Appliance Design articles from October 2006

Appliance Design archives from October 2006

Tune in to the tube tribe.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
October 1, 2006... Technopologists need to get out into the field to study the vanishing tribe of tube watchers before they disappear. These villagers are not going anywhere, but the thing that defines them certainly is. Market research groups disagree on how...

Shipments.
October 1, 2006... SHIPMENTS Product July '06 July '05 MAJORS--TOTAL 5,099,700 5,201,600 CLEANUP--TOTAL 1,063,600 1,071,100 Compactors 8,300 8,200 ...

Forecasts.(Table)
October 1, 2006... FORECASTS DVD PLAYERS/RECORDERS --Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2005 2006 2007 1 1,931 2,115 2,251 2 3,765 4,046 3,683 3 3,597 3,662 3,424 4 6,854 6,900 6,560 For 2006, a...

Wireless control for medical device.(NEWS WATCH)
October 1, 2006... NFC, or Near Field Communication, gained a new foothold in the marketplace with the recent introduction of a new medical device concept for managing diabetes. U.K.-based Cambridge Consultants developed a prototype device that uses NFC...

Hydronics alliance formed.(NEWS WATCH)( launch a website, myhomeheating.com)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... To meet demand for information on radiant floor heating and hydronic heating in general, a coalition of companies have joined together to form the Hydronics Industry Alliance, Arlington, Va. The alliance, chaired by Richard Simons of Honeywell...

Relief from the heat.(NEWS WATCH)(donated 1,000 window air conditioner units to charities)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Carrier Corp., Indianapolis, donated 1,000 window air conditioner units to charities in nine cities. In each city, more than 100 deluxe FCB Series units were donated this past August as part of the company's second annual Operation Heat Rescue....

Heating company acquired.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Zehnder Group AG of Switzerland has purchased Hydro-Air Components, Buffalo, N.Y. Hydro-Air is an ISO 9001-2000 registered company that manufactures hydronic heating and cooling equipment under the Rittling and Panel Radiator brand names. The...

Bacteria breeding grounds.(NEWS WATCH)(Researchers at the Tennessee Technology University)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Cooling towers may be breeding grounds for new bacteria that evolve by attaching themselves to, and infecting, amoebas. Researchers at the Tennessee Technology University, Cookeville, Tenn., sampled 40 cooling towers in hospitals, universities...

Small appliance leaders.(NEWS WATCH)(Appliance manufacturers Groupe SEB of France)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Appliance manufacturers Groupe SEB of France and Electrolux of Sweden are the worldwide market leaders for small household appliances in 2005, according to an August report by IMS Research of England. Groupe SEB leads the small kitchen...

Plasma TV shipments grow.(NEWS WATCH)
October 1, 2006... Plasma TV shipments rose by 95 percent in the second quarter of 2006 as compared to 2005, according to a report from DisplaySearch, Austin, Texas. About 2.2 million plasma TV units were shipped in the quarter, which represents a 30 percent jump...

Water from air.(NEWS WATCH)
October 1, 2006... AirWater Fridges and Freezers, Miami Beach, Fla., has developed an AirWater Coffee maker that makes its own water by a dehumidification process. The small appliance will be sold under the brand name AW Magique. Earlier this year, the company...

Certifying next-gen Wi-Fi.(NEWS WATCH)(next generation of routers and network cards)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Wi-Fi Alliance, Austin, Texas, plans to certify interoperability of Wi-Fi products that contain the next generation of routers and network cards. The certification process will include baseline features from the developing IEEE 802.11nA...

Hit the showers.(NEWS WATCH)(Hydrosphere Shower System)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Jacuzzi Brands Inc., West Palm Beach, Fla., has introduced the Hydrosphere Shower System with four jet sprays incorporated into the structural columns of the metal frame, glass door, side panels and a pre-plumbed, "tile-over" threshold. The...

Hospitals upgrade entertainment.(NEWS WATCH)
October 1, 2006... LodgeNet Entertainment, Sioux Falls, S.D., has installed interactive TV systems in hospitals across six states. The digital platform allows patients to choose from movies, music, video games, as well as health care educational materials,...

