Appliance Design articles from February 2006

Appliance Design archives from February 2006

Identity crisis.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... In case you've been too busy to notice, the planet Pluto is under attack and may soon cease to exist as a planet. No, the heavenly body is not being assaulted by an alien spaceship. The battle is purely semantic. Many astronomers now think...

Shipments.(Illustration)
February 1, 2006... SHIPMENTS Product Nov. '05 Nov. '04 % Chg. 11 Mos. '05 MAJORS--TOTAL 5,598,000 5,642,000 -0.8% 62,491,200 CLEANUP--TOTAL 1,114,300 1,065,800 4.6% 13,195,000 ...

Forecasts.(Illustration)
February 1, 2006... FORECASTS AUTOMATIC WASHERS--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2004 2005 2006 1 2,271.7 2,278.2 2,366.7 2 2,197.0 2,352.1 2,345.1 3 2,162.6 2,404.9 2,394.1 4 2,200.3...

Technology tantalizes at CES.(International Consumer Electronics Show)
February 1, 2006... As consumer electronics play an increasing role in modern lives, the primary showcase for such products is also playing a greater role in unveiling them. Produced by the Consumer Electronics Association, the 2006 International Consumer...

Whirlpool appoints.(NEWS WATCH)
February 1, 2006... Whirlpool has appointed Ted Dosch, former corporate vice president and controller, to corporate vice president of finance for the Project Management Office, which manages the planning and integration of the anticipated Maytag acquisition. Larry...

Customizing coils.(energy bills)(CoilDesigner)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... As winter marches on, and with energy resources in question after a disastrous hurricane season, American homeowners are opening their energy bills with trepidation, and heating and cooling system manufacturers are seeking ways to offer them...

Shareholders approve.(NEWS WATCH)
February 1, 2006... Maytag shareholders have approved the company's sale to rival appliance-maker Whirlpool. If approved by the federal government, Whirlpool will buy Maytag, founded in 1893 by farm tool maker Fred Maytag, for about $1.79 billion in cash and...

Gearing for growth.(BSH Home Appliances Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... BSH Home Appliances Corporation announced that it is restructuring its corporate organization to support its ongoing growth. The company says it has doubled its business in the last three years, and this growth continues. BSH is currently...

Double-digit growth for HDTV.(IMS Research)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... IMS Research estimates that during 2005, about 20.6 million HDTV displays were shipped worldwide. The double-digit growth expected in this market over the next five years will result in a forecast of nearly 60 million HDTV displays shipped in...

Meetings.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... Domotechnica Feb. 13-Feb. 16, Cologne, Germany Contact: +49/(0)221-821-3571 Email: a.n.debrus@koelnmesse.de Website: www.domotechnica.com Motor & Drive Systems 2006 Feb. 15-Feb. 16, Miami, Fla. Contact: Sue...

Friendly energy.(NEWS WATCH)
February 1, 2006... Honda Motor Co. said it plans to start mass-producing solar cells in 2007, eyeing growing demand for environmentally friendly energy sources. Japan's third-biggest automaker said in a statement that it would build a new factory for solar cells...

Joint venture.(Shanghai Yongle Household Electrical Appliances and Beijing Dazhong Electric Appliances)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Shanghai Yongle Household Electrical Appliances and Beijing Dazhong Electric Appliances, two home appliances retailing giants in China, announced recently that they will set up a joint venture for operations and market development. According to...

Layoffs expected.(NEWS WATCH)
February 1, 2006... U.S. appliance maker Whirlpool said it plans to lay off about 730 workers at an Arkansas plant this year as production of some appliances shifts to a new Mexican plant. The company, which is seeking to buy out smaller rival Maytag, said it...

IPO considered.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Hisense, one of China's top TV and appliance makers, is exploring an overseas public offering as it embarks on a long-term campaign to boost its name outside its home market, company Chairman Zhou Houjian said. Hisense, which has a domestically...

HD DVD arrives.(HD DVD format)(Blu-ray disc)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Japanese electronics maker Toshiba will start selling high-definition players that support its HD DVD format in the U.S. next month. It is the first commercial launch of the next-generation product in the world. Rival Sony also said it will...

Haier aims.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Chinese home appliance manufacturer Haier said it is aiming to become one of the top three electronics companies in South Korea within five years. "By providing high-quality products that meet the needs of South Korean consumers, Haier aims to...

Mobile music.(Motorola iRadio)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... After nearly a year of vague pronouncements, Motorola has unveiled an ambitious music radio service for cell phones that also plays over car and home stereos. Motorola iRadio, featuring 435 channels, would be sold by wireless service providers...

HVAC sales to climb.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Demand in the U.S. for heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment is forecast to increase 3.2 percent per year to $14.3 billion in 2009. Advances will be driven primarily by a projected recovery in nonresidential construction, along...

Correction.(NEWS WATCH)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2006... In the November 2005 issue, page 30, in the story titled "Value Engineering," the caption for the photograph in the top right corner should have read as follows: "Garbage disposal flange made by IN-SINK-ERATOR with AL 201 HP, a low nickel...

Sterilizing air.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A team of senior researchers from the Institute for Veterinary Medicine in the Ukraine, including specialists in immunopathology and bacteriology, found in an independent microbiological trial that an air purification and sterilization...

Robot snatches honors.(iRobot Scooba Floor Washing Robot)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The iRobot Scooba Floor Washing Robot has been honored with the International Consumer Electronic Showcase "Best of Innovations Design and Engineering" Award in the Home Appliance category. Scooba is the first floor washing robot available for...

Nokia.(770 wireless Internet tool)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... NOKIA said it will ramp up production of its new 770 wireless Internet tool after online sales took off unexpectedly. In November the Finnish cell phone maker placed the device, a significant departure from its regular mobile-phone offerings,...

