OPTICAL BONDING

Optical Bonding Services for Touch Screen and Display

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AR, AG, ITO, touch panels, EMI filters.

There are many benefits to the optical bonding method of integration vs. traditional gasket attach methods, some of the most notable being the enhanced optics and improved impact strength. Optical bonding services is the process of attaching the cover layer directly to an LCD display using a layer of optical grade adhesive. The intent is to strengthen the impact resistance of the optical bonding for displays and vastly improve its overall performance, readability, and touch-point accuracy by bridging the gap between the cover layer and the display.

Additionally, the air gap layer is encapsulated with adhesive and cured, preventing dust and foreign particles from entering or shifting within the display area . Heat dissipation, through the front glass, is also improved. For applications like military, marine, medical devices, outdoor use and more, optical bonding for displays is a great way to improve display performance and offer additional protection as well.

Achieve Clarity & Viewability

Optical bonding services reduces the internal reflections between the LCD and cover substrate (glass, plastic, filter, touch panel) since the optical bonding adhesive creates a matching refractive index between the LCD and substrate. Reducing internal reflections increases the contrast and viewability, which enables displays to be more readily seen in bright ambient conditions (such as outdoor sunlight), without increasing backlight brightness and the accompanying higher power and operating temperatures.

Maximum Protection

Optical bonding services dramatically increases both physical durability and impact resistance. Unlike traditional, unprotected LCDs, optically bonding for displays can have a cover glass that protects the display from rain, dust, snow, hammers, screwdrivers, etc. Adding custom cover glass, touch screens, optical filters, optical coatings, and other enhancements with optical bonding displays creates a durable and complete rugged solution.

Dust & Moisture Prevention

Traditional optical bonding touch screen configurations are only bonded from the sides and leave a massive gap in the middle that allows dust, dirt and moisture to get in and destroy the display from within. The optical adhesive fills the gap between the substrate layer and LCD, preventing contaminants from impacting the display viewability. Condensation or impurities can render the display unreadable.

Benefits of an E3 Optically Bonded Display

Solar Aging Performance

E3 Displays has developed numerous adhesives that out-perform commercial grade urethane acrylates, epoxies, and silicones in UV aging tests. In an independent side-by-side solar aging test, E3’s proprietary optical adhesive out-performed all other bonding agents regarding color shift and adhesive degradation.

Improved Heat Dissipation

Heat dissipation is the key to measuring display performance. The heat generated by the operation of the display is dissipated through optical material and is not blocked by insulating air layers. By filling the insulating air gap between the components, heat can be transferred to the outside environment.

Shock and Vibration Resistance

Optical Bonding is an effective means of improving resistance to shake and shock environments – a benefit especially useful in harsh military and transportation environments.

Accurate Touch Experience

For optical bonding touch screen monitors, the panel thickness influences touch accuracy and can affect usability with both touch pens and bare hands. An optical bonding touch screen monitor maintains consistently accurate touch response making it easy to use and reliable.

Professional Commercial Grade Options

E3 displays will enhance the best display solution that can withstand the toughest requirements so you can focus on what you do best, providing high quality customer service.

Sunlight Readability

Not only is the glass and bonding adhesive completely transparent to avoid obstructing view-ability and readability of on screen content, but it can also be utilized in all kinds of weather conditions at any time of the day or night. Optical bonding services enables the user to see sharp, clear text and images even with bright sunlight directly on the screen.

Types of Optical Bonding

Liquid Optical Clear Adhesive

LOCA is used in an optical bonding process where the air gap between the touch display and cover lens is filled. This adhesive is cured using UV light instead of heat. This edge-to-edge bonding process allows for increased viewability, touch sensitivity, and sunlight readability. It increases display durability and prevents moisture from building up between the touch panel and cover lens.

