We live in a tactile world - one where our fingertips hold the key to operating everyday devices, from modern consumer electronics and kitchen appliances to medical devices. Touch pads, interactive displays, and touch-screen technologies have become the switches of choice for many consumer electronics. And that’s for good reason.
By eliminating traditional knobs and buttons, companies can make complex operations simple and intuitive, while creating a clean, minimalistic design. However, the more comprehensive and sophisticated the devices become, the greater the demands on the surface material. Special glass can meet those demands in many ways.
In many applications that use touch technology, ease of use, as well as direct and clear feedback, are crucial to the user. This is particularly important when incorrect use could cause harm. Knowing definitively whether a device is on or off can also make a world of difference, which is why designers have been integrating touch control panels with acoustic, tactile, and visual feedback signals into many applications.
To meet these various needs, manufacturers are developing glass with a range of properties that can provide the streamlined design of touch screens and the critical need for safe and intuitive controls. These specialty glass control panels are being used for everything from kitchen appliances to medical devices and other industrial and commercial applications. The latest glass processing technologies and the ability to c...

We live in a tactile world - one where our fingertips hold the key to operating everyday devices, from modern consumer electronics and kitchen appliances to medical devices. Touch pads, interactive displays, and touch-screen technologies have become the switches of choice for many consumer electronics. And that’s for good reason.
By eliminating traditional knobs and buttons, companies can make complex operations simple and intuitive, while creating a clean, minimalistic design. However, the more comprehensive and sophisticated the devices become, the greater the demands on the surface material. Special glass can meet those demands in many ways.
In many applications that use touch technology, ease of use, as well as direct and clear feedback, are crucial to the user. This is particularly important when incorrect use could cause harm. Knowing definitively whether a device is on or off can also make a world of difference, which is why designers have been integrating touch control panels with acoustic, tactile, and visual feedback signals into many applications.
To meet these various needs, manufacturers are developing glass with a range of properties that can provide the streamlined design of touch screens and the critical need for safe and intuitive controls. These specialty glass control panels are being used for everything from kitchen appliances to medical devices and other industrial and commercial applications. The latest glass processing technologies and the ability to combine glass with electronic components allows device or appliance manufacturers to design a wide variety of interfaces and an outstanding look.

The need for feedback
SCHOTT’s Smart Touch technology, for example, provides the feedback necessary to ensure proper device use, while maintaining a sleek appearance. Cavities in the glass act as a tactile feedback for touch switches - users press or slide a finger along the glass surface and feel the groove to activate the touch sensor behind the glass. These cavities are ground into the glass surface, eliminate moving parts, such as knobs and buttons, and provide a smooth surface that gives a tactile experience when operating the device. This is especially beneficial for on and off switches. In addition, another new tactile feedback feature allows control panel manufacturers the integration of tiny haptic structures for easier touch switch recognition.

Design possibilities
Furthermore, a wide range of glass printing capabilities, colours, and design options ensure user interfaces with modern appearances. Options include metal effects, matte surfaces, mirror effects, 3-D designs, and much more, so that device manufacturers can create very individualized designs for their appliances. Moreover, a new colour technology expands the design possibilities for glass control panels by allowing for a dead-front effect - control elements become visible when seven-segment displays are switched on, but when the device is turned off, it transitions back to a homogeneous black surface.
Additional elements help designers move beyond the standard interface. For example, semitransparent prints on the rear side help to improve the illumination of icons, lines, and areas.

Printing circuits on glass
Circuits can now also be printed directly on glass, and this is a great advantage for device manufacturers, as they subsequently assemble capacitive sensors, LEDs, or other electronic components for switches. This eliminates the use of foils as a carrier material, one that often became brittle or discolored during the product lifecycle. With conductive printing on glass, these aging effects are no longer a risk.

The future of glass for control panels
It is capabilities like these that make glass the ideal material for touch and control panels. Glass provides a premium look and high durability. It is extremely robust against impacts, and because of its increased strength, it will stand up to everyday use. In addition, glass is more scratch resistant than other materials - plastic panels, for example - and can be cleaned more easily to ensure a high-end appearance for many years.
The characteristics of glass allow design options with better usability, a longer lifespan, and greater cleanliness - due to the smooth and jointless surface of a control panel.