LCD Technology: Applications in the Manufacturing Industry

If we look at any modern manufacturing facility, we can see how each piece of machinery plays a key role in a broader system of assembly, processing, or fabrication. Within this system are the often underestimated small LCD screens that display all the information we need to know to guide these processes and make sure everything is running smoothly.

These LCD Displays are found everywhere, from the microwave heating up your food to the entertainment system in your car. But they’ve also become integral for diverse manufacturing processes to improve efficiency and overall operations.

How Is LCD Technology Used in the Manufacturing Industry?

Within the manufacturing line, there are many ways that LCD technology has become essential to its digitization and automation. While operational efficiency is one of them, they can also offer other benefits like lowered energy costs and quality control.

• Machine Interfaces – The most apparent way LCD technology is used in manufacturing is for operator interfaces on machinery. These screens display important information about the machine, whether it’s speed, pressure, temperature, or other sorts of real-time data or operational instructions. This in itself helps to improve productivity and reduce the chance of human error.
• Quality Control – Along with displaying factual information about machinery, LCD panels also help with quality control and inspection. Using a camera to zoom in on components, these panels can be used to uncover overly minute details that aren’t detectable with the naked eye. This is especially useful in certain industries like pharmaceuticals or microelectronics.
• Equipment Monitoring – Part of keeping the manufacturing process smooth is being proactive. Small LCDs can display information from sensors around a factory. This provides real-time notification when equipment needs maintenance and minimizing costly downtime.
• Assembly Lines – Throughout the manufacturing process, regularity and consistency often determine the quality of the outcome. LCD technology can display statistics and process data that aid with precise control and regulation. This benefit is particularly noticeable with automated assembly lines.
• Data Collection Stations – Many manufacturing facilities have data stations that outline things like production metrics, timesheets, and other information. Metrics such as these can improve manufacturing operations. LCDs can offer clear and crisp displays that can showcase both dynamic and static content.

Types of LCDs in the Manufacturing Industry

The components and needs of the manufacturing industry are so varied. Because of this, there is a wide variety of LCDs made to suit each of them.

• TFT Displays – TFT displays are best used for their high resolution and vibrant color quality. Using thin-film transistor technology, the display allows for better image quality in situations requiring detailed visual information. They offer several advantages: a wide viewing angle ensures clear visibility from various vantage points within an area, and high color depth capabilities enhance the handling of color-coded data.  Often times, these displays integrate a capacitive or resistive touch panel to improve the user interface.
• Character Displays – Conversely, character displays show text or numeric data in predefined patterns. They display a set number of characters, which makes them most suitable for basic interfaces like meters and timers. Thanks to their simplicity and lower cost, they’re very accessible in comparison to other displays.
• Graphic Displays – Graphic displays offer a more sophisticated way to display data. While they’re able to display text, their primary draw is their pixelated grid that can present more detailed visual data. These grids are capable of displaying drawings, graphs, and symbols, which make them a great choice for applications that need a more graphical interface. These are optimal for applications requiring more data output than a character display or the ability to display different menus.

Challenges in Implementing LCDs and How to Overcome Them

Incorporating LCD technology into a manufacturing space offers a host of benefits, but the implementation process isn’t always smooth. This is especially true if you’re inexperienced with LCD technology. That’s why there are a few considerations that you’ll want to keep in mind before opting for a specific LCD.

Challenge 1: Lifetime

Nothing is more frustrating than designing a new product and then finding out that a component on the bill of materials (BOM) has gone obsolete one year into production.  Unfortunately, LCDs are a component that this can be common with as well.  One recommendation is to work with an LCD manufacturer that specializes in providing displays for industrial equipment and other similar industries that require long product life such as medical, mining and test and measurement applications.

Challenge 2: Environment Concerns

External factors such as temperature, vibration and lighting can affect the performance of LCDs. The display might be hard to read in sunlight. Additionally, the responsiveness of an LCD may be affected by extreme temperatures. Working with an LCD manufacturer that specializes in displays for similar environments ensures optimal performance and durability. For example, selecting a sunlight-readable LCD will ensure the screen is easy to read and can operate in bright environments and planning for a high-vibration environment can help in selecting an LCD which is capable of withstanding high-vibration uses for years of use.

Challenge 3: Integration with Existing Systems

Integrating new LCD technology with an existing manufacturing system can also be a major challenge. Compatibility issues prevent these screens from working with your existing machinery and software, practically rendering them useless. However, designing an LCD to align more closely with existing firmware can minimize the need for changes to the current system. Manufacturers should consult their LCD supplier for appropriate recommendations in order to make sure the technology they choose is suitable. 

Conclusion

LCD technology acts as the eyes and ears of the busy manufacturing world, working to help control, monitor, maintain, and advance our existing systems. And with the rise in advancements and improvements in the sector, they will only continue to influence the way manufacturing units function – in terms of productivity, efficiency, and a lot more.

Published by Steve Litchfield at 16:13 UTC, October 22nd 2014

As an AMOLED fan for years, it's been fascinating seeing the way technology in the LCD world has caught up in terms of contrast and colours. In fact, judging from my tests and tables below, it seems that the choice of screen technology for smartphones is now pretty clear cut. My advice to go for AMOLED three years ago was sound, but it seems that things are now reversed. This article features the Lumia 1020, 830 and 1520, by the way.