Optically Clear Adhesive

OCA is applied using a process similar to film lamination. Unlike LOCA, OCA is an adhesive sheet that is placed between the touch panel and the cover lens. This adhesive is cured using pressure and heat inside of an autoclave. This method allows for thinner bond lines and is ideal for thinner, more compact applications.

Air Bonding

The process of applying adhesive tape to the edges of a touch panel that allows the cover lens to be bonded to the display. This process leaves an air gap between the touch panel and display cover lens. This process increases glare and reflections while also leaving the display susceptible to moisture and impact damage.

Hybrid bonding

A combination of LOCA and OCA optical bonding. The liquid optically clear adhesive is dispensed to a touch sensor, next to the touch sensor and display are sealed together in a vacuum chamber, then the entire display is cured under UV light. This method of optical bonding provides the same benefits but is used with only certain display applications.

What Sets Us Apart

Not “One-size Fits All”

Display models offer a variety of product offerings including transflective displays, super-narrow bezels, to completely bezel-less TFT cells. The market has demanded a wide array of displays, why would you only use one type of adhesive? After careful evaluation of numerous commercial materials (silicones, epoxies, urethane acrylates), E3 Displays determined that while UV curable urethane acrylates offered distinct mechanical and process advantages over silicones and epoxies, these commercially available adhesives did not meet the technical performance criteria essential for use in the harsh environments of avionics and military products. This being the case, E3 displays chose to develop a family of custom adhesive formulations whose overall performance exceeds that of competing materials and are tailored to meet varied product requirements. After thousands of hours of development and testing, E3 Displays has created unparalleled adhesives in optical bonding services which are application (and display) specific.

Value-Added Display Solutions

The E3 Displays adhesives are designed using a low stress, low energy cure cycle which allows great flexibility in designing components and processes to maximize performance in optical bond LCD modules – especially using substrates such as touch screens, ITO, retarder films, and PMMA. Optical materials and components are compatibility tested to assure minimal negative interaction with the adhesive, cure cycle, and display constituents. Customer tests have repeatedly and overwhelmingly verified that the E3 Displays adhesives meet/exceed their specific environmental and optical requirements all while outperforming competitive optical bonding products. Simply put, E3 develops unique, technical solutions that our competitors are just unable to deliver to the same degree. E3 Displays is confident that our optical bonding technology will generate the best value to our customers and ensure the longest possible product reliability. Our clean room manufacturing, ISO 9001 Quality Systems, MIL-spec FDA-level standards, optical and performance testing and small to large scale manufacturing are what separates us from our competitors and why you choose to work with us for your display needs.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can display solutions of any type be optically bonded?

Displays of any type can be optically bonded. TFT, OLED and MLCD Displays can be optically bonded for improved durability and visibility.

Can you optically bond an existing display?

Yes. We can help you with the design and manufacturing of a completely new design concept or we can match, update, and enhance your current display.

What optical bonding adhesives does E3 Displays use?

E3 Displays bonds exclusively with E3 Materials urethane acrylate adhesives. These chemically engineered formulations designed specifically for the display market from E3 Materials have been benchmarked against the competition, and proven to be the best in the industry for 10+ years.

What size displays can you optically bond?

Display solutions of any size can be optically bonded. At E3 Displays we can optically bond 90”+ displays.

What industries is optical bonding commonly used in?

Optical Bonding is going to dramatically improve any display. However, a main benefit of optical bonding is sunlight readability and ruggedization which means that military, avionics, and marine commonly use optical bonding in their displays.

What additional enhancements can be added to increase the ruggedization of an optically bonded display?

Adding custom cover glass, transparent heaters, optical filters, touch screens, and optical coating to your display solution will increase the ruggedization of your optically bonded display.

Our Experienced Team is Ready to Help

Our E3 Displays team has expertise in every type of display technology, whether big or small. We will help you choose or design the display that best fits your needs, while always keeping quality and budget in mind. Here at E3 Displays, we specialize in custom displays use our product selection guide today to get started on your project today!

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