Appliance Design articles from January 2006

Appliance Design archives from January 2006

Forward faster.(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... Samuel Goldwyn once said: "Never make forecasts, especially about the future." Of course, if you work in product development, you have no choice but to put on your seer's hat and periodically plunge into prognostication, hiding your crystal...

Shipments.(Illustration)
January 1, 2006... SHIPMENTS Product Oct. '05 Oct. '04 % Chg. MAJORS--TOTAL 5,634,200 5,660,100 -0.5% CLEANUP--TOTAL 1,186,100 1,121,400 5.8% ...

Forecasts.(Illustration)
January 1, 2006... FORECASTS DVD PLAYERS--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2004 2005 2006 1 3,054.6 1,930.5 1,621.6 2 4,440.9 3,764.8 3,087.1 3 3,695.3 3,597.4 3,147.7 4 ...

Appliance fair returns to Cologne.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... A global overview of new developments in large and small household appliances and components will be presented next month when domotechnica returns to Cologne, Germany, next month. The International Trade Fair for Household Appliances will be...

Merger delayed.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Whirlpool Corp. and Maytag Corp. have complied with a Justice Department request for more information related to the companies' proposed combination. The companies have agreed to delay closing the deal until Feb. 27, 2006, to allow time for an...

Scrooged.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Teachers in budget-stressed schools are accustomed to shelling out for paper, glue and pencils. But the staff in the St. Paul, Minn. School District wasn't ready for this--a new fee for having coffee makers, microwaves and refrigerators in...

Dofasco deal.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Canadian steel maker Dofasco has rebuffed a bid from Arcelor, and instead endorsed an offer of 4.8 billion Canadian dollars that it solicited from ThyssenKrupp of Germany. Dofasco sought the white knight bid after an unsolicited offer from...

Sanyo raising.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Japan's Sanyo Electric plans to raise up to 300 billion yen ($2.52 billion) by issuing new shares to Goldman Sachs and other firms, while downsizing its ailing chip and home appliance divisions. The struggling electronics maker said it was in...

TiVo tests.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Digital video recorder maker TiVo is testing a feature that lets subscribers transfer recorded television programming to Apple iPod digital music players or Sony's PlayStation portable devices. The feature could be available to "stand-alone"...

DOE sets schedules.(Department of Energy )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The U.S. Department of Energy said it will present schedules for all appliance rulemaking activities no later than Jan. 31. Douglas Faulkner, acting assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy indicated that the department's...

Changing of the guard.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Arthur Learmonth, president of Maytag Services business unit has been promoted to the position of acting president for Maytag Appliances business unit. Learmonth, 59, will lead Maytag's largest business unit, which manufactures and markets...

Euro roadshow returns.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Appliance Design will once again sponsor the Domestic Appliance European Technology Roadshow that takes place September this year. The traveling trade show allows suppliers to show their products directly to various European appliance makers in...

Meetings.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... International Builders Show Jan. 11-Jan. 14, Orlando, Fla. Contact: 202/266-8111 or 800/368-5242, ext. 8111 Website: www.buildersshow.com 2006 ASHRAE Winter Meeting Jan. 23-Jan. 25, Chicago, Ill. Contact: 404/636-8400...

ARI elects chair.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Deborah Hawkins, president of Superior Coils, has been elected chairwoman of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute's Board of Directors. Hawkins is chairwoman of the ARI Budget and Investment Committee and serves on ARI's planning...

Waterless washing.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... For its third Design Lab Award, Electrolux selected a waterless washing concept called Airwash, which would use negative ions, compressed air, and deodorants to clean clothes, thereby eliminating the need for water and detergent. The jury...

Onward OLED.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Cambridge Display Technology, Cambridge, U.K., announced another important step in the development of polymer light-emitting diode display technology with the production of a number of 14-in. full-color displays using ink jet printing. The...

Watch this.(electronic paper technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... A prototype of a curved watch using electronic paper technology was displayed at the Baselworld Watch and Jewelry Show in Switzerland. The project was a joint development involving E Ink Corp., Cambridge, Mass., Seiko Epson Corp., and Seiko...

Czech facility.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2006... Italian company Candy Elettrodomestici wants to build another plant that will produce electrical appliances in the Czech Republic. Construction of the new facility that would employ 400 people should begin in the summer, according to the daily...

Vibrant visions: special effects command attention and propel products.
January 1, 2006... Break through the clutter. Stand out from the crowd. However they phrase it, makers of consumer products all have the same objective: to set their products apart from their competitors. To achieve that goal, many of them are now using vibrant...

Finding fault: impartial failure analysis needed to solve part problems.
January 1, 2006... When a component failure occurs in service, the negative effects can extend well beyond the cost of replacing the piece of equipment. This is particularly true when user safety may be at risk. When a failure takes place, it is extremely...

Targeted control: MCU designed for motor control enhances performance, cuts costs.(motor control-specific )
January 1, 2006... Up until just a few years ago, when dedicated microcontrollers became available, it was usually impractical to embed in most appliances the electronics necessary to commutate and control brushless DC motors. The parts count and expense still...

Piezo precision: low-cost technology derivers precise positioning.
January 1, 2006... In applications where DC or stepper motors would be technically difficult to implement or too costly, a new piezoelectric motor may provide the right power solution in applications where a high degree of precision is desired. A 1.2-g...

Finer fans: PWM speed control lowers noise and energy use.(pulse-width-modulation )
January 1, 2006... Regulating fan speed according to the temperature inside an enclosure is the most effective method to cool electronic products. Achieving this by using pulse-width-modulation fan-speed control can decrease energy consumption and reduce...

