Touch panels: Capacitive touch panels explored to prop up line

Resistive touch panels will continue to lead but capacitive versions will rise in supply as makers broaden their application base.

China suppliers of touch panels are strengthening R&D and exploring new technologies in an effort to catch up with leading international players.

While most makers still focus on resistive models, a growing number of companies are setting their sights on capacitive variants, in particular the projected kind. This is to leverage rising demand for multitouch-enabled devices such as smphones.

The majority of manufacturers are riding the broadening adoption of touch panels in portable electronics to boost the product’s popularity as a direct input interface. The screens are increasingly used in PDAs, mobile phones and game consoles. They have also started penetrating the ATM, POS machine and office automation segments. Aggressive R&D will continue to expand the application range in coming years.

Read more at Electronic Components