Tackling translucence.(National Institute of Standards and Technology invented goniospectrometer)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Complex visual effects, such as pearlescence, translucence, iridescence, and glitter, help sell many new products. To better measure those effects, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed an instrument that makes...

No smoking.(Paul Brown invented toaster and also started a company called Magnetic Design)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... An inventor in the U.K. claims he has invented a toaster that will never burn the bread. Paul Brown, of Cambridge, says he has incorporated into a toaster the basic elements of common smoke detector technology that will shut down the toaster...

Elevator oven.(Siemens AG introduced liftMatic)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Siemens has developed a new appliance called liftMatic, an oven that mounts on the wall like a cabinet, but is accessed from the bottom with an elevator-like floor, allowing access to food items on three sides. The floor moves up or down at the...

Hot and cold.(Fondis introduced FOND'ice all-season fireplace )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The French manufacturer Fondis has introduced the FOND'ice all-season fireplace that combines three methods--wood-burning heat, heat-pump heat, and heat-pump air-conditioning--into a single, built-in unit designed for fireplace installation. An...

Laundry blues.(Maytag Corp. in association with The Home Depot Inc. introducing Maytag's Legacy Series washer and dryer)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Maytag Appliances and The Home Depot have teamed up to introduce Maytag's Legacy Series washer and dryer in a sparkling, blue metallic finish, which will be available exclusively at The Home Depot. The companies said that blue is a hot color...

Bending time.(Citizen Watch Company Ltd., Citizen T.I.C. Company Ltd. and E Ink demonstrated clock using an electronic paper display)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., of Japan, its consolidated subsidiary, Citizen T.I.C. Co., Ltd., and E Ink, Cambridge, Mass., demonstrated a flexible clock using an electronic paper display. The unique clock offers a thin, lightweight, fully flexible...

Tough touch screen: interactive display uses durable glass touch controls.(Velos SpeedCook)
February 1, 2006... The Whirlpool Velos SpeedCook oven, introduced last month, is an innovative appliance, not just for its multimodal cooking technologies, but also for its novel industrial design, which was made possible, in part, by a new interactive touch...

Tactile turn: multifunction rotary encoders increase design options.
February 1, 2006... There has always been something appealing about a simple knob as a control input. Its operation is familiar and intuitive. And on an electromechanical control, a knob typically provides enough resistance to let the user know positively that a...

Running reliably: the GUI should be as dependable as the appliance.(graphic user interface)
February 1, 2006... Flat panel displays aren't just for computers anymore. They are now becoming commonplace in many other products, such as automobiles, cell phones, digital cameras, portable digital music players, and even major household appliances. Just as the...

Overachieving ovens: multimodal appliances increase cooking options and performance.
February 1, 2006... There's more than one way to cook, and, increasingly, more than one way within the same oven. A current trend in the appliance industry is to integrate two or more cooking technologies--conventional, convection, microwave, steam--into one...

Laser lays it on: simpler method improves potential for molded interconnect devices.
February 1, 2006... Molded interconnect devices allow designers to create more three-dimensional connections with multiple points of contact, but the two-shot molding process used to produce the devices is complex, and once a MID device is molded, there is no way...

Constructive considerations: how to evaluate power cord quality and performance.(power cords)
February 1, 2006... Appliance manufacturers are constantly challenged to find new ways of reducing cost in components to make their products more competitive. Since power cords are a key cost component in most appliances, buyers and engineers are continually...

Forming a circle: edge-forming rollers join round assemblies.(Rollerforming )
February 1, 2006... Tubing, cylindrical housings, and similar shapes often pose joining challenges. Crimping and pressing operations have been frequently used to form an edge on such shapes as a means of joining them to another part or to enclose an assembly of...

Plying polymers: molding process improves bonding of dissimilar plastics at lower temperatures.
February 1, 2006... Dissimilar plastics have an aversion to bonding during injection molding processes because their polymer chains are not properly oriented. Energy is required to form the material bonds necessary to achieve acceptable strength. Most molding and...

Amulet Technologies.(DESIGN MART)
February 1, 2006... Beyond Your Basic LCD Controller. Graphical User Interface (GUI) solutions by Amulet empower designers to utilize their LCDs full design potential, Chips and software are optimized for 24/7 reliability and are compatible with most...

FasTest Inc.(DESIGN MART)
February 1, 2006... NEW PRODUCTS FOR HVACR TESTING Eliminate process tubes and the leaks associated with Schrader style valves with the CoreMax[R] System. By adopting this revolutionary system, you will reduce processing test and increase throughput. FasTest also...

micro plastics, Inc.(DESIGN MART)
February 1, 2006... Micro Plastics is now offering their two-piece 1/4" all plastic Truss Head Anchor Rivets in standard beige and grey colors, These 2-piece Anchor Rivets are versatile inexpensive blind fasteners for solid or hollow materials. Installation is...

Interpower Corporation.(DESIGN MART)
February 1, 2006... Interpower Corporation has expanded its line of high power pin and sleeve devices. Interpower High Power inlets and outlets are IP 44-67 rated for dust and splashing water. They come in single and three phase with cable mounting plugs and...

Swell Software, Inc.(DESIGN MART)
February 1, 2006... Swell Software, a world leader in providing innovative GUI solutions for embedded systems introduced an integration package for Freescale DragonFire MCF532X processor. Features include: integrated LCD controller USB host, USB on the go modules...

Design drives success.
February 1, 2006... Design has become a key strategic driver in home goods. Successful companies are employing design to differentiate their products and add compelling value for the consumer. And the consumer is paying attention. Today, a product has a...