Appliance Design articles from January 2007

Appliance Design archives from January 2007

The Cut that bleeds.(manufacturers ignore quality to bring down costs)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... The grocery store where I shop goes through an interesting ritual every few years. Someone in the chain's management decides to reduce the costs of its blue, plastic shopping bags by switching to a cheaper grade. Inevitably, the new bags break...

Shipments.(for home appliances)(Table)
January 1, 2007... SHIPMENTS Product Oct. '06 Oct. '05 % Chg. MAJORS--TOTAL 5,067,200 5,630,500 -10.0% CLEANUP--TOTAL 1,136,800 1,186,100 -4.2% Compactors ...

Forecasts.(home appliances)(Table)
January 1, 2007... FORECASTS DVD PLAYERS/RECORDERS--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2006 2007 2008 1 2,115.3 2,190.2 2,313.7 2 4,045.8 4,214.7 4,714.5 3 5,003.6 5,455.8 6,007.1 4...

DOE to Boost appliance standards.(NEWS WATCH)(Department of Energy)
January 1, 2007... The Department of Energy has agreed to raise efficiency standards for 20 appliances and other household equipment to settle a lawsuit with 15 states, environmental and consumer advocacy groups. The agreement will affect products such as...

Universal DVD players.(development of digital video disk players)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The HD-DVD v. Blu-Ray war may go on, but consumers may not have to make a choice between the two as chip vendors, and other third-party companies, develop universal technology. According to published reports, systems capable of playing both...

That Louse is toast.(LouseBuster kills)(lice egg killer from University of Utah)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Researchers at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, have invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device that kills lice eggs. The machine, dubbed the LouseBuster, blows warm air through a flexible hose, which has a rake like hand piece on...

Carbon filters best.(research on reducing disinfection by-products in tap water)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... An activated carbon-filter is the most effective way to reduce disinfection by-products in tap water, according to researchers from the Universite Laval, Quebec City, Canada. The researchers measured concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs) and...

Wireless network choice.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In a new report from the market research firm In-Stat, ZigBee will emerge as the dominant wireless mesh networking technology because of the clarity of the ZigBee wireless mesh network, the strength of the ZigBee Alliance and the involvement of...

Haier builds Sanyo fridges.(Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Company Ltd.)(Sanyo Electric Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Sanyo Electric Co. of Japan and the Haier Group of China signed an agreement whereby the Haier Group will become Sanyo's only refrigerator OEM. Haier Group will own 90 percent of Sanyo's refrigerator plant in Thailand, which makes about one...

Wood strengthens plastics.(NEWS WATCH)(research at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry are developing ways to use cellulose from wood to strengthen plastic. Researchers have been able to extract nanocrystals out of natural materials such as trees, shrubs and...

Meetings.
January 1, 2007... JANUARY ASHRAE Winter Meeting January 27-31, Dallas, Texas Contact: 404/636-8400 Email: jmarshall@ashrae.org Web site: www.ashrae.org AHR EXPO Jan. 29-31, Dallas, Texas Contact: 203/221-9232 Web site:...

Wealthy consumers rank brands.(NEWS WATCH)(Luxury Brand State Index)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Wealthy consumers selected Wolf, AGA and Gaggenau as the three brands with the highest brand status in the Luxury Institutes annual 2006 Luxury Brand State Index. Viking and Sub-Zero round out the "A list" of the most prestigious brands of...

Water conservation standard.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Requirements regarding the amount of water used to operate HVAC, plumbing and irrigation systems would be established under a proposed standard from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The...

Stork acquires labs.(NEWS WATCH)(Stork Materials Technology)(Metallurgical Testing Corp.)(Metallurgical Consultants of Houston)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Stork Materials Technology, St. Paul, Minn., acquired two U.S. testing laboratories. In late September, Stork acquired Metallurgical Testing Corp., City of Industry, Calif. The laboratory holds Nadcap approval and its capabilities include...

