The international technology group Schott has expanded its coating program in the area of specialty glass by introducing the first permanently anti-reflective and oleophobic coating for use on its proven glass Conturan. The German manufacturer claim that it is the first coating that allows for anti-reflective cover glasses for professional touch displays that are protected against fingerprints and other soilin. The multifunctional coating, which they call Daro, is particularly well suited for use in interactive kiosk systems in public places, casino game consoles, for equipping devices that are used in marine and medical technology or for other technical displays.
Today, anti-reflective coatings offer the best way to increase the contrast of displays in bright environments. Nevertheless, fingerprints left by users reduce their effectiveness and, furthermore, they don’t look good. There are currently very few other products available on the market for manufacturers that feature coatings that are capable of resisting the burden of being touched many times and the chemical stresses fingerprints cause without attacking the surface or making it difficult to clean.
“It is important to us to offer a solution that meets or exceeds the increasing demands of product designers, yet enhances user friendliness,” explains Marten Walther, Head of Application Development at the Schott Advanced Optics plant. The company has introduced this coating on the basis of its proven, anti-reflective glass Conturan. With this high-performance coating, the German company is extending the areas of application for anti-reflective products all the way to the high-end area of professional touch displays.
The specialty glass manufacturer uses the so-called sol-gel coating technology for its glass which provides the foundation for applying an oleophobic nanolayer in a chemically strong manner and therefore offers long-term resistance. This can be seen in the mechanical resistance tests in which the coating has stood up to more than 450,000 cycles. “This equates to a lifespan of more than 25 years, even if the coating was to be cleaned 20 times a day,” Walther explains. “By performing long-term stress tests, we want to demonstrate the high quality of this material to our customers and show them the great benefits that our new Daro coating offers, especially in professional display applications,” he adds.
