Appliance Design articles from July 2005

Appliance Design archives from July 2005

Can fondue pots stop highway shooters?(EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2005... Standing in the airport, the victim winces in agony as the hot coffee floods his netherlands, but the bozo whose careless collision caused the disaster is oblivious to it because he's having an out of body experience. Actually, the bozo is...

Shipments.(appliance industry)(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... SHIPMENTS Product April '05 April '04 % Chg. MAJORS--TOTAL 4,959,800 4,890,800 1.4% CLEANUP--TOTAL 1,035,200 999,800 3.5% Compactors ...

Forecasts.(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... DVD PLAYERS--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2004 2005 2006 1 3,575.7 2,322.9 2,113.8 2 4,552.8 3,550.9 3,195.8 3 5,233.9 4,239.5 3,942.7 4 8,831.0 ...

GAMA meeting.(NEWS WATCH)(Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association)(appointment of Thomas E. Huntington )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Members of the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association elected Thomas E Huntington As 2005-2006 GAMA Chairman. Huntington is President of York International Unitary Products Group. The election took place at the 70th Annual Meeting of GAMA,...

Indesit.(NEWS WATCH)(Indesit S.p.A. to start production in India)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... INDESIT, Europe's third largest home appliance firm, recently announced its foray into India. The company is planning to roll out its range of clothes washers, dryers, hobs, hoods, and ovens among other products under the Ariston brand by...

Emerson, Samsung partner in China.(NEWS WATCH)(Emerson Climate Technologies)(Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... EMERSON, SAMSUNG PARTNER IN CHINA. Emerson Climate Technologies recently announced that its Copeland Digital Scroll technology will help power the largest central air-conditioning project ever awarded in China. In partnership with Samsung...

Microsoft and Toshiba.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... MICROSOFT AND TOSHIBA have struck a deal to use some of each other's patents for personal computers and digital electric home appliances without payment. Signed in April, the agreement will give the two companies the ability to fold new...

Wealthiest's choice.(NEWS WATCH)(surveys of rich households in United States)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The seventh in a continuing series of twice-yearly surveys by the American Affluence Research Center (AARC) Miami, revealed the brands considered to have the highest quality, regardless of price, by the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans. The...

Haier Group.(NEWS WATCH)(Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... HAIER GROUP, China's largest home appliance maker, is preparing to inject its stake in a mainland-listed unit into Haier Electronics Group in an effort to make the Hong Kong-listed subsidiary one of the world's three biggest white goods...

Maytag to be acquired.(NEWS WATCH)
July 1, 2005... In late May, Maytag Corp. announced an agreement with Ripplewood Holdings under which the private equity firm would acquire all outstanding shares of the appliance manufacturer for $14 a share and assume about $975 million in debt. In June,...

Coca-Cola.(NEWS WATCH)(Coca-Cola (Japan) Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... COCA-COLA will replace all of its 980,000 drink-vending machines across Japan to bring itself in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be line with the Kyoto Protocol. It will take Coca-Cola at least 15 years to install vending...

Robot floor washing.(NEWS WATCH)(iRobot Corp.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ROBOT FLOOR WASHING. iRobot unveiled its newest product, the iRobot Scooba Robotic Floor Washer, a next-generation robot, that is designed to vacuum, scrub and dry hard floors automatically. The new robot builds on technological advances from...

Japan ban.(NEWS WATCH)(ban on use of lead, mercury and other harmful substances in home appliance industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... JAPAN BAN. The Japanese Environment Ministry plans to introduce a regulation that is expected to lead to a virtual ban on the use of lead, mercury and four other harmful substances in large home appliance and personal computers, ministry...

Lowe's to sell Samsung.(NEWS WATCH)(Lowe's Home Centers Inc.)(Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.)
July 1, 2005... LOWE'S TO SELL SAMSUNG. Lowe's will sell Samsung-branded digital kitchen appliances at its more than 1,100 stores nationwide beginning this fall. The first product offering will be Samsung's side-by-side and bottom-mount refrigerators. Known...

Guide to GUI: how to simplify development of the Graphic User Interface.(CONTROLS & SENSORS)(graphical user interfaces)
July 1, 2005... In today's era of continual technological advances, consumers have come to expect products and services that provide the latest in cutting-edge technology. Even the simplest coffee maker has a "high-tech" profile. Consequently, appliance...

Safer sawing: DSP chip controls sensing and braking technology in innovative table saw.(CONTROLS & SENSORS)
July 1, 2005... Every year in the U.S., some 65,000 medically treated injuries are caused by table saws, as well as roughly $2 billion worth of economic loss. These figures, which come from a 2003 report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, indicate that...

Far afield: utility of sensing technology extends beyond original intent.(CONTROLS & SENSORS)(Freescale)
July 1, 2005... An e-field sensing technology jointly developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Freescale Semiconductor, Austin, Texas, that was initially targeted for occupant detection in automotive airbag safety systems and then used in...

