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 New appliance DESIGN Email Address
In an effort to optimize and safeguard our email communications, appliance DESIGN will soon introduce a new email address for our eNewsletters. To help ensure you continue receiving our emails, please add appliancedesign@bnpmedia-email.com to your email address book or safe senders lists. Follow this link for instructions. |
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The Excellence in Design Award provides
professional acknowledgement within design and manufacturing in today’s
global appliance marketplace.
Join
the competition that brings out best examples of thought leadership,
creativity, and technical savvy solutions within our industry.
Submit your entry by February 8, 2008 and save on entry fees! Read more...
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Group Calls Greenpeace Campaign 'Risky' (12/6)
The international environmental group Greenpeace is targeting
electronics manufacturers that use brominated flame retardants in their
products to prevent them from catching fire, despite the significant
fire danger those products can pose if they overheat, according to the Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF).
In a recent update of its report Guide to Greener Electronics,
Greenpeace attacked several major electronics producers for not moving
fast enough to reduce their use of certain chemicals, including flame
retardants.
However, the substances Greenpeace seeks to eliminate are
all approved for use, and provide critical performance and safety
functions in a wide range of electronic products, the BSEF says. Read more... |
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Greenpeace Slams Game Makers (12/3)
Greenpeace gave Microsoft and Nintendo the lowest possible ranking as
it pertains to their attempts to phase out toxic chemicals from their
game consoles.
According to the Associated Press, Nintendo Co.
became the first company to score zero out of a possible 10 points in
the Greenpeace ranking of 18 leading electronics companies. It provided
no information to consumers on the substances it uses in manufacturing
or on its plans to cut hazardous materials, the environmental
organization said.
Greenpeace judges companies on their mechanisms for collecting used
hardware and on their timelines for eliminating vinyl, or PVC, and
fire-retardants that can be dangerous when released into the
environment. It does not weigh companies' overall environmental
portrait, though it will look at energy efficiency next year, said
Greenpeace spokeswoman Iza Kruszweska. Read more...
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Emerson Survey Shows Awareness, Reluctance to R-22 Phase-Out (11/30)
Emerson Climate Technologies, a business of Emerson released results from the company’s most recent contractor and distributor survey and the results were mixed.
Of those surveyed, 100 percent said they were aware of the 2010 phase-out of new R-22 equipment. However, only 13 percent reported that they were exclusively quoting R-410A, 69 percent reported that they currently quote both R-410A and R-22, and 11 percent are not even offering R-410A. One of the most dramatic points from the survey results shows that 40 percent admitted that they will wait until 2010 to convert their sales to R-410A equipment. The survey results also point to higher costs for R-410A systems as the primary reason. Read more ... |
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Lucas-Milhaupt Acquires Omni Technologies (11/29)
Lucas-Milhaupt, Inc., a Milwaukee-based subsidiary of Handy &
Harman., has acquired Omni Technologies Corporation of Danville, a New
Hampshire based company specializing in the manufacture and
distribution of aluminum-based brazing and soldering materials.
Lucas-Milhaupt is North
America’s foremost supplier of brazing and soldering materials and a member of
the Handy & Harman Precious Metals Group of companies, a global leader in
the development and application of brazing technologies with offices throughout
North America, Europe and Asia. Lucas-Milhaupt offers a complete selection of
metal-joining products, comprehensive fabrication services and knowledgeable
technical support to customers in the electrical/electronic, appliance,
transportation and construction markets worldwide. Read more ...
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ADVERTISEMENT
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delves into the common mistakes companies designing consumer and commercial appliances have made and offers
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technologies in the early stages of product development.
Click Here to Download this FREE Report. |
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COVER STORY
Appliance Design's 2008 Buyers Guide 
The annual Buyer''s Guide and Resource Directory is designed to
serve as a year-round reference work for OEM design engineers. The
guide can be found at http://www.appliancedesign.com/buyersguide.
The main
part of the guide is the Product Locator, which helps engineers
find the names of suppliers making the components and materials needed for their
OEM projects.
The Supplier Locator provides specific
contact information for those suppliers. The new Services
Directory
assists engineers in locating outside support, including industrial
design, consulting, testing, prototyping, and fabrication services.
To help OEMs stay involved in organizations serving
the industry, an extensive list of Appliance Industry Associations is also included.
And the Meetings section allows engineers to plan ahead for
key industry events being held over 2008. Want to learn more? |
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ASSOCIATION REPORT: GAMA
Have We Reached a Tipping Point?
