Appliance Design articles from January 2009

Appliance Design archives from January 2009

Letter to the new guy.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... Dear President-Elect Obama: Open letters to an incoming president are much like votes. Submitted in vast quantifies, they seem individually inconsequential, but prove cumulatively decisive. Armed with that insight, I lend my voice to the chorus...

Shipments.(appliances)(Statistical table)
January 1, 2009... SHIPMENTS Product Oct. '08 Oct. '07 % Chg MAJOR APPLIANCES (Thousands of Units) TOTAL 4,318.8 5,073.5 -13.7% Cooking-Total 1,483.3 1,816.1...

Forecasts.(shipments of DVD players, electric ranges, gas water heaters and refrigerators)(Statistical table)
January 1, 2009... FORECASTS DVD PLAYERS/RECORDERS--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2008 2009 2010 1 3,664.1 3,469.9 3,681.5 2 4,858.2 4,756.2 5,093.8 3 5,777.2 5,939.0 ...

ISO aids universal design.(NEWS WATCH)(International Organization for Standardization)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The International Organization for Standardization, based in Geneva, Switzerland, has released a report that is designed to help make products, services, and environments more accessible to older people and those with disabilities. The new...

Harmonizing CO2 standards.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... Three HVAC/R associations are working to harmonize CO2 standards in the U.S., China, and Europe. A panel of experts from the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), the Association of European Refrigeration Compressor and...

Carrier captures cooling award.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... Carrier Corp., Farmington, Conn., a unit of United Technologies, won the Environmental Pioneer Award in the Refrigeration category at the 2008 Cooling Industry Awards. The award, which recognizes companies that demonstrate environmental...

Technology troubles.(NEWS WATCH)(use of internet and wireless equipments)(Survey)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Nearly half of technology users need help setting up and using electronic devices, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Some 48 percent of technology says they have encountered problems with...

Energy action plan.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy are helping states lead the way in an effort to promote low-cost energy efficiency. More than 60 energy, environmental, and state policy leaders from across the country...

Dishwasher gets star rating.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... The U.S. Department of Energy has developed more stringent energy efficiency and water use criteria for dishwashers carrying the Energy Star label. This is the first time that Energy Star criteria has addressed water use for dishwashers. The...

LG says no to GE buyout.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... LG Electronics reportedly has no plans to acquire the home appliances unit of GE. According to a Reuters report, the South Korean company has reviewed the possible impact of a GE Appliances acquisition on the company, and decided not to make an...

Memtron acquires Duraswitch.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... Memtron Input Components, Frankenmuth, Mich., a manufacturer of input components, has acquired Duraswitch, a business unit of InPlay Technologies based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Memtron had previously developed applications using Duraswitch...

Carrier acquires Noresco.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... Carrier has acquired Noresco, Westborough, Mass., an energy services company. Established in 1984, Noresco develops efficiency and infrastructure upgrade projects that reduce energy and water consumption and lowers operating expenses for a wide...

Green standards wanted.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... Ninety-four percent of U.S. homeowners would like to see universal standards for green products, according to a survey by Ipsos Public Affairs, a market research company, conducted on behalf of Icynene, a manufacturer of spray foam insulation...

DOE, LGE, agree.(NEWS WATCH)
January 1, 2009... On Nov. 14, 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an agreement with LG Electronics, USA, Inc. (LG), resolving concerns related to energy usage measurements reported on LG French Door refrigerators with through-the-door ice and...

Changing the menu: new challenges inspire new technologies.(COMMERCIAL APPLIANCES)(Cover story)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Even though commercial appliances have a higher cost and lower volume than consumer appliances, makers of commercial equipment still must operate in a competitive environment, which means keeping a lid on cost. In...

Heed the draft: remember draft angles when designing injection-molded parts.(PLASTICS & PLASTIC PARTS)
January 1, 2009... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Injection molding is the most commonly used method of manufacturing any significant volume of plastic components. The process uses metal molds to produce parts with high accuracy and cosmetic surface finishes,...

Powerline potential networking to create energy management opportunities.(ELECTRONICS)
January 1, 2009... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Imagine a world where the skyrocketing demand for energy, driven by the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels and the rapid economic development of emerging economies, leads to frequent electrical brownouts and blackouts....

Optimized power package: module increases output and flexibility in inverter drives.(MOTORS)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Placing power control electronics on printed circuit boards provides a great deal of design flexibility, while attaching power semiconductors to a substrate delivers excellent thermal properties for motor drives....

Energy efficient designs for foodservice equipment.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: NAFEM)
January 1, 2009... Commercial foodservice kitchens are complicated and challenging environments. Not only does the equipment need to perform reliably under demanding conditions, it also needs to efficiently convert energy into food products to help operators...