Following the finger: fingerprint sensor provides versatile touch control.(CONTROLS & SENSORS)(Atrua Technologies)
July 1, 2005... Designers of mobile devices increasingly face a dilemma--to embed more functions in their products or to continue to make them smaller. Atrua Technologies, Campbell, Calif., has solved the nagging design question of how to provide user access...

Modulating burner: system improves temperature control and performance gas-fired appliances.(GAS TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2005... The Gas Technology Institute has developed a design for a fully modulating burner system that greatly improved the temperature control and performance of several residential/commercial appliances including a pizza style conveyor oven, a two...

Power play: residential system provides both heat and electric power.(GAS TECHNOLOGY)(Climate Energy)(Climate Energy Micro-CHP system)
July 1, 2005... A partnership between Honda and Climate Energy has yielded a hybrid home heating system that both heats the home and generates electricity at the same time. It is the first of its kind to be introduced in the U.S., and meets all of the...

Fire from water: novel fireplace design burns hydrogen extracted from water.(GAS TECHNOLOGY)(Heat & Glo)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... Heat & Glo, Lakeville, Minn., has taken the next generational step in fueling options, after wood, natural gas and liquid propane with its new fireplace. The Aqueon, to hit the market this summer, burns hydrogen fuel extracted from water. ...

New spark in old product: redesign of popular gas-fired baseboard heater uses automatic gas-ignition.(GAS TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2005... Beginning as no more than a tin ware shop more than a century ago, Kentucky-based Louisville Tin & Stove Co., has built itself into a large manufacturer that now markets 11 categories of residential gas heating equipment under the Cozy brand...

Designing for high efficiency: new tools allow analysis of coupled, multi-domain problems.(MOTOR DESIGN)
July 1, 2005... Today, consumers look for appliances that are smaller in size, operate more quietly and use less energy. To satisfy consumer demand, the conventional motors and drives that control appliances have to be either redesigned or replaced with other...

Creative cores: soft magnetic composites permit unique and compact designs.(MOTOR DESIGN)
July 1, 2005... Steel laminations limit electrical machine constructions to topologies that only permit two-dimensional flux paths. As a result, these machines are oversized and overweight. Soft Magnetic Composite materials present creative designers with a...

Cooking and compliance: changes to UL 197 affects design of electric sheathed elements in foodservice equipment.(HEATING ELEMENTS)
July 1, 2005... In March of 2005, changes to the UL 197 standard widely used by food equipment manufacturers went into effect. For many manufacturers, the change requires a comprehensive review and test program to ensure compliance. There are a number of...

Heated glass: technology increases design options in visible heating applications.(HEATING ELEMENTS)(Hatco Corp.)
July 1, 2005... An emerging technology promises to significantly increase design options for radiant heating applications where aesthetic attributes are important. This technology, which involves electrically heating a glass surface, has numerous advantages...

More eyes on the prize: competition heats up in upscale appliance segment.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)(Kitchen Bath Industry Show & Conference)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Attendance for the Kitchen Bath Industry Show & Conference hit record numbers this year, as the show moved west to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendance was up to 53,482 from 51,000 a year ago, when the show was held at McCormick Place in...

Sharp.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... The 30-in. wide stand-alone Insight Pro Microwave Drawer provides consumers with an alternative to the countertop unit. Well-suited for islands and tight spaces, the microwave drawer addresses the question of microwave placement by offering...

Samsung.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... The 25-cu.ft. POPCON (Popular Convergence) Refrigerator allows families to plan schedules, leave messages, post pictures, do homework, and share meals. Featuring a detachable 10.4-in. wireless thin film transistor, touch-sensitive LCD screen,...

KitchenAid.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... The Dual Fuel Range with Steam Assist takes home cooking results to the next level with the same steam technology used by professional chefs. For maximum versatility, it uses a combination of convection and steam, convection alone or thermal...

Maytag.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... Maytag has married the features of bottom-freezer and side-by-side refrigerators with its French Door Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator, a bottom-freezer model featuring side-by-side doors for easier access to the food compartment. The French Door...

Gaggenau.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... Designed as part of the Vario 400 series, the stainless steel induction cooktop VI 411 features a unique 15-in./20-in. glass ceramic surface that always stays cool, and a large induction zone that utilizes electronic control with an output...

Electrolux.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... The Outdoor Kitchen features 34,000 BTU infrared dual-side burners that deliver heat in as little as 6 sec., and allow consumers to heat side dishes outdoors with the rest of the meal. Heavy-duty grates heat evenly and minimize hot spots so...

Liebherr.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... BioFresh Safes are separate refrigeration compartments that provide the correct temperatures to maintain food freshness longer. With the temperature maintained just above 32 DegF and the right humidity level, fruit, vegetables, meat and fish...

Fagor.(KBIS HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... All of the functions on the Fagor Built-In Coffee Machine are activated through the control panel. Selections made are clearly shown on the display panel for which several language capabilities are available. The six main functions on the Fagor...

Sound energy policy requires partnership.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: CEA)
July 1, 2005... Everywhere we look these days the topic of energy production and consumption is front and center. That is not surprising since the cost of energy--for our homes, our cars and our businesses--has increased exponentially in recent years. Concerns...