43-Inch RLCD Display
A 43-inch hanging RLCD display designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content with ...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
ApplicationsIndustrialRetailTransportationOEMBy conditionDirect sunlightBattery and solarExtreme temperatureBy technologyReflective LCDTransflective LCD
What does a cover lens cost and buy?
4%lost at each uncoated face
2 crossingslight passes the lens in and out
AR coatingrecovers most of the loss
IK impactwhy the lens is there at all
Characteristic behaviour of the technology, not the rating of a specific module. Per-module figures are issued as a datasheet with the conditions behind each one.
How much light does a cover lens lose?
Ambient light enters through the lens, reflects off the panel and leaves through the lens again. With an air gap behind it, that path crosses four optical interfaces. Each uncoated air-to-material boundary sends roughly four per cent straight back to the viewer as veiling glare, which lands on the dark state and closes the contrast ratio.
01
Light enters the lens
The first surface reflects a share immediately, before any of it reaches the panel.
02
It crosses the gap
With an air gap there are two more interfaces on the way in and two on the way out.
03
What returns is the image
Coating or bonding removes interfaces, which is why lens choice changes measured reflectance.
When should you specify a cover lens?
Specify it when
Impact or vandal resistance is required and the panel cannot be exposed.
The product is touched, so the lens is also the touch surface and the cleaning surface.
Anti-reflective coating is available and the budget can carry it.
The lens can be optically bonded, which removes two interfaces outright.
Consider something else when
Nothing protects the panel and the lens is being added purely for appearance.
A thick uncoated lens is specified with an air gap, which costs more contrast than the protection is worth.
The material is chosen on cost alone without checking scratch resistance against the cleaning regime.
Compare
Three cover lens materials compared
| Criterion | Chemically strengthened glass | Acrylic (PMMA) | Polycarbonate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optical clarity | Highest | High | Good |
| Scratch resistance | Highest | Low without hard coat | Low without hard coat |
| Impact resistance | Good | Moderate | Highest |
| Weight | Heaviest | Light | Light |
| Takes anti-reflective coating | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Typical use | Touch and outdoor | Indoor, cost-led | Vandal-resistant |
Typical behaviour for the technology class, not a specific part. Request the datasheet for the module you are evaluating.
Panels supplied with a specified lens
43-Inch RLCD Kiosk
A 43-inch free-standing RLCD kiosk designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content w...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
Resources on cover lens choice
On request
Datasheets
Each module is characterised before its datasheet publishes, so we issue the current specification directly rather than list a stale one.
Not yet published
Integration guides
Written against real integrations rather than in advance. If you are driving a panel now, an application engineer walks the interface and timing through with you.
Available now
Power calculator
Size a reflective panel against your power budget before samples arrive. A sizing aid, with its assumptions stated on the page.
Specifying a lens over a reflective panel?
Send the enclosure drawing and the operating environment. An application engineer specifies the lens, the coating and the bonding method together.
What does optical bonding change?
2 interfacesremoved from the light path
4%reflected at each one, uncoated
0internal condensation path
Stifferlens and panel act as one
Characteristic behaviour of the technology, not the rating of a specific module. Per-module figures are issued as a datasheet with the conditions behind each one.
How does index matching recover contrast?
Light bends and partly reflects wherever the refractive index changes. An air gap creates two such changes: lens to air, then air to panel. An adhesive with an index close to both makes the boundary nearly invisible, so more of the ambient light reaches the reflector and more of the returned image reaches the viewer.
01
The gap is filled
A liquid or dry-film adhesive occupies the space between the lens and the panel face.
02
The index is matched
With no abrupt change in refractive index, the internal reflections at those boundaries largely disappear.
03
The assembly stiffens
Lens and panel behave as one part, which improves impact behaviour and removes the condensation cavity.
When should you bond the cover lens?
Specify it when
The product is read outdoors, where every recovered per cent of reflectance shows.
The enclosure cycles through the dew point and an internal air gap would fog.
The assembly is exposed to impact or vibration and needs to behave as one part.
A touch sensor sits in the stack and would otherwise add two more interfaces.
Consider something else when
Panels must be separable for service, since bonding is effectively permanent.
The programme cannot carry the rework cost, as a bonding defect scraps both parts.
