Appliance Design articles from March 2006

Appliance Design archives from March 2006

The e-house-call.(EDITORIAL)
March 1, 2006... OK. You've learned how to pump your own gas, do your banking at an ATM, and check out your own groceries. Are you ready for the next step? Are you ready to perform your own upper GI endoscopy? It has not come to that yet, but down the road,...

Shipments.
March 1, 2006... SHIPMENTS Product Dec. '05 Dec. '04 % Chg. MAJORS--TOTAL 6,743,900 7,018,100 -3.9% CLEANUP--TOTAL 1,396,600 1,411,500 -1.1% Compactors...

Forecasts.
March 1, 2006... FORECASTS MAJOR HOME APPLIANCES--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2004 2005 2006 1 20,345.7 18,760.0 18,834.7 2 21,793.4 22,792.6 22,955.4 3 18,542.1 ...

Global gain for appliances seen.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2006... World demand for major household appliances is projected to increase 3.7 percent annually through 2009, exceeding 390 million units, according to a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industrial market research firm. Titled...

New wireless standards.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A faster and more far-reaching wireless Internet is coming within a year or so thanks to new Wi-Fi standards approved by members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. These standards will provide a framework for the next...

Record A/C shipments.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2006... For the fourth consecutive year, manufacturers shipped a record number of central air conditioners and air source heat pumps--exceeding 8.6 million units in 2005, up 16 percent from the just over 7.4 million units shipped in 2004, according to...

Lennox changes guard.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Following a meeting of the board governance committee of the board of directors for Lennox, the company announced that John W. Norris, chairman, has advised the board of his retirement effective July 21. The committee adopted a resolution...

Water Pik plant to go.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2006... An estimated 150 employees will lose their jobs when Water Pik Technologies closes its Loveland, Colo. plant this fall. Effects on the Water Pik plant in Fort Collins are unclear, and company officials declined to comment on plans for that...

Samsung's thin is in.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest provider of thin-film transistor, liquid crystal display panels, has developed a 1.72-in. super-reflective LCD screen that can be read easily outdoors even when the sun is shining brightly. The...

ASHRAE honors.(American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recognized 38 people for their contributions to ASHRAE and the HVAC&R industry at the Society's 2006 Winter Meeting held Jan. 21-25 in Chicago. The ASHRAE Hall of...

ARI launches.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute has launched a new online tool that enables contractors and the general public to access important certified product performance information about their air conditioning and refrigeration...

Polish plant.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2006... LG Electronics plans to invest 101 million euros by 2011 to build a home appliance and LCD TV plant in Poland. The top consumer electronics and telecommunications company recently signed an investment contract in Poland's Kobierzyce City with...

Phones deemed safe.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Cell phones do not cause glioma, the most common type of brain tumor, British researchers reported. Although earlier studies had linked cell phone use with an increased risk of brain tumors, this new report and other research have found no...

Cooling efficiency.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Researchers at Purdue University have developed a method for "precooling" small office buildings that reduces energy consumption during times of peak demand, promising not only to save money, but also to help prevent power failures during hot...

Refrigerators donated.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Maytag and Sears Holding have teamed up to donate more than 700 new refrigerators to Hurricane Katrina victims. The companies want to help the hurricane victims replace much-needed appliances damaged in the storm, according to a news release...

Meetings.(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Expo March 8-March 11, Salt Lake City, Utah Contact: 703/522-0086 Email: info@hpbexpo.com Website: www.hpbexpo.com International Housewares Show March 12-March 14, Chicago, III. Email:...

HFC emissions program.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The Environmental Protection Agency and Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers have launched a new, voluntary program to reduce hydrofluorocarbon emissions from the coolant and insulation used in making new refrigerators and freezers. Once...

Why whiskers?(NEWS WATCH)(electroplating process)
March 1, 2006... In order to meet the coming European ban on hazardous substances, companies have had to get the lead out of solder in their components. Unfortunately, alternatives such as pure electroplated tin and lead-free tin alloys tend to spontaneously...

