Appliance Design - November 2007 - (Page 5)

EDITORIAL ® www.applianceDESIGN.com Recognizing Real Magic t the Tokyo Auto Show last month, Nissan displayed a bubble-shaped concept vehicle called the Pivo 2 with a cabin that rotates 360 degrees, wheels that swivel to permit sideways driving into a tight parking space, and a dash-mounted robotic head that makes friendly chit-chat. It’s not clear if, or when, such a car will hit the streets, but at least the Pivo 2 is a real, working model. More often than not in the realm of product design, futuristic concepts are simply painted foam models with attached text detailing all the wonderful things the smart and stylish object would accomplish if it actually contained working parts. In essence, the designer envisions a magic box then shows how it might look. Sometimes the model isn’t even made; the magic box is merely sketched from various perspectives in a futuristic setting. Certainly these forays into blue-sky thinking have their virtues. Occasionally, they will lead to actual products somewhere down the road. Specific aspects might give rise to new features. Or perhaps the appearance may inspire a new style. Even without practical results, futuristic explorations serve to fire the imagination and stimulate creativity