Avant-garde operating concepts – Modular embedded touch HMI rethought

Embedded touch HMIs from Irlbacher do not necessarily have to follow the shape of a display: Thanks to the in-house technology, the entire surface can be used as a touch. Regardless of whether it is made of glass, natural stone, or laminate. Application-specific coloured backlighting ensures a good overview and unobtrusive user guidance. Disappearance effects make certain operating functions only visible depending on the situation, thus eliminating the possibility of operating errors.

An encoder-like component that can be placed anywhere on the surface offers completely new design options. Its current setting is displayed on a freely customisable digital scale – permanently or only situationally. There are virtually no limits to the design of the encoder; it is also possible to embed a small display in it, adapt its shape and size to children’s hands, for example, or accentuate it with colour. Thanks to the wireless connection, protection classes up to IP68K can also be achieved.

In a current project, a room controller was supplemented with a decentralised control point. This can be removed as a convenient and elegant remote control. A magnetic holding system with mechanical centring ensures that the control point always returns to its original position. Spring contacts provide a reliable electrical connection, enabling the remote-controller’s battery to be recharged automatically, for example.

The embedded touch HMIs from Irlbacher are incredibly flat. Including the cover glass, an installation depth of just 10 mm is sufficient. Nevertheless, creative lighting effects are possible: with these flat system designs, the LED light is either coupled into the glass from the side or via laser-moulded cavities. However, if displays are to be used, a housing depth of at least 20 mm is required.

The embedded touch HMIs from Irlbacher do not necessarily have to be embedded in all-round protective corners: Special grinding techniques protect the glass edge and ensure that an embedded touch HMI from Irlbacher can also be flush with the device – without a frame and without visible edges. With their seamless design, Irlbacher’s glass touch HMIs are not only seawater-resistant – they are also resistant to high temperatures, cleaning agents, and disinfectants and can therefore be used in dishwashers or hygienically reprocessed in autoclaves.

For almost 90 years, the Irlbacher Group has specialised in the processing of glass and is regarded as the company with the widest range of options for flat glass in the world. For over 20 years, the company has been supplying touch solutions and embedded HMIs based on technologies developed and patented in-house.