Let's start with the basics and just a little science, here's my definitive guide to the pros and cons of each smartphone technology, as implemented in decent specification 2014 smartphones:

• Uses less power when displaying a dark-themed screen
• 'Blacker blacks' possible
• Glance screen has far less 'background' glow at night
• Display can be slightly thinner, since no backlight layer is needed
• Can be made flexible (ok, not relevant for smartphones in their current form, but worth mentioning!)

• Power drain doesn't vary wildly according to displayed content
• More accurate colour balance (including 'whiter whites')
• Higher brightnesses possible
• A full RGB matrix is almost always used, giving crisper results for a given, nominal resolution
• Screen 'burn in' is almost impossible
• Brightness stays constant across many years (dimming would require a decade of regular use)
• Tend to be cheaper to manufacture
• Higher densities/resolutions possible

• Uses dramatically more power when displaying a white-themed screen
• At high resolutions, cost and longevity concerns means that a 'pentile' layout is often used, leading to slightly fuzzy text and a lower than nominal resolution
• In some cases, users have seen 'burn in' of UI elements, due to natural degradation of the organic polymers in the AMOLED pixels
• Brightness can reduce in time (several years)
• Tend to be more expensive to manufacture than LCD
• Limited in pixel density and resolution

• Glance screen has noticeable 'all over' glow when seen in dead of night
• Display has to be slightly thicker, due to the need for a backlight
• Refresh rates can be slower, leading to flickering or tearing in screen elements

* Of note in the table above is that there's no mention of viewing angles - this used to be a 'thing', but I've tested the latest smartphone screens and anything outside budget handsets now effectively has perfect viewing angles, whichever technology is used.

Your eyes don't deceive you, the 'pros' bullet points are greater in number for LCD and the 'cons' less than for AMOLED. Not that bullet points mean everything, which is why I've gone into test images below, to help try and decide on a 'winner'.

LCD screens from five years ago (think Nokia N97, or the first iPhone, or the later Windows Mobile handsets) were somewhat unremarkable and the advent of AMOLED screens in the likes of the Nokia N85 and the Samsung i8910 brought in widespread admiration for colours that 'popped' and blacks that were really 'black'. However, gorgeous colours and high contrast are now possible with 2014 LCD screens, as we've seen in many devices, not least the HTC One (M7), the iPhone 4 and 5 and, latterly, the new Windows Phone-powered Lumia 830.

Tests

I've attempted some comparisons, albeit with some huge caveats.

• What you're seeing is what the photographing devices captured. In this case a Nokia 808 PureView with pretty good record for colour accuracy, but it's still a million miles off what the human eye can see and appreciate. 
    
• You're seeing this photographic approximation through your own choice of device and display technology, which will change things round still further!
    
• There are some limitations of digitally photographing a digital image, namely some Moire fringes and other digital artefacts. Just ignore them!

Those caveats aside then, I loaded up the same batch of test images from my OneDrive on the Lumia 1020s (yes, plural!) and 830 (and 1520 in one case).

Here are a few examples showing why I'm turning the corner on my view of LCD versus AMOLED. On top/left in each case is the 768p (pentile) AMOLED-screened Lumia 1020 (from mid 2012), on the bottom/right is the 720p (RGB) LCD-screened Lumia 830 (brand new), both set to automatic brightness in their generic Windows Phone 'Settings', though with 'Settings/Display/Brightness adjustment' turned right up on the 830 (it's one of the Lumia-only LCD tweaks, I believe).

See what you think, there are three comparisons to look at:

With the caveats mentioned above, it's hard to tell just from these snaps, so you'll have to trust me when I say that, in the flesh, the 830's 'cheaper' RGB 720p LCD screen produced brighter, crisper and even more saturated colours - much to my surprise.

One thought I had was that my 1020's display may have dimmed in the year or so that I've had it. So I grabbed my original 'spare' 1020, which has hardly been used at all, and brought up the same screen and settings:

If there had been any degradation in a year, it's very, very slight, I don't think we need to allow for this factor.

The second thing that occurred to me was that the 830's LCD screen seemed brighter and more colourful than the display on the likes of the 1520, a LCD panel from late 2013. So I did the test again, with the 1520 on top and the 830 beneath:

As I suspected, it's the Lumia 830's LCD screen that's improved here, this is how fast screen tech is moving forwards. 

I should also add that inside 'Settings/Display' on the 830 there's an additional 'Colour profile' setting - I had this set on 'Standard' throughout, though putting this to 'Vivid' would add even more colour and making the 830 display stand out even more.

Verdict

LCD technology is, even after two decades, still moving forwards, with more even, unobtrusive backlights, better colourss, better viewing angles and lower power consumption. It's rather amazing, and has surprised me greatly in the case of the new Lumia 830 (see here for my full review).

The table at the top of this post and the images below all make the point somewhat forcibly that LCD now has enough advantages over AMOLED that the former should be used whenever possible in new smartphones. (Whatever I used to say five years ago and whatever Samsung continues to proclaim to this day!)