Importance of Shatterproof Screens for Outdoor Digital Signage

Placing a screen outside for outdoor digital signage has many benefits, but technologies such as an LCD or plasma screens are extremely vulnerable, and any outdoor screen is going to need protection. Of course, keeping the LCD out of the weather is obvious, as rain and other elements can easily disable the vulnerable electronics of an LCD or plasma TV. Also, making sure the variable temperatures of an outdoor environment don’t disable the screen is also essential, but TV screens and outdoor digital signage face other hazards when used in outdoor environments.

Outdoor Digital Signage screens are extremely vulnerable

It is a sad reflection of our society that any vulnerable piece of technology, such as an LCD screen, may at some point fall foul to vandalism when placed in an outside environment. However sad this realization is, making sure a screen can withstand the unwanted attention of vandals is another essential aspect to outdoor digital signage, but it is one that poses particular challenges, due in part, for the need of a TV screen to be visible.

While housing an outdoor TV screen in a steel LCD enclosure will provide physical protection against impact and tampering to the body of the display, one area of the screen that obviously can’t be covered over with steel is the screen face.

Because of this, the face of a digital signage screen is particularly vulnerable, even for screens in indoor environments or non-public locations where accidental impact can just as easily damage the screen face as much as deliberate vandalism.

Because of the need for transparency of the screen, choices for screen protection are limited. Glass, of course, is too easily broken, even toughened glass that while able to withstand relatively severe impacts, will eventually shatter. And this can lead to further problems. Small fragments of glass can prove hazardous. If a glass screen is broken, the fragments even of toughened glass, which shatters into small fragments, can cause injury, furthermore, in locations such as food manufacturing plants, any broken glass could lead to shut down of the facilities.

For this reason, LCD enclosures from Armagard are fitted with a shatterproof polymer for physical impact protection. Not only can these shatterproof screens withstand extremely severe impacts, they never shatter. While, repeated and severe strikes against the screen face can result in discoloration of the polymer, the housed screen behind will always remain undamaged and the shatterproof screen can easily be replaced, allowing the screen and LCD enclosure to continue functioning.

Shatterproof screens are not just ideal for outdoor environments, but also in areas where any contamination of broken glass or other materials could lead to production problems, as no matter how severe the impact on the screen, no shattering and contamination of splinters of material will fall from the screen.