Protomold.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... 1757 Halgren Rd. * Maple Plain, MN 55359 www.protomold.com * Tel: (763) 479-3680 Protomold, located in Maple Plain, Minnesota, is the leader in rapid injection molding. The company fills a unique niche in the manufacturing of plastic...

Zettler Components, Inc.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)
January 1, 2006... 75 Columbia * Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 www.zettlercomponents.com * (949) 831-5000 Technical excellence has been a Zettler tradition for over 100 years and today Zettler Components, Inc. maintains that strong tradition. Since 1877 when Alois...

Lydall Industrial Solutions.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)
January 1, 2006... P.O. Box 328 * Troy, New York 12181 www.appliance.lydall.com * (518) 273-6320 Lydall Engineered Materials has the global resources and a collaborative network of businesses and capabilities to deliver exceptional insulation solutions to...

Amulet Technologies.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)
January 1, 2006... 275 Saratoga Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95050 www.AmuletTechnologies.com (408) 244-0363 Amulet Technologies assists appliance manufacturers with integrating reliable human interfaces into appliances. Amulet understands that consumers in the...

Saint-Gobain Ceramics.
January 1, 2006... 25 Meadowbrook Drive Milford, New Hampshire 03055 www.igniterproducts.saint-gobain.com (603) 673-0263 Hot surface ignition (HSI) systems have been used in a variety of gas applications for over 25 years. During those 25 years, Saint-Gobain...

Diehl Controls.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)
January 1, 2006... 1250 E. Diehl Road, Suite 101 * Naperville, IL 60563 www.diehlako.com * (630) 955-9055 The products of Diehl Controls are synonymous with quality and competence for its industrial clients, which are national and international producers of...

Ryerson.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)
January 1, 2006... www.ryerson.com * (800) 947-3133 Two of the most respected distributors and processors of metals have joined forces. Ryerson Tull and Integris Metals are now Ryerson. With a network of service centers across North America, Ryerson...

All Shore Industries.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)
January 1, 2006... One Edgewater Plaza * Staten Island, NY 10305 www.allshore.com * (800) 959-0548 Many of the greatest American brands depend on All Shore to bring their products to life. All Shore's clients run the gamut from Fortune 500 corporations to...

Kidde-Fenwal, Inc.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)
January 1, 2006... 400 Main Street * Ashland, MA 01721 USA www.fenwalcontrols.com * (800) 336-9251 Experienced: For 70 years, Fenwal has been an innovator in both gas ignition and temperature controls technology. Our products range from simple mechanical...

Innovation with integration: putting power chips in single package simplifies design.(ELECTRONICS)
January 1, 2006... Integrating discrete power semiconductors, drivers, and controllers into a single package allows appliance manufacturers to simplify the design process, while ensuring a solid power electronics foundation for their products. In addition to...

Cool tips for hot chips: thermoelectric, graphite foam technologies target microprocessor heat.
January 1, 2006... The battle against heat in electronics is not new. IBM began using water-cooling technologies in its systems as early as the 1970s. But as semiconductor manufacturers continue to produce increasingly smaller microprocessors with greater...

Simulation saves: modeling EMC issues early in design cycle cuts costs and time.(SHIELDING & EMI/RFI)
January 1, 2006... Addressing electromagnetic compatibility late in the design cycle is becoming less and less tenable as product complexity and densities increase while design cycles continue to shrink. The rules of thumb commonly used to calculate EMC are...

Muting microwaves: varying modulations of magnetic fields in magnetrons reduces interference.(SHIELD & EMI/RFI)
January 1, 2006... Modern microwave ovens do an excellent job of containing microwaves, with leakage levels well below established safety standards. However, while the miniscule amount of leakage has no impact on human health, it has the potential to interfere...

Eye on innovation: advances in heating and cooling technology abound.(AHR PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... One of the best resources for new ideas, products and services in the HVAC/R industry has been the annual International Mr Conditioning, Heating and Refrigerating Exposition, a dynamic event that showcases a wide spectrum of equipment, systems,...

ASHRAE meeting.(AHR PREVIEW)
January 1, 2006... As in the past, ASHRAE will hold its Winter Meeting concurrently with AHR Expo, and one of the key topics this year focuses on using integrated design to achieve sustainability. The idea is that, in designing buildings, professionals should...

Orbitform.(DESIGN MART)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... New Orbilal Forming Head. Until new an orbital head's life expectancy was measured in months. With Orbitform's new Gold Series, the components can last for years (based on bearing life calculations for standard orbital heads). The Gold...

Caplugs.(DESIGN MART)
January 1, 2006... CAPLUGS INTRODUCES BPF ERGO BUTTON PLUGS SATILITY. (Buffalo, N.Y.)--Caplugs has given the traditional button plug a makeover. Button plugs are used for a variety of different applications across a wide range of industries. Designed primarily to...

Zettler Controls, Inc.(DESIGN MART)
January 1, 2006... Zettler Gontrols, Inc. has proven its quality and reliability in the HVAC/R market, with product lines such as relays, transformers, fan center controls, contactors, heat sequencers and thermistors. These products are used in both residential...

Lumex, Inc./ITW.(DESIGN MART)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The Opto-Component Solutions Guide by Lumex/ITW is a complete inventory of design solutions to meet all your appliance specific visible opto-component needs. LED illumination and indication light sources, LED displays, ingenious light...

Industry continues to improve.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: ARI)
January 1, 2006... Our industry closed the year with an unprecedented record: manufacturers shipped over 8 million central air conditioners and air source heat pumps. Almost 1 million more units were shipped in 2005 than in 2004. That's quite an accomplishment....