Energy star computer specs.(NEWS WATCH)(new Energy Star specifications announced by Environmental Protection Agency )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Environmental Protection Agency announced that new Energy Star specifications for computers and related equipment are scheduled to go into effect on July 20, 2007. Under the new specifications, only the most energy-efficient computer...

Crane acquires Dixie-Narco.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2007... Crane Co. of Stamford, Conn., has purchased all of the capital stock of Dixie-Narco Inc., a manufacturer of can and bottle vending machines, for $46 million in cash. Williston, S.C.-based Dixie-Narco was a subsidiary of Whirlpool Corp....

Videocon buys Daewoo.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2007... A consortium led by India's Videocon Industries Ltd. has reportedly signed a contract to buy Daewoo Electronics for about $700 million. Daewood Electronics, South Korea's third-largest electronics goods maker by sales, has been under a...

Record grill sales.(NEWS WATCH)(barbecue grills)(Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... More barbecue grills were shipped in 2006 than in any previous year, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA). A record 17,272,500 grills were shipped, marking a 15.24 percent increase compared to 2005. It is the fastest...

Fireplaces and stoves lure buyers.(NEWS WATCH)(Survey)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Fireplaces and freestanding stoves play a key role in selling houses, according to a survey of 1,700 homeowners by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA). Of those surveyed, 59 percent considered their fireplace or stove a major...

ARI elects officers, awards leaders.(NEWS WATCH)(Robert Wilkins was elected as chairman of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute)(Lee Burgett received the Lifetime Achievement Award)
January 1, 2007... Robert Wilkins, president of Danfoss, was elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) at the organization's Board of Directors meeting held November 12-14 in Palm Springs, Calif. ...

Networking home appliances.(NEWS WATCH)(Echelon Corp. and Altera Corp.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Echelon Corp. and Altera Corp., both of San Jose, Calif., have collaborated on new products that enable makers of household appliances to add power line networking capability to their products. Echelon products control networking solutions and...

EPA to regulate nano.(NEWS WATCH)(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In a turnabout, the Environmental Protection Agency has reconsidered its position on nanoparticles and has decided to regulate consumers items that claim to kill germs with nanoparticles, in particular silver nanoparticles. Such products...

Triple-shape polymers.(NEWS WATCH)(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Researchers at MIT and the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers have invented a class of materials that can change shape as they react to heat. The new materials, known as "triple-shape materials" can assume three different shapes,...

Brewing up the weather.(NEWS WATCH)(Melitta Smart Mill & Brew)(Salton Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A new coffee maker has been developed that displays real-time weather information. The Melitta Smart Mill & Brew with MSN Direct incorporates Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology. Manufactured by Salton Inc., Lake Forest, Ill., the...

Calling for a Coke.(NEWS WATCH)(VeriSign Inc. enables purchases at vending machines via mobile phones)
January 1, 2007... VeriSign Inc., a Mountain View, Calif., provider of intelligent networking infrastructures, has signed a deal to enable purchases at Coca-Cola vending machines via mobile phones in Austria. VeriSign developed the technical interface between...

Rollout of cashless devices.(NEWS WATCH)(MasterCard International Inc.)(USA Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... MasterCard and USA Technologies expand MasterCard PayPass deployment with a nationwide rollout of 5,000 self-service point-of-sale terminals, including vending machines, that will be equipped with the e-Port cashless transaction system. This...

ASTM digital library.(NEWS WATCH)(ASTM International)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... ASTM International has digitized its entire library of technical information. The library includes 945 Special Technical Publications, more than 50 manuals, 13,000 journal articles, and 40,000 papers and chapters. Subscription options include:...

Secure chip.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2007... Sony Corp. from Japan and Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors are creating a joint venture, to be established by the middle of next year, that will plan, develop, produce and market a secure chip that will include both contactless chip card...

Battery lab.(Nexergy Batteries opens new verification laboratory)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Nexergy, Columbus, Ohio, has opened a new Performance Verification Laboratory that will have advanced capabilities to conduct comparative product research into energy cell properties. The facility will be used to carry out extensive testing on...

