Appliance Design articles from September 2008

Appliance Design archives from September 2008

The meaning of greening.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... My milk bottle label proclaims that the milk comes from cows not treated with rBST/rBGH hormones, implicitly suggesting it matters. Below that statement is a government-mandated note saying that it makes no difference. The effect on the...

Forecasts.(Statistical table)
September 1, 2008... FORECASTS MAJOR HOME APPLIANCES--Shipments (Thousands of Units) Qtr: 2007 2008 2009 1 19,231.2 17,392.1 17,461.7 2 22,743.6 20,994.6 21,246.5 3 16,797.2 15,798.6 ...

Shipments.(Statistical table)
September 1, 2008... SHIPMENTS Product June '08 June '07 % Chg. MAJOR APPLIANCES (Thousands of Units) TOTAL 8,221.5 7,975.6 3.1% Cooking-Total 1,844.0 2,072.9...

The cool kitchen.(NEWS WATCH)(Survey)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The use of custom-paneled appliances continues to be a popular trend, according to a national survey of kitchen designers by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and appliance manufacturer Thermador. ...

Joint venture in China.(NEWS WATCH)(Carrier Corp. formed a joint venture with Guangdong Midea Electric Appliances Company Limited)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Carrier, Farmington, Conn., and Guangdong Midea Electric of China have signed an agreement to form a joint venture in China. The company will be called Foshan Midea Carrier Air Conditioning Equipment Co. and be based in Shunde, China. Midea...

Material impact.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... A new group, the Environmental Materials Information Technology (EMIT) Consortium, has been formed to consider materials and process decisions and analyze their environmental impact. The EMIT Consortium, coordinated by the U.K.'s National...

Radio deal OK'd.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Federal Communications Commission has approved the merger of Sirius Satellite and XM Satellite Radio. The value of the deal was not released, but according to published reports the deal initially was valued at...

Safe refrigeration.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Research has found that most consumers do not keep refrigerator temperatures at safe levels, and do not clean their refrigerators often enough. Researchers speaking at the Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting found that only 20...

Dawn Leroux joins Appliance Design.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... To provide more resources and support to the Midwest, Appliance Design has established a full-time advertising sales representative, Dawn LeRoux, to serve a territory that includes Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North...

Monitors for India.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Royal Philips Electronics has developed portable, compact patient monitors for healthcare providers in India. The Philips SureSigns VM3 is the first Philips patient monitor designed for emerging markets. It offers...

Meetings.(NEWS WATCH)(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... SEPTEMBER The International Conference for Shape Memory and Superelastic Technologies September 21-25, Stresa, Italy Contact: 440/338-1733 Email: Kelly.thomas@asminternational.org Website:...

Shared standards.(NEWS WATCH)(Indian Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... As part of a long-term partnership, the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has agreed to share its equipment and component performance standards with the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning...

3D printing for all.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Shapeways, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, has launched a co-creation service that allows artists, architects, product designers, and hobbyist consumers to create 3D objects. Users of the service can upload their designs and Shapeway then produces...

Uplifting actuator.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A novel, compact electromechanical linear actuator has been developed by Kataka, Copenhagen, Denmark, based on a technology it calls "the segmented spindle" (The company's name, Kataka, is Sanskrit for "golden...

Whirlpool names exec vp.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... Whirlpool of Benton Harbor, Mich., has appointed David Szczupak to lead the company's newly named Global Product Organization. He succeeds Mike Thieneman, who recently retired from the company. In his new role, Szczupak will provide overall...

Whirlpool closes plants.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Whirlpool has made changes to its North American manufacturing operations, including the closure of its Oxford, Miss., and Puebla, Mexico, manufacturing facilities. Units produced in Oxford will be transferred to Cleveland, Tenn. Production at...

AFUE regs debated.(NEWS WATCH)(Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... AHRI has submitted comments to the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) regarding the agency's proposed amended furnace regulations. NRCan wants to raise the minimum efficiency of residential gas-fired furnaces to 90 percent Annual Fuel Utilization...