Meeting for motors.(NEWS WATCH)(Conference will focus on global advances for fractional horsepower motors and drives)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The SMMA Fall Technical Conference will focus on global advances for fractional horsepower motors and drives. The event will be held Nov. 1-3 at the Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel. Presentation topics include a comparison of radial and...

Chip drives remote.(NEWS WATCH)(chips will help power the RH60 LCD remote control)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Remote Solutions of Korea has selected MP3-style wheel and touch-key chips from Quantum Research Group of England. The chips will help power the RH60 LCD remote control. The touch wheel is driven by Quantum's QT511 Qwheel chip with an electrode...

Harnessing wind power.(NEWS WATCH)(Southwest Windpower introduces residential wind generator)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Southwest Windpower, Flagstaff, Ariz., introduced the Skystream 3.7, a residential wind generator that is designed for the grid-connected residential market. Developed with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory,...

Integrator partnership formed.(Alliances and partnerships)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Pelikon of England and Memtron Input Components, of Frankenmuth, Mich., have entered into an integrator partnership. Pelikon manufactures printed segmented electroluminescent (pSEL) touch displays, backlights and specialized driver electronics....

Growth through 2007.(NEWS WATCH)(Financial report)
October 1, 2006... The Consumer Electronics Association forecasts sales growth through 2007. In its semi-annual U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecasts Report, the CEA says that factory-to-dealer sales is projected to reach $140 billion in 2006, an 8...

Science and engineering degrees.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Earning a bachelor's degree in science or engineering appears to serve workers well in the workplace, even if they are in non-technical jobs, according to a National Science Foundation survey. According to the survey, of the workers whose only...

Smart microchip grant.(NEWS WATCH)(developing smart microchip technology)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Researchers at Swansea University's Electronics Systems Design Center in the U.K. were awarded a 1 million [pounds sterling] grant for work on developing smart microchip technology. The team, working with Zetex and X-Fab, two of the largest...

Got the JitterBugs?(NEWS WATCH)(computer users against a security threat from bugs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, Philadelphia, are warning computer users against a security threat from "bugs" placed on peripheral devices that could covertly transmit data across an...

Motion detector with eyes.(NEWS WATCH)(optical sensor capable of recognizing motion patterns up to 15 meters away)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Eyetec, a new motion detector from Germany-based Siemens, is equipped with an infrared detector and an optical sensor capable of recognizing motion patterns up to 15 meters away. Algorithms evaluate these patterns and determine if the...

Meetings.(Conferences and conventions)(Calendar)
October 1, 2006... OCTOBER International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment Expo Oct. 6-8, Louisville, KY., Contact: 800/588-8767 Website: www.expo.mow.org Sixth International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design Oct. 16-18, Shangdong, China Contact:...

Power that laptop.(NEWS WATCH)(electronics or microtitre plates for use in biochemical assays)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Developing longer-lasting portable power sources is an R&D project being undertaken around the world. Currently, micro fuel cells are lauded as an alternative to batteries, but researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany say that...

Shaping memory effect.(NEWS WATCH)(reversible shape memory surfaces)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Because of a phenomenon known as the shape memory effect (SME) certain metals can be distorted and then brought back to their original shape by temperature changes. One-way memory effect applications have been in use since the 1960s and two-way...

Adding armor: cladding RP parts with metal improves functional testing.(PROTOTYPING)
October 1, 2006... Polymer parts produced by some of the more commonly used rapid prototyping machines are great for evaluating form and fit, but their ability to perform well in functional testing depends upon whether the particular resin can withstand the...

Picking the process: requirements should guide the selection of prototyping system.(PROTOTYPING)
October 1, 2006... Selecting a prototyping system can be daunting for a design engineer who has never gone through the exercise. It needn't be a difficult process, however, when the right questions are asked and one understands the differences between...

Safer surfaces: antimicrobial coatings kill bacteria and inhibit their growth.(COATINGS)
October 1, 2006... Antimicrobial coatings are being increasingly used to improve the hygiene of many types of appliances, including foodservice equipment, medical devices, home appliances, and, recently, even consumer electronics. As a general rule, suppliers say...