Ice kept nice: year-round ice hotel chilled by hot spring water.(NEW & NOTABLE)(northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska)
January 1, 2007... Chena Hot Springs Resort is located 70 miles northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, and is a year-round wilderness resort. The main attractions are the natural hot springs and the fantastic views of the Aurora Borealis. Chena assembled the first...

Interference insights: why 50 percent of products fail EMC the first time.(SHIELDING & EMI/RFI)
January 1, 2007... A large percentage of electronic products fail to meet their target EMC requirements the first time they are tested. There are a number of possible reasons for that failure rate, but also things designers and manufacturers can do to improve the...

Shocking notion: electrostatic discharge can also be an EMI problem.(SHIELDING & EMI/RFI)
January 1, 2007... Wintertime is prime time for electrostatic discharge (ESD) activity, at least in the Northern states of the U.S. Colder temperatures mean lower humidity, resulting in an increased number of ESD events. These incidents are especially troublesome...

Controlling cooling: cost-effective digital control reduces energy use in refrigerators.(MOTORS)
January 1, 2007... Power conversion is being used in many everyday appliance products, including microwave ovens, washing machines, air conditioners and refrigerators. With many more sophisticated applications arising in conjunction with energy saving and cost...

Medical motion: lessons for specifying demanding applications can be applied elsewhere.(Maxon Precision Motors Inc.)(MicroMo Electronics Inc.)(Power Efficiency Corp.)(ThinGap Corp.)(usage of motors in medical applications)
January 1, 2007... When designing a medical pump that is meant to administer the correct dose of medication to a body at the right time, precision, reliability and repeatability top the list of musts. If it's a stepping motor application, the motor rotates the...

Precision pumping: match the package to the purpose.(construction and use of pumps)(Micropump Inc.)(Inogen Corp.)(Thomas Products )
January 1, 2007... In the realm of medical motors, pumping is one of the more common applications. Because of the need for sealing and or motor isolation, and the variety of pumping methods available (see sidebar, Pumping Technologies), pumps are typically sold...

Remote monitoring: networking commercial appliances rescues lost revenue.(remote appliance monitoring by the use of ethernet)
January 1, 2007... On their weekend off, a group of coworkers went to a gaming arcade to unwind. They were prepared to feed cash into a kiosk that dispensed gaming credits. Unfortunately, the machine refused to take their money. It was broken and did not have an...

Convincingly conductive: polymer material mimics metal.(launch of ElectriPlast, a electrical conductivity polymer)
January 1, 2007... A new moldable conductive polymer that can mimic metal in terms of its electrical conductivity and thermal abilities has been developed for use in myriad applications such as antennas, heat generation, shielding, and more than 100 other uses....

Stretching performance: elastomeric material delivers both flexibility and heat resistance.(production of olefin block copolymers using catalytic technology)
January 1, 2007... Polyolefin elastomers are one of the fastest growing product families within elastomers markets. One of the largest usages of polyolefin elastomers is thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds replacing styrenic based TPEs, flexible polyvinyl...

Big show for a big state: Dallas venue expected to draw record crowd for Southwest.(Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition preview)
January 1, 2007... The 2007 AHR Expo is expected to be the largest HVAC/R industry show held in the Southwest, according to International Expositions Co., Westport, Conn., which produces and manages the show. The event will be held in the Dallas Convention...

Zilog.(NEW PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... The Z8 Encore MC (FMC16100 Series) is an 8-bit MCU that offers vector control capability, an innovation that significantly lowers the bill of materials (BOM) costs for appliance manufacturers, and reduces both energy consumption and water usage...

New year brings challenge and opportunity.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: ARI)(Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute)(Column)
January 1, 2007... The year 2006 was a challenge for our industry. Shortly after the year began--on January 23, to be exact--the new federal minimum efficiency standard of 13 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) went into effect for residential central air...