SAW Touchscreen

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Touch Screen Technology

Surface Acoustic Wave technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the touch screen panel. It is based on sending "acoustic waves" across a clear glass panel with a series of transducers and reflectors creating an invisible grid across the screen. When a finger touches the screen, the waves are absorbed (or broken), causing a touch command to be detected at that specific point. If a link is detected by the sensor, an executable is launched (this is just like a click on a mouse). This change in the ultrasonic waves registers the position of the touch event and sends this information to the controller for processing. Surface wave touch screen panels are the most advanced of the three types, but they can be damaged by outside elements.

Because the panel is all glass there are no layers that can be worn, giving this technology the highest durability factor and also the highest clarity. This technology is recommended for public information kiosks, computer based training, or other high traffic indoor environments. Because the technology requires the addition of a glass layer, it may not be available on all LCD panel’s.

This type of screen is best for medical applications.