Tiny titans: small particles make a big difference.(COATINGS)
October 1, 2006... The nanotechnology revolution that is affecting so many industries is also making a huge impact on the coatings segment, as the addition of nano-engineered particles increasingly are used to enhance coatings performance to levels previously...

Getting smart: adaptive finishes expand design possibilities.(coatings )
October 1, 2006... Surfaces are getting smarter, thanks to a new generation of dynamically responsive coatings. Many of today s coatings can make a product look good and protect it from damage while offering advanced features such as corrosion detection and...

Smarter means safer: improved power management leads to better appliances.(home appliances)
October 1, 2006... At least 60 percent of today's home appliances worldwide contain electronic devices, and almost 100 percent of 'wet' appliances can say the same. This move from electromechanical to digital control was first accomplished with off-the-shelf...

Water watcher: low-power MCU helps tackle water conservation.(ELECTRONICS)
October 1, 2006... With the price of oil soaring and a worldwide debate raging over how to address the issue, it can be easy to forget that the conservation of another precious resource--water--should be top-of-mind as well. Water leaks from appliances in homes...

Compact control: low-cost power modules shrink appliance inverter designs.(MOTORS)(Column)
October 1, 2006... The transfer molded DIP-IPM Dual-in-Line Intelligent Power Module) was first introduced by Mitsubishi Electric in 1998 to address the growing demand for cost-effective motor control in consumer-appliance applications. Today, these devices are...

Driving progress: smart power modules simplify drive design for new generation motors.(appliance industry)
October 1, 2006... Motor drives in household appliances are becoming increasingly sophisticated to meet the challenges of higher efficiency, increased reliability, and lower cost. Recent developments in the motor drives and the power components that they contain...

Amulet Technologies.(DESIGN MART)
October 1, 2006... Display Controller Chips. Graphical User Interface (GUI) solutions by Amulet empower designers to utilize their LCDs full design potential. Chips and software are optimized for 24/7 reliability and are compatible with most microcontrollers,...

FasTest Inc.(DESIGN MART)
October 1, 2006... NEW CATALOG FOR HVACR TESTING PRODUCTS Eliminate process tubes and the leaks associated with Schrader style valves with the CoreMax[R] System. By adopting this revolutionary system, you will reduce processing cost and increase throughput....

SONITEK.(DESIGN MART)
October 1, 2006... SONITEK manufactures Heat Staking & Insertion Systems for Precision Assembly of Plastic Parts. We also offer a complete line of new/used booster horns, converter/transducers, ultrasonic welding horns and ultrasonic welder spare parts. For more...

NMB Technologies Corporation.(DESIGN MART)
October 1, 2006... AC / Dc Axial Cooling Fans and Blowers. AC fans available in frame sizes from 60 to 150mm. DC fans from 25 to 173mm. Both available in custom configurations. NMB's unique in-house vertical process production of precision NMB bearings, injection...

Tesa Tape, Inc.(DESIGN MART)
October 1, 2006... Tesa manufactures a variety el products perfect for the appliance market. From residue-free removal TPP and filament tape& to double sided tapes for temporary and permanent holding, tesa has the solution for you. The clean removal properties of...

Orbifform.(DESIGN MART)
October 1, 2006... New Orbital Forming Head. Until now an orbital bead'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...

YFC-BonEagle Electric Co. Ltd.(DESIGN MART)
October 1, 2006... YFC--Your First Choice for High Voltage/Specialty Power Cords, Power Cords & Cord Sets, Plugs & Adapters. * Rolls Compliant * ISO 9001 * Product listed by UL/CUL and meet international standard Enter 588 YFC-BonEagle Electric...

A digital revolution realized.(ASSOCIATION REPORT: CEA)
October 1, 2006... We have entered a revolutionary new world of digital content. Consumers are beginning o realize the dream of "anytime/anywhere' access to video, music, photos, information, and more, thanks to digital content, new means of delivering that...