I am interested in creating a device with contains a multi-touch capacitive screen with many curves and bends. I am wondering if this is possible, and what the potential price range might be.
Dear Mr. Curve-A-Lot.
Needless to say, you have Touch Guy’s curiosity aroused as to what you would do with this curvy-bendy-multi-touch touch-screen. Also, he wants to make sure you need this to be transparent because that drives the touch sensing technology and ultimately the cost…..and do you need proximity sensing as well?
In the antediluvian days of CRT’s, all touch screens were curved, so we are familiar with building curved touch screens. Since then, plastic and glass forming has advanced to allow for just about any possible shape. Part of the magic is the use of transparent nano-inks to follow the contours of your crazy design and still remain conductive.
Though it is not the typical PCAP product, Touch International does build all-plastic projected capacitive touch screens for remote controls, automotive panels, and aerospace devices. The cost depends upon the materials, glass or plastic, and the tools needed form to your contour. Once the tooling is designed and proven, the cost to produce each part is not exceptionally high.
So yes, what you want to do is completely possible, but you are going to have a lot of fun interpreting the touch coordinates!
Touch Guy