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QUALITY & STANDARDS
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 | Quality & Standards: The Efficiency Equation (May 2008)
The refrigeration industry currently has a
number of standards and methods of measurement in place to provide a helpful
guide for determining the energy efficiency of equipment. These methods, such
as the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), allow engineers to compare different
compressors and operating conditions, ultimately finding a combination that
fits the application at hand.
by Rajan Rajendran
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 | Quality & Standards: Modern Motors (May 2008)
Why is UL changing its motor standards? This is
generally the first reaction when people hear that UL is changing its venerable
UL 1004 and UL 2111 standards for electric motors. Part of this reaction is due
to the perception in some quarters that UL serves as the “Safety Police.”
Another part of the reaction may be due to the comfort level that engineers
have with the previous set of requirements that were first printed in 1972 and
are well recognized by manufacturers.
by Frank Ladonne
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 | Quality & Standards: Confidence in Clothes (Nov. 2007)
Programs
like Energy Star and the American Water Works Association’s Water Wiser
initiative have become increasingly pervasive in recent years demonstrating
consumers’ increasing support for the environment. These and other conservation
initiatives continue to grow in scope and in their influence over consumers’
purchasing decisions.
by Patrick Davison
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 | Quality & Standards: Stricter on Safety (Nov. 2007)
In recent years, there has been a trend to upgrade
household and similar appliances with electronic controls. For these types of
products, this represents a significant change because they have previously
employed “low tech” controls, including components such as electromechanical
thermostats, thermal overprotection devices, and mechanical switches.
Electronic controls have a potential to be interfered with which may cause
inadvertent operation and related safety hazards.
by Steve Grimes
Mark Haynes
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 | Quality & Standards: A Sound Diagnosis (Nov. 2007)
If
a robotic vacuum cleaner works while no one is home, does it still make a
sound? That new spin on the tree falling in the forest may not inspire you to a
night course in philosophy, but it does underscore an important point in the
realm of sound quality: there is a distinction between the objective reality
and the subjective experience. The former relates to the physical phenomenon of
generating sound pressure waves that can be quantified and characterized by a
variety of standard metrics such as intensity level, frequency, harmonics, and
so on. This objective aspect is often referred to as noise.
by Larry Adams
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 | Quality & Standards: Beyond Reverse Engineering (May 2007)
Like technology itself, the labels we use to describe
technology-driven processes are fluid, a function of a particular time, place
or stage of development. Even if we use a computer primarily for word
processing, we don’t call it a word processor anymore. A term such as turnkey
CAD, prevalent two decades ago, is now as dated as groovy or right on!
by Ping Fu
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 | Quality & Standards: Integrating Biometrics (May 2007)
These days, there are only a few people left who haven’t
heard of biometrics. This technology is becoming popular for a variety of
applications where personal identity verification is needed. Typically, this is
based on improvements in security, convenience, or both.
by Catherine J. Tilton
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 | Quality & Standards: Lessons from Failure (May 2007)
Performing failure analysis involves determining the root
cause or causes of the failure of a product and involves a careful examination
of potential contributing factors and their interdependence. To a large extent,
the process of failure analysis depends on the experience of the analyst and
needs to be tailored to each project.
by Dale B. Edwards
Barbara J. Gedeon
Alan I. Kasner
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 | Quality and Standards: A Waffler that Wows
Wafflers that imprint interesting designs have become very popular, and Jarden’s Tilia subsidiary makes a variety of them sold under the VillaWare brand, including one that makes heart-shaped waffles and others that imprint the image of popular cartoon characters. In an effort to push the waffle envelope, the Tilia design team came up with the idea to develop a waffler that would imprint a bouquet of roses.
by Richard Babyak
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 | Quality and Standards: Compliant Components
European Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance has been in force since July 1. Many manufacturers who fall within the scope of the regulation have done what they believe is due diligence by collecting Certificates of Compliance or Declarations of Compliance from their suppliers.
by Greg Monty
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 | Quality and Standards: Weathering Forecasting
Manufacturers can build service life prediction (SLP) models for weathering studies by using xenon arc Weather-Ometers and proper design of experiment (DOE). By inputting environmental data from the outdoor exposure location, manufacturers can predict service life.
by Henry K. Hardcastle III
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 | Quality & Standards: Limiting Leaks
From lawn mowers to espresso machines, any fluid-handling appliance requires leak testing to demonstrate readiness for market release. Usually, the same leak testing methods that are used in prototype designs are also the best ones for assembly processes.
by Jacques Hoffmann
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 | Quality & Standards: Measuring Magnetic Fields
The new European standard EN 50366:2003, published under the 73/23/EEC Low Voltage Directive, pertains to manufacturers and marketers of household appliances and similar apparatuses, sometimes referred to HHA devices. The requirement, effective as of Feb. 1, 2006, established a method to show compliance with the European Council Recommendation 1995/519/EC concerning human exposure to low-frequency electromagnetic fields.
by Jack Black
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 | Quality & Standards: Reducing Recalls
When a company hears that it is involved in a federal product recall, the news can generate tremendous anxiety throughout the organization. Inevitably, questions will arise.
by John Drengenberg
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