Appliance Design - February 2009 - (Page 8)

NEWS WATCh target is 4 kg per person per year. The new target is equal to 65 percent of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market over the two previous years in each EU member state. The proposed ROHS directive would cover medical devices and monitoring and control instruments. A list of priority substances posting particular environmental concerns when used in electrical and electronics equipment will be assessed in line with REACH with a view of a possible ban in the future. A CE label will be issued to products that comply with the directives. This may help account for increases of shipments for the first six months of 2008. As compared to the same period in 2007, shipments of wood stoves/inserts increased 54 percent and pellet stoves/inserts increased 212 percent. Shipments may increase as consumers can now take advantage of a $300 federal tax credit to purchase a new pellet or 75-percent efficient wood stove. nm contributed more than 90 percent of the particles produced by electric and gas stove-top burners and coils. The gas and electric ovens and the toaster oven produced most of their UFP in the 10 nm to 30 nm range. SMART METERS. JAPAN EXPANDS RECYCLING. Japan has added flat screen TV sets and clothes dryers to its list of home appliances that must be recycled, according to a revised recycling law. These items are in addition to air conditioners, refrigerators, clothes washing machines, and CRT televisions that are on the list. The ordinance goes into effect April 1. At that time, consumers will be required to pay recycling fees when they dispose of the products. The ordinance sets mandatory minimum recycling rates at 50 percent for flat TVs and 65 percent for clothes dryers. A recycling rate is a percentage share of the weight of the materials that manufacturers retrieve from used appliances as compared to their total weight. The ordinance also raised rates for three of the four current home appliances covered by the law. The new rates are 60 percent for air conditioners, 50 percent for refrigerators, 50 percent for clothes washing machines, and 55 percent for CRT TVs. NIST researchers measuring ultrafine particles generated by cooking. Photo: NIST. NANOSCALE PARTICLES ABOUND. hEARTh hEAT. Nearly 70 percent of Americans that install a new technology fireplace, stove, or insert do so to be more energy efficient, according to the 2008 Hearth Consumer Survey by the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association, Arlington, Va. HPBA’s survey found that 51 percent of consumers want to look at hearth products to help save on heating costs. Researchers at NIST have determined that a home’s environment has an “abundant amount” of extremely small nanoscale particles that are released by common kitchen appliances. The numbers of these “ultrafine” particles (UFP) greatly outnumber the previously detected larger nanoparticles that are emitted by these appliances. The particles range in size from 2 nm to 10 nm. There is increasing evidence that they can cause respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. The researchers conducted a series of 150 experiments using gas and electric stoves and electric toaster ovens to determine their impact on indoor levels of nano-sized particles. Previous studies have been limited to measuring particles with diameters greater than 10 nm, but new technology has enabled measurement down to the 2 nm particles. The previously unexplored range of 2 nm to 10 Intelligent Sustainable Energy (ISE) is a new company created to develop smart meters based on technology developed at Oxford University. ISE is an England-based company formed by Navetas Energy Management and Oxford University. When completed, ISE’s smart meter will allow households to monitor individual appliances and the electricity they consume on a minute-by-minute basis, and at what rate. Homeowners can view the data can on their PC, mobile phone, or by an itemized electricity bill. The smart meter can identify different appliances including hard-wired appliances like water heaters from their electricity use profiles, and feed that information back to the consumer. The technology uses algorithms that interpret voltage and current waveform and identify patterns of devices that consume less than 10 W. The company expects the technology to hit the market by 2010. MCGUIRE ON ANSI BOARD. Joseph M. McGuire, president of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, Washington, D.C., was elected to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Directors. McGuire began a three-year term on Jan. 1, 2009. BSh WINS AWARD. BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH, Munich, has won the German Sustainability Award, presented by the European Commission. The award recognizes companies that combine economic success with social responsibility and environmental protection, and use sustainable activities to generate growth. BSH was lauded for continu- 8 applianceDESIGN February 2009 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - February 2009 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Force-Sensing Technology Offers Designers an Alternative Approach to Creating Touch-Control Interfaces A Flammable Vapor Sensing Technology that was Originally Developed for use in Water Heaters has Evolved for use in a Broader Array of Applications Latches, Hinges, and Slides Must Reliably Secure Parts Together, Sometimes for Hundreds of Thousands of Cycles. Beyond their Utilitarian Functions, They Can Also Change Consumer Perceptions Elastomeric Electrical Connectors Can Solve Space Constraint Problems in Electronic Products and Provide Some Cost Advantages as Well A Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor with a Novel Electrode Design Can Suppress Electromagnetic Interference, Improve Circuit Performance, and Reduce the Number of Needed Components Design Marts Association Report: AHRI Advertisers’ Index

Appliance Design - February 2009

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