Appliance Design articles from August 2008

Appliance Design archives from August 2008

Prudent progress.(nanotechnology uses)(Editorial)
August 1, 2008... In the 1920s, the observation that exposure to X-rays caused hair to fall out led to the widespread establishment of clinics and salons specializing in X-ray removal of unwanted body and facial hair. Newspapers of the day praised the modem,...

Forecasts.(Statistical table)
August 1, 2008... FORECASTS AUTOMATIC WASHERS--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2007 2008 2009 1 2,233.1 2,112.2 2,099.5 2 2,265.9 2,152.9 2,170.1 3 2,202.8 2,130.0 2,166.2 4 2,123.2 2,087.1...

Shipments.(Statistical table)
August 1, 2008... SHIPMENTS Product May '08 May '07 % Chg. MAJOR APPLIANCES (Thousands of Units) TOTAL 6,540.7 7,553.6 -13.4% Cooking-Total 1,526.1 1,555.3 -1.9% Electric...

Touchscreen table surfaces.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A novel interactive technology developed by Microsoft and first unveiled as a prototype last year has popped up in the real world. Microsoft Surface, described as a surface computer, is a 30-in. (diagonal) table-like...

Wee bit of wash water.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Researchers at the University of Leeds in the U.K say they have developed a clothes washing technology that is almost waterless. The approach involves the addition of small plastic chips into the load that, when tumbled with the load, will...

GE seeks to spin-off unit.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... The General Electric Co., Fairfield, Conn., announced that it is continuing to explore all options for its Consumer & Industrial businesses with a primary focus on spinning-off the entire unit--Appliances, Lighting and Industrial--to existing...

Super efficient water heater.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Electric have collaborated to finalize, test, and market the first product from a major brand to meet DOE's new Energy Star criteria for electric heat-pump water heaters....

Meetings.(NEWS WATCH)(Calendar)
August 1, 2008... AUGUST IFA 2008 Aug. 29-Sept. 3 Berlin, Germany Email: ifa@messe-berlin.de Website: www.ifa-berlin.com SEPTEMBER IMTS 2008 Sept. 8-13, Chicago, Ill. Contact: 800/828-7469 Email: AMT@amtonline.org...

3D on display.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Royal Phillips Electronics of the Netherlands has introduced two new models of 3D displays that do not require special viewing glasses. The 22-in. and 52-in. displays feature WOWvx technology that uses 2D-plus Depth...

Manitowoc wins Enodis.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... The Manitowoc Co., Manitowoc, Wis., has won the battle with Illinois Tool Works, Glenview, Ill., to acquire commercial foodservice equipment giant Enodis, plc, which is listed in London, but operates out of Tampa, Fla. The affair began when...

AHRI backs DOE.(NEWS WATCH)(United States. Department of Energy v. Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute )(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has intervened on the side of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in a lawsuit brought against the agency by several local governments and environmental groups. The groups have...

Rulemaking begins.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... The DOE has begun a three-year rulemaking and data collection process for establishing amended energy conservation standards for residential central air conditioners and heat pumps. A final rule is expected to be published in 2011. The AHRI...

Electrolux names executive.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... Enderson Guimaraes has been appointed new head of Major Appliances Europe and executive vice president of AB Electrolux. He succeeds Magnus Yngen, who has been appointed president and CEO of Husqvarna AB. Yngen will be a member of group...

Bosch buys tool biz.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... The Bosch Group, Stuttgart, Germany, boosted its power tool business with the acquisition of CST/berger, a division of The Stanley Works. CST/berger, West Lafayette, Ind., makes laser and optical leveling tools as well as alignment technologies...

ATAG acquired.(NEWS WATCH)(Atag Holding N.V.)(Gorenje d.d.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Slovenia-based Gorenje has acquired ATAG Europe B.V., the Netherlands, a maker of household appliances, for EUR 130 million. ATAG, had 2007 net sales revenues of EUR 150 million. It markets medium- and high-price point products under a number...

Haier stakes 'sis.'.(NEWS WATCH)(Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Company Ltd.)(Haier Electronics Group)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Chinese home appliance maker Qingdao Haier Co., has agreed to buy a 20.1 percent stake in Haier Electronics Group, a Hung Kong-listed sister company. The move enables Qingdao Haier to consolidate its appliance business and gain access to...

Citadel acquires BMCI.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... Citadel Plastics Holdings, a Chicago-based private equity investment firm, has acquired Bulk Molding Compounds (BMCI) of West Chicago, Ill. BMCI is a manufacturer of custom formulated bulk molding compounds that it sells around the world. Larry...

Canadian outlook good.(NEWS WATCH)(Canadian Appliance Manufacturers Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Canadian Appliance Manufacturers Association says that there will be an average of 3.7 percent increase in 2008 shipments in five core appliance segments. The segments are refrigerators (2.2 percent increase), ranges (3.5 percent),...

Luxurious appliances.(NEWS WATCH)(2008 Luxury Brand Status Index survey)(Survey)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... High networth consumers rated La Cornue the most prestigious luxury appliance brand in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey from the independent New York City-based Luxury Institute. La Cornue manufactures ranges. The Bertazzoni and...

Drill satisfaction.(NEWS WATCH)(Ridgid Tool Co.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Power tool manufacturer Ridgid ranked highest in a customer satisfaction survey that examined cordless drills and drivers. According to the J.D. Power and Associates' inaugural 2008 Cordless Drill/Driver study, cordless drill owners were...

LED standards set.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with national standards organizations, have taken the lead in developing the first two standards for solid-state lighting in the...

IMOD in color.(NEWS WATCH)(Qualcomm MEMS Technologies)(interferometric modulation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Los Angeles, demonstrated the first reflective Interferometric Modulation (IMOD) color mirasol display, which is used in mainstream mobile devices. The first 0.9-in. IMOD color mirasol display will be introduced by...