Public concern about global climate change, high energy
prices and U.S. energy security, has moved energy conservation and reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions to the top of the policy agendas of Congress, state
governments, advocacy groups and many organizations within the business
community.
Many state governments are not satisfied that the
federal government is providing adequate leadership on these issues and are
organizing their own cooperative initiatives.
There is a coordinated effort among a large number of states, in
cooperation with national and local environmental advocacy groups, to establish
new, more stringent appliance energy-efficiency standards, including standards
for residential heating equipment, despite federal regulation of these
products. This effort is reflected also in the energy bills now being
considered by Congress and in the recent residential furnace and boiler
rulemaking by the Department of Energy (DOE). In short, support for additional
regulation of the energy use of heating equipment is on the rise. Find out more. |
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NEWS WATCH
Consumers Show Green Fatigue
Consumers have lost a marked level of enthusiasm for
energy-efficient home products, as well as for green housing itself, according
to recent research that identifies economic concerns as the
cause.
“Energy Pulse 2007,” a study released in October by
The Shelton Group, Knoxville, Tenn., reveals a significant, measurable downturn
in purchase intent for a range of green home products, as well as rising
skepticism about advertisers’ use of terms like “green,” “sustainable,”
“earth,” and “eco-friendly.”Find out more. |
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Fenwal 
The Fenwal Series 30000 thermoswitch is an adjustable
electromechanical controller with an ON/OFF differential of +/- 1 DegF. The
controllers use the principle of the differential expansion of metals to
control internal electrical contacts and regulate temperature. This technique
is accurate and linear in a temperature range from colder than 50 DegF to 600
DegF. The controllers are installed in direct contact with the heated surface,
allowing temperature changes to be sensed. They offer a narrow temperature
differential and are UL component recognized for a minimum contact life of
100,000 cycles. Want to learn more?
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Ferro Electronic Material Systems
New RoHS-compliant MCS Metal Core Substrate Materials are
matched systems that enable integration of electronic elements on low carbon
steel, stainless steels, and aluminum substrates to reduce the overall size of
end products and increase the durability of circuits. MCS dielectrics meet
safety requirements of IEC 60335-1, the International Standard for Household
and similar electrical appliances. Flat-panel heating elements using MCS
material systems have performed successfully in low-energy prototype ovens. The
materials are compatible systems of dielectrics, resistors, conductors,
overglazes, and thermistors that are optimized for particular deposition
systems and substrate types. Find out more. |
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Global Lighting Technologies 
The MicroLens edge-lighting modules provide white LED
backlighting for LCDs and serves a multitude of functions with a minimum of
LEDs for a wide range of display applications. In addition to white LED
backlighting from an ultra-thin, low-power package, MicroLens light guides can
provide discrete area backlighting for different parts of the display,
including backlighting of the LCD, overlays such as characters and logos,
buttons, keypads and any other areas that need illumination. The 2-LED
MicroLens light guide measures 4.3 in. at its widest point, 4.5 in. at its
longest point, and 0.8 mm thick (or less). It can backlight a thermostat with
multiple discrete areas requiring illumination. Up to nine discrete areas can
be illuminated. Want to learn more? |
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Kingbright Corp.
The 0.4 mm ultra-thin 0805 bl ue SMD LED features a built-in
Zener diode that can withstand ESD voltage up to 5,000 V providing protection
against ESD damages at the production line. The LEDs can be used in
backlighting, indicator, and membrane applications because of its ultra-thin
design, measuring 2 mm x 1.25 mm x 0.4 mm, with a viewing angle of 110 Deg.
Operating under current as low as 1 mA, this low-power-consumption,
IR-reflow-solderable, and automation-friendly device meets industrial
temperature ratings of –40 DegC to 85 DegC. The product was designed for
automatic pick-and-place mounting. Find out more. |
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Littelfuse 
Nano2 456 Series ceramic fuses are available in 20 A and 30
A ratings, with interrupting ratings at 100 A at 125 VAC and 300 A at 65 VAC
respectively. Measuring 10.1-mm long x 3.12-mm wide and high, the 456 Series
was designed for situations where an ultra-small profile, higher-amp,
pick-and-place surface mount fuse is desired. The 456 Series enables circuit
engineers to design-in reliable primary and secondary over-current protection
with a single miniature fuse, the company says. Want to learn more?
 Please let us know what you think by sending your comments to Larry Adams, E-News Editor, at adamsl@bnpmedia.com. |
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BNP Media
2401 W. Big Beaver Road, Ste. 700
Troy, Michigan, 48084-3333
U.S.A. |
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