Glossary · HMI, SCADA and operations
Touch panel
Also known as: Touch-screen panel, Touch operator panel
German: Touchpanel
In industrial automation, a touch panel is an operator panel operated mainly through a touch-sensitive screen instead of physical keys, used to run HMI screens on machines and plants.
- HMI and SCADA
In one sentence
A touch panel is an operator panel operated through a touch screen, used to run HMI screens on machines and plants.
Example
Operators wearing thin gloves use the capacitive touch panel on the filling machine to change formats and acknowledge messages.
How it applies
- Engineering: Resistive touch screens work with most gloves; capacitive screens support multi-touch gestures but may need suitable gloves. Consider accidental touches, cleaning and splashing in the design.
- Safety: Touch screen buttons are generally not suitable as safety-related control devices. Emergency stop and other safety-related controls are separate physical devices, and critical commands on the touch screen should need confirmation.
- Documentation: Explain touch gestures and confirmation dialogs in the operating manual, and specify permitted cleaning agents and whether gloves can be used.
Touch panel vs. key panel
Key panels use physical keys, which work reliably with heavy gloves and give tactile feedback. Touch panels offer flexible screens. Many machines combine a touch panel with a few physical buttons for critical functions.