Protecting Your LCD Glass

Although 2020 has been a year of ups, downs, and uncertainty, we see many companies moving forward with new designs. Many of these designs will be used outdoors where dust, mud and harsh environments can scratch or shatter the LCD in your product. Since it is easier to add protection, using glass or other materials, than to keep replacing displays, we have two suggestions to reduce your repair and maintenance expenses.

PROTECTIVE GLASS

Protective glass is often called hardened or chemically strengthened glass and is available in many brand names including Corning Gorilla Glass or Asahi Dragontrail Glass. This glass can be used to replace the normal ITO glass located on the display, or it can be added as a separate protective layer above the display.

OCA BONDING

While the protective glass is a big help, if you need your product to be even more durable, or have protective qualities such as UV protection, moisture and dust protection, choosing an OCA bonding is necessary. OCA (optically clear adhesive) bonding uses a clear adhesive as the name suggests that is placed between the protective glass and the LCD across the entire LCD area. Other bonding methods only adhere the area outside of the viewing area of the LCD which leaves a gap between the LCD and the cover glass.

What does this mean? OCA bonding removes the possibility of moisture or dust getting between the LCD and glass, it reduces the number of reflective layers which makes the readability of the display better, it offers UV protection for outdoor applications and it also increases the durability of the display from direct impact.

PROTECTIVE COVER

A less expensive but also less durable option could be to use an alternative protective cover material, such as a polycarbonate layer or a polyethylene. This is commonly used for products that are not handheld, used in rugged environments, or are inexpensive. They can be placed on the face of the LCD and the cover absorbs shock instead of your display.

The cover thickness ranges between .4mm to 6mm with the added benefit of protecting the display from dust and some moisture.