Cloudy eye on home health.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Seniors and baby boomers are not very receptive to the idea of in-home health monitoring, according to a study by Parks Associates, which found that two-thirds from both populations see little or no value in such services. Of the one-fifth who...

Cordless stars.(battery chargers)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Battery chargers for cordless tools and appliances are the latest products eligible to earn EPA's Energy Star label as part of the program that identifies energy efficient products. Americans use some 230 million products with rechargeable...

Laundry at Sundance.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Frigidaire unveiled its new line of Affinity front load laundry appliances in Park City, Utah, in January during the famous Sundance Film Festival. The appliances were introduced at a benefit for the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation and featured...

Maine minding monitors.(NEWS WATCH)
March 1, 2006... In January, a new recycling law went into effect in the state of Maine requiring makers of televisions and computer monitors to pay for the recycling and safe disposal of their products once they are discarded. The law is the first of its kind...

UL tests efficiency.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Underwriters Laboratories, Northbrook, Ill., opened a 16,000 sq. ft. testing facility in the metro-Dallas area dedicated to energy efficiency testing of heat pumps, air conditioning equipment, and electrically-operated vapor compression...

New view to veins.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... In order to enable more accurate injections in emergency situations, a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed an inexpensive, handheld device that uses Doppler ultrasound to find veins quickly. The Doppler...

Girding the grid.(electric power transmission)
March 1, 2006... In January, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory launched a series of GridWise demonstration projects, a regional initiative to test and speed adoption of new smart grid technologies that can make the power grid more resilient and...

Bright ideas: some appliance innovations seen at International Builders' Show, held in Orlando, Fla., in January.(IBS HIGHLIGHTS)(GE Appliances provides information regarding its dishwasher )(Sharp Electronics Corp. provides information regarding its microwave)(Whirlpool Corp. Clyde Div. provides information regarding its washing machine)
March 1, 2006... GE Appliances GE Profile dishwasher with SmartDispense technology automatically dispenses the proper amount of detergent based on soil level of dishes, water hardness in the home, and the cycle selection. Dishwasher holds 45-ft.-oz. bottle...

Solid expansion expected: economic forces affecting appliance industry should remain positive this year.(2006 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK)
March 1, 2006... The U.S. economy began the year 2006 in reasonably good shape, following more than four years of economic expansion, with Gross Domestic Product increasing at the balanced rate of about 3.5 percent. One call expect that the economy will face...

Associations remain positive: decline in housing sales should have little effect on industry.(2006 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK)
March 1, 2006... Although economists predict the housing market will experience a moderate decline this year, and the appliance industry will in turn be negatively affected, industry insiders remain positive in their predictions for the remainder of the year....

On the ball: mercury-free tilt switches often employ interesting ball designs.(SWITCHES & RELAYS)
March 1, 2006... With increasing concerns over the toxicity of mercury and a growing number of restrictions that target the substance, product designers across the world are seeking alternatives to the classic, mercury tilt switch, and many suppliers have...

Actuating alternative: force-sensing resistor replaces electromechanical inputs.(SWITCHES & RELAYS)
March 1, 2006... Switches, pushbuttons and similar devices represent the more familiar choice for actuation, but as performance requirements become more demanding in product segments ranging from consumer electronics to medical equipment, alternative actuation...

Simplifying stainless: proper grade choice optimizes cost and performance goals.(METALS)
March 1, 2006... As stainless steel grows in popularity in items such as high-end kitchen appliances, engineers increasingly face the challenge of finding the appropriate grade of steel for their designs. Choosing the correct grade ensures that design engineers...

Going global: 57th International Appliance Technical Conference & Exhibition, March 27-29, 2006.(IATC PREVIEW)
March 1, 2006... The increasing globalization of the appliance industry will be one of the key themes at this year's International Appliance Technical Conference, which will be held at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare hotel in Rosemont, Ill., March 27-29. Hal...

Promote manufacturing.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: AHAM)
March 1, 2006... Two years ago I wrote about a National Association of Manufacturers report on U.S. manufacturing and its challenges, including the need for better policy. In February, NAM published an update titled "U.S. Manufacturing Innovation at Risk"...