OCTOBER 6--Touch screens led the way in shipments of operator interface terminals to North America in 2005, according to a recent market report by Venture Development Corporation (VDC; Natick, MA; USA; www.vdc-corp.com). The North American Markets for Industrial Electronic Monitors, Operator Interface Terminals, and Associated Software--Sixth Edition forecasts this share to increase further through 2010.
"Touch screens have displaced other input devices used on operator interface terminals in recent years," says VDC analyst Jake Millette. "Input devices have evolved from single switches, to keypads or keyboards, and now touch screens." Today, Millette says, keypads are still widely used. These may be the lone method of input on some terminals, or may be used in conjunction with touch screens. Overall, however, the use of keypads is declining as touch screens gain in popularity.
Resistive touch screens accounted for the vast majority (84.5%) of the North American operator interface terminal market in 2005. The dominance of this technology is due to its cost-effectiveness and reliability.
Capacitive touch screens have gained slight market share since 2003, but still account for only 4.9%. This type of touch screen is highly durable, but is more expensive than resistive touch screens and cannot be used with gloves.
Other technologies, such as infrared and near-field imaging, are used in some terminals but are generally less capable of surviving harsh environments or are too costly. Among these, only those using infrared technology account for an appreciable share of shipments (9.0%).
For more information about VDC's report, contact James K. Taylor, director, industrial automation and control practice, 508-653-9000 ext. 121, e-mail: [email protected].