GreenTV launched.(NEWS WATCH)(LCD TV Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The LCD TV Association has launched its GreenTV logo program to raise consumer awareness and help focus LCD TV manufacturers and brands on reducing the power consumption of LCD TVs. The group says that while LCD TVs already consume the least...

Ultra low-cost PC.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... SanDisk Corp., Milpitas, Calif., introduced a line of flash memory-based solidstate drives that are designed for ultra low-cost PCs. The SanDisk pSSD (parallel ATA solid-state drive) eliminates the need for a hard disk drive and can store both...

Bio-plastic phone.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... Japan-based Samsung Electronics Co. has released two bio-plastic phones. The W510 and F268 mobile phones are made from natural material extracted from corn. In addition, the W150 phone does not use any heavy metals such as lead, mercury, or...

CEA sets i-stage.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... The Consumer Electronics Association announced i-stage, a new technology event and competition designed to uncover the most innovative new consumer technology products coming to market. Entries were accepted until Aug. 1. Co-located with the...

Insulation conference.(NEWS WATCH)(Center for the Polyurethanes Industry)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The American Chemistry Council's Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) has scheduled its Polyurethanes 2008 Technical Conference for Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 in San Antonio, Texas. The conference will showcase some of the advances in...

Touchscreen sales grow.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Global touchscreen operator terminal shipments are forecast to exceed 2 million units in 2012, more than double the quantity in 2006. Products with displays of less than 5.5 in. and greater than 15.0 in. will grow even faster, according to a...

Expanding in North America.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... North America is the most desirable region for manufacturing expansion over the next three years, according to a new survey by Deloitte. The survey, Made in North America, targeted top-tier executives of manufacturing companies with North...

Noninvasive measurement.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... Georgetown University, Gentag Inc., and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) are developing a new noninvasive method for glucose measurement that could eliminate the need for the finger-pricking use of lancets to draw blood,...

Wet fingerpints.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... AuthenTec, Melbourne, Fla., makers of fingerprint sensors, announced that its TouchStone fingerprint sensor packaging technology can be integrated into waterproof cell phones, including a new phone scheduled to hit the market in the fourth...

Superpaper.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... Researchers in Sweden and Japan have developed a new type of paper that resists tearing or breaking when pulled. The new material, "cellulose nanopaper," is made of submicroscopic particles of cellulose that could open the way for expanded use...

Science leaders.(NEWS WATCH)(RAND Corp.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Researchers with the RAND Corp. say the U.S. remains the dominant leader in science and technology worldwide, despite perceptions that the U.S. is losing its competitive edge. According to the study, the U.S. accounts for 40 percent of the...

Dow buys Rohm and Haas.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., and Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, announced a definitive agreement, under which Dow will acquire all outstanding shares of Rohm and Haas common stock for $78 per share in cash. Andrew N. Liveris, Dow...

Refrigeration cools off.(NEWS WATCH)
August 1, 2008... Demand for commercial refrigeration equipment in the U.S. is forecast to rise 3.9 percent annually through 2012, reaching $9.2 billion, according to Commercial Refrigeration Equipment, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based...

Pondering the palette: new choices raise new considerations.(PLASTICS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designing with plastics offers many benefits, one of which is the ability to embed the color into the polymer itself, eliminating the production bottlenecks created by finishing lines. But the decisions to be made...

Water works: new molding method uses water to reduce cycle times and improve surfaces.(water assist injection molding)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Injection molding is a tried-and-true production technology that for years has been used to make millions of parts, large and small. Injection molding does have some drawbacks, however, especially with larger parts,...

Keys to engagement: attaching displays to key switches creates new mode of interaction.(SWITCHES)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When thinking of image-based interaction, a touchscreen is the first thing that comes to mind. And while touchscreens are increasingly employed in contemporary product design, the primary means for navigating our...

Silence simplified: active noise control technology delivers low cost solution.(NOISE & VIBRATION CONTROL)
August 1, 2008... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Businesses are developing their own standards and protocols for regulating noise in the workplace and defining the permitted noise levels generated by specific items of equipment. The employer is required to take...

Lock & unlock: screw thread is both self-locking and reusable.(JOINING)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OEM product designers and fastener application engineers have struggled to provide a self-locking screw-thread system that is reusable and cost effective. Over the years, several locking systems for threaded...

Sensirion.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Miniature liquid flow sensors using planar microfluidic substrates enables highly sensitive thermal flow sensor microchips to measure non-invasively through the wall of a flow channel inside a microfluidic substrate....

Freescale semiconductor.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Flexis AC family of microcontrollers features 8-bit devices and 32-bit V1 ColdFire MCUs designed to provide exceptional EMC/EMI performance, precise motor control capabilities, and an array of on-chip peripherals...

NEC Electronics.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 78KOR/Kx3-L All Flash 16-bit microcontrollers are based on NEC Electronics' high-performance 16-bit 78KOR CPU core. It offers very low power consumption to extend battery life, and provides more on-chip...

EPCOS.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A high-performance series of three-line EMC filters for frequency converters are distinguished by outstanding attenuation properties that provide a decisive advantage with long motor leads. Cable-based measurements...

ATMEL.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The AT42QT2160 is a touch controller IC combining touch key and touch slider functions in a single device. It can control up to 16 individual touch keys with a slider comprising between 2 and 8 of the touch key...

Optimizing spectrum usage.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: CEA)
August 1, 2008... The consumer electronics industry has brought an ever-widening array of innovative devices to the market, benefiting consumers and making enormous contributions to the economy. CE products increasingly rely on wireless communications to deliver...