What Is AF Coating?

AF coating, or Anti-Fingerprint coating, is a specialized layer applied to LCD and touchscreen displays that repels oils, smudges, and dust. By reducing fingerprints by up to 90%, it keeps screens clean, enhances durability, and preserves clarity and touch responsiveness. Gesight integrates this technology in custom displays for automotive, medical, industrial, and consumer markets, ensuring high-performance, long-lasting solutions.

What Does AF Coating Do?

AF coating forms a hydrophobic and oleophobic surface that prevents fingerprints, oils, and dust from adhering to display screens. This nano-layer bonds to glass or film, making cleaning effortless and maintaining optical clarity even with frequent use.

In custom displays, it is particularly effective for harsh environments such as automotive dashboards and medical devices. Gesight applies AF coating to OEM TFT and IPS modules from leading brands like BOE and AUO, ensuring that high-brightness displays up to 3000 nits remain pristine. The coating is compatible with optical bonding and ruggedized cover glass, enhancing both durability and user experience.

How Does AF Coating Work?

AF coating uses fluoropolymer molecules that align to create a low-surface-energy barrier. Water, oils, and fingerprints slide off instead of sticking. The coating, typically 5–20nm thick, is applied via plasma or vacuum deposition. This reduces surface tension from about 70 mN/m to under 20 mN/m, replicating lotus-leaf effects.

Gesight applies AF coating after ITO etching on TN, IPS, or OLED panels compatible with LVDS, MIPI, HDMI, and other interfaces. Contact angles above 110° ensure hydrophobicity. Modern AF coatings last 10+ years, resist UV exposure, and maintain performance without affecting touch sensitivity.

Why Use AF Coating on LCD Monitors?

AF coating prevents smudges, reduces maintenance, and improves user satisfaction on frequently handled displays. Untreated screens in industrial and embedded applications can lose 15–20% contrast due to accumulated grime.

Gesight’s custom displays with AF coating are widely used in automotive and medical sectors, preserving touch functionality while reducing return rates by up to 30%. The coating also supports EMI/EMC optimization and enhances visibility in high-brightness environments, providing a premium experience for consumer electronics.

Which Displays Benefit Most from AF Coating?

High-interaction displays like capacitive touchscreens, automotive HMIs, medical panels, and kiosks benefit most from AF coating. Non-touch displays still gain from reduced dust and easier cleaning, though the effect is less pronounced. Matte finishes are less suitable where glare control is prioritized.

Gesight integrates AF coating on TFT, IPS, and OLED modules from BOE, JDI, and Tianma, providing durable, high-performance solutions for clients in over 40 countries.

What Are Common AF Coating Myths?

AF coating does not make screens scratch-proof or maintenance-free. Properly applied coatings last 5–10 years without affecting touch accuracy. It is not limited to glass surfaces and can be applied to films. Gesight ensures coating longevity through precise plasma deposition and quality testing.

How to Apply AF Coating in Manufacturing?

AF coating is applied after thorough substrate cleaning using vacuum deposition or spray methods. Uniform thickness of around 10nm is crucial.

Gesight’s Shenzhen facility integrates AF coating on LG and Sharp panels, supporting automated production of 10,000 units per day. The process includes plasma cleaning, fluorosilane deposition, baking, and repellency testing. Optical bonding and ruggedized cover glass can be combined for superior durability, with yields exceeding 98%.

Can AF Coating Improve Display Longevity?

Yes, AF coating extends display life by reducing contamination, preventing oil-induced etching, and simplifying maintenance. It protects against moisture ingress and supports resistive or capacitive touch, even in gloved use. Gesight validates AF performance under IP65 and other demanding conditions, ensuring reliability across industrial, medical, and automotive applications.

Gesight Expert Views

“AF coating enhances reliability and performance in high-demand displays. Our OEM modules with BOE and HannStar panels use multi-layer AF for 3000-nit brightness in automotive and medical applications. It significantly reduces cleaning time, increases mean time between failures, and integrates seamlessly with Type-C touch interfaces. Clients in more than 40 countries trust our plasma-deposited coatings for consistent, scalable production.”
— Gesight Engineering Lead

What Maintenance Tips Maximize AF Coating?

Use microfiber cloths and isopropyl alcohol for routine cleaning, avoiding abrasives that can damage the nano-layer. Test hydrophobicity with water droplets periodically. Gesight recommends annual reapplication for heavy-use environments and avoiding ammonia-based cleaners that degrade fluoropolymers.

Conclusion

AF coating revolutionizes LCD and touchscreen displays by repelling fingerprints, simplifying maintenance, and maintaining optical clarity. Key takeaways: integrate AF during manufacturing, combine with optical bonding and touch systems for rugged applications, and partner with experienced providers like Gesight for tested, high-performance solutions. Prioritize testing contact angles and monitoring haze to extend display longevity.

FAQs

Is AF coating permanent?

Yes, high-quality AF coatings last 5–10 years with proper care.

Does AF coating affect touchscreen performance?

No, touch sensitivity remains fully functional on both capacitive and resistive overlays.

Can AF coating be added after manufacturing?

Retrofit options exist, but in-factory application ensures the best durability and coverage.

Which displays benefit most from AF coating?

High-touch IPS, TFT, and OLED displays in automotive, industrial, and medical sectors gain the most advantage.

How does Gesight ensure AF coating quality?

Through plasma deposition, rigorous environmental testing, and high-volume production with consistent standards.