Furnace hits 98% AFUE.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new 33-in., variable-speed modulating gas furnace with electronically commutated motors that can achieve up to 98 percent AFUE has been developed by the Unitary Products division of Johnson Controls of Norman,...

Ontario recycling e-waste.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... The electronics and retail industries in Ontario, Canada, are getting ready to implement a "3Rs" waste diversion plan for computers, TVs, and other electronics as part of the government's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)...

ANSI OK's Standard.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... The American National Standards Institute has recognized the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers' Room Air Conditioner standard as an American National Standard. The standard, Room Air Conditioners, AHAM RAC-1-2008, earned recognition...

ISO plastic standard.(NEWS WATCH)(International Organization for Standardization)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... A new ISO International Standard has been established to assist in plastic recovery and recycling. The ISO 15270:2008, Plastics--Guidelines for the Recovery and Recycling of Plastics Waste, has been developed to assist in the development of a...

Is Nano safe?(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... Are researchers applying lessons learned from past technologies to ensure the safe and responsible development of emerging nanotechnologies? A study, which appeared in the journal, Nature Nanotechnology, questions whether the scientists have...

Evaluation facility opens.(NEWS WATCH)(OnSpeX)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... OnSpeX, a division of the CSA Group, and a provider of performance evaluation, inspection, and advisory services, opened a new 25,000-sq.-ft. testing facility in Cleveland. The Cleveland facility features analytical Testing; a corrosion...

ISO office standard.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... A new standard, ISO/IEC 10779:2008, Information technology--Office Equipment, provides accessibility guidelines for elderly persons and persons with disabilities, and provides guidelines for the design and evaluation of office equipment to...

Haier at the Olympics.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... Haier, the official appliance sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, provided more than 60,000 environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient products to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Haier designed a...

Solar TV.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... At the Hokkaido Toyako Summit in July, Sharp Corp., Tokyo, exhibited a prototype solar-powered television, intended to serve the millions of people around the world without access to utility-supplied electricity. The 26-in. LCD TV consumes only...

Nano aids heat transfer.(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... NIST researchers have found that adding nanoparticles to standard mixes of lubricants and refrigerants can yield improved energy efficiency of large commercial and institutional cooling systems. NIST experiments found that dispersing...

Ready for reach?(NEWS WATCH)
September 1, 2008... The results of a survey by IPC, an association of connecting electronics industries, found that the electronics industry is not prepared to comply with the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals...

Clarity & complexity: user-centered design improves interfaces.(INDUSTRIAL DESIGN & HUMAN FACTORS)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I am not your typical appliance user. I have a doctorate in human factors and I am a Certified Professional Ergonomist. But, more importantly, I grew up in parallel with the emergence of consumer digital technology....

The right stuff: materials selection more important and complex than ever.(INDUSTRIAL DESIGN & HUMAN FACTORS)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designers need to be materialistic. Not in the sense of being superficially obsessed with material things, but in the literal sense of being focused on materials themselves, the very substance and content of the...

Bright ideas: modern methods mimic the classic chrome look.(DECORATION)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alternatives to traditional electroplated chrome have hit the, market that can achieve the material s bright and glossy look without the negatives usually associated with electroplating. The timing couldn't be...

Know about glow? Test creates another hurdle to foreign markets.(CONNECTORS & CORDS)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since successfully addressing the well publicized issues created by the RoHS and WEEE directives on the restriction of hazardous substances, the connector industry is now facing a new challenge--Glow Wire. Although...

Speedy 3D: complementary design tool expedites workflow.(SOFTWARE)(Cover story)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In today's business climate, flexibility drives the ability of product manufacturers to stay competitive. As the costs of labor, materials and transportation fluctuate, manufacturers must continually assess the...

What language does your appliance speak?(ASSOCIATION REPORT: NEMA)
September 1, 2008... The era of simple home appliances has come to an end. New appliances with intelligence are taking their place. The next step is appliances that talk. They will not necessarily speak English, but they will communicate with one another. And that...