The product is indoor-only under controlled light, where the gain is small.
Compare
Three ways to attach a cover lens
| Criterion | Liquid bonding (LOCA) | Dry film bonding (OCA) | Air gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interfaces removed | Two | Two | None |
| Panel size | Suits large sizes | Better on small sizes | Any size |
| Condensation risk | Eliminated | Eliminated | Present |
| Reworkable | Difficult | Difficult | Yes |
| Impact behaviour | Improved | Improved | Lens and panel separate |
| Unit cost | Higher | Higher | Lowest |
Typical behaviour for the technology class, not a specific part. Request the datasheet for the module you are evaluating.
Panels available optically bonded
43-Inch RLCD Display
A 43-inch hanging RLCD display designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content with ...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
43-Inch RLCD Kiosk
A 43-inch free-standing RLCD kiosk designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content w...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
Resources on optical bonding
On request
Datasheets
Each module is characterised before its datasheet publishes, so we issue the current specification directly rather than list a stale one.
Not yet published
Integration guides
Written against real integrations rather than in advance. If you are driving a panel now, an application engineer walks the interface and timing through with you.
Available now
Power calculator
Size a reflective panel against your power budget before samples arrive. A sizing aid, with its assumptions stated on the page.
Deciding whether to bond?
Send the optical stack and the service requirement. An application engineer tells you what bonding recovers on your panel and what it costs you.
What does anti-glare treatment do?
Specularreflection broken into diffuse
Haze %the number that grades it
Sparklethe cost at high haze
0 Wit is a surface, not a system
Characteristic behaviour of the technology, not the rating of a specific module. Per-module figures are issued as a datasheet with the conditions behind each one.
How does an anti-glare surface work?
Anti-glare does not remove reflected light. It spreads it. A gloss surface returns a sharp mirror image of whatever is in front of it, which sits directly on top of the content. A textured or etched surface returns the same energy across a wide angle, so instead of a readable reflection of the sky there is a faint even veil.
01
Gloss returns a mirror
A smooth surface reflects at one angle, so the ceiling light or the sky appears as a sharp bright shape.
02
Texture spreads it
A micro-rough or etched surface scatters that same light across many angles, lowering peak brightness.
03
Haze grades the trade
More haze means less mirror and more veil, and eventually visible sparkle on fine text.
How much anti-glare should you specify?
Specify it when
The display faces a bright sky, a window or a fixed overhead light.
The operator position is fixed, so the reflection always lands in the same place.
Text is large enough that sparkle at moderate haze is not a problem.
The surface is cleaned often and a matte finish hides handling marks.
Consider something else when
Fine text or dense data is displayed, where high haze introduces visible sparkle.
Colour fidelity matters more than reflection control, since heavy treatment slightly desaturates.
The product is in controlled indoor lighting where nothing bright faces the screen.
Compare
Three levels of front-surface finish
| Criterion | Light anti-glare | Heavy anti-glare | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirror reflection | Much reduced | Largely gone | Full |
| Text sharpness | Near gloss | Softened | Highest |
| Sparkle | Minimal | Visible on fine text | None |
| Colour saturation | Near gloss | Slightly reduced | Highest |
| Fingerprints | Less visible | Least visible | Most visible |
| Typical use | Outdoor and touch | Bright sky, large text | Controlled indoor |
Typical behaviour for the technology class, not a specific part. Request the datasheet for the module you are evaluating.
Panels available with anti-glare
43-Inch RLCD Display
A 43-inch hanging RLCD display designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content with ...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
43-Inch RLCD Kiosk
A 43-inch free-standing RLCD kiosk designed for digital signage, delivering clear portrait-format content w...
Reflective LCD · 43 in
Resources on anti-glare
On request
Datasheets
Each module is characterised before its datasheet publishes, so we issue the current specification directly rather than list a stale one.
Not yet published
Integration guides
Written against real integrations rather than in advance. If you are driving a panel now, an application engineer walks the interface and timing through with you.
Available now
Power calculator
Size a reflective panel against your power budget before samples arrive. A sizing aid, with its assumptions stated on the page.
Not sure how much anti-glare you need?
Send the operator position, the light sources and a sample of the content. An application engineer recommends a haze level.