses that have already established a longstanding customer base should install a state-of-the-art touchscreen POS system. Commercial-grade monitors and screens could help improve overall business practices and even establish and maintain good customer relations due to the added convenience and efficiency during the transaction. There are, of course, a few things to take into account when purchasing and installing a point of sale touchscreen monitor.

Factors to Consider when Buying Industrial Monitors for POS

The following is a list of all of the important factors business owners should consider when looking for a POS system that includes the best touchscreen monitor for retail and restaurant businesses: accuracy, support of HD content, viewing angle and versatile mounting options, response times, screen size, low power consumption, and after-sales support.

Accuracy

Accuracy is a cornerstone for any successful business. A high-quality touchscreen POS system provides accuracy during transactions while also helping business owners accurately and efficiently track sales, customer loyalty programs, employee scheduling, as well as bookkeeping. A POS system equipped with a touchscreen monitor will ensure the highest level of accuracy in all regards.

Support of HD Content

Simply put, all touchscreen POS systems need high resolution. Not only is this more pleasing to the eye, but it will also make the customers’ shopping experience that much more enjoyable. It also makes it easier for employees, managers, and business owners to operate the point-of-sale touchscreen monitor.

Viewing Angle and Versatile Mounting Options

People come in all shapes and sizes, so businesses need a point-of-sale touchscreen monitor that is versatile in its movements and adheres to all employees’ and customers’ visual, angular, and height requirements. It is best to choose a commercial-grade monitor and screen that has the capability to move up, down, and sideways if necessary.

Fast Response Times

This is arguably one of the biggest selling points for touchscreen POS systems because it can render a positive result for sales. Industrial LCD monitors can diminish lagging, making the sales transaction more efficient and pleasant. The faster customers are served the less time they are waiting to pay and the more satisfied they will be, resulting in good customer rapport and an increase in foot traffic in the long run.

Screen Size

The screen size of commercial-grade monitors and screens depends on the needs of the business. It might be more feasible to have large touchscreen monitors for restaurants rather than for retail stores because the latter require more counter space than the former.

Low Power Consumption

POS touchscreen systems with industrial LCD monitors consume as little power as possible, so electricity costs will not skyrocket.

After-Sales Support

Another added bonus is that touchscreen POS systems boast excellent after-sales support, allowing business owners to accurately keep track of all daily, weekly, and monthly transactions.

Why Choose Nauticomp POS Industrial Monitors?

Nauticomp Inc.’s rugged LCD monitors come in models that are waterproof, sunlight-readable, and compatible with multiple components, and they also feature dim-to-red capability, LED backlighting, optically bonded glass, and enhanced temperature ranges. We also offer custom designs to meet your industrial needs. Contact us today for more information.

Industrial LCD Displays for Factory Automation System

Posted on: September 27, 2016

When choosing a display for a factory automation system, go with industrial rugged LCD displays, which offer the most benefits.

Factory automation systems have numerous industrial advantages, allowing business owners to automate work and minimize expenses. Manufacturing and other industrial processes can be made more efficient with the use of these automated systems.

However, automated systems can also introduce challenges to industrial environments. One of the chief challenges is finding equipment that can handle use in an industrial environment. Industrial LCD monitors are built to provide consistent, reliable, and high-performance use in factories, warehouses, and other industrial settings.

Why Industrial Rugged Displays in Factories?

Industrial environments can be harsh on equipment. Consumer-grade technology is prone to breaking down or malfunctioning, creating inefficiencies and safety risks. In factory settings, exposure to chemicals, temperature extremes (heat or cold), contaminants (dust, debris), and moisture and humidity can damage equipment.

Rugged displays for factory environments are designed to provide consistent and durable use in even the harshest applications. Unlike consumer-grade technology, industrial LCD monitors can last for years or even decades in harsh applications. They feature capabilities and functions that provide greater usability with factory automation systems, and their durability protects them from damage.

How to Choose the Right Industrial Displays for Factory Automation Systems

When choosing industrial LCD monitors for use with factory automation systems, there are some key features and functionalities that should be looked out for.

Shockproof Enclosure

The prime feature of rugged displays is a shockproof, durable chassis that can withstand damage from vibrations and physical force. Factories can be a rough environment and equipment needs to be able to withstand a higher level of physical use. A shockproof enclosure ensures that your display is protected.

Size of Display

With any display used in an industrial application, size can be an important consideration. When it comes to factory automation systems, the size of displays can differ from system to system. It’s important to look for rugged monitors that come in a variety of sizes, ensuring that they can be integrated with your system. As well, look for display manufacturers that offer custom models that can be built to your required specifications.

Temperature Resistant

Industrial displays and monitors should feature extended operational temperature ranges, allowing the technology to be used in extreme heat or cold. Factories can be rough environments when it comes to temperatures. Temperature extremes can cause regular technology to shut down or malfunction. For safety and consistency, it’s important to use equipment that is temperature resistant.

Multiple Inputs for Better Connectivity

Factory system displays and monitors should feature multiple inputs, ensuring that they can be used in any application. To ensure compatibility with factory automation systems, look for displays that have multiple inputs (DVI, VGA, composite, and S-video). Industrial monitors should have greater versatility than consumer-grade technology.

Various Mounting Options

Look for displays with versatile mounting options, ensuring that they can be used in any application or setting. Displays may need to be used in areas with little available space, or there may be safety/usability considerations that affect their placement. Look for displays that can be mounted through panel, wall, or VESA arm mounting. A panel mount LCD display can save space, while a rack mount LCD display is easily integrated into factory automation systems.

Customized Display

Some industrial display manufacturers offer customized displays to meet their clients’ specific needs, requirements, and considerations. A customized display can be built for specific factory settings or applications. These custom models ensure that a display can be used in any industrial environment, no matter the application.

Why Our Industrial LCD Monitors?

Nauticomp Inc. is a leading manufacturer and provider of rugged LCD displays for industrial, marine, and military applications. Our industrial LCD monitors have enhanced durability and can provide consistent use in the harshest factory settings. We offer models with enhanced temperature ranges, rugged shockproof enclosures, versatile mounting options, and features for increased usability (touchscreen, multiple inputs, dim-to-red capability). We also offer custom models built to our clients’ specific industry requirements. Contact us at 1-705-328-2992 for Canadian service and at 1-800-267-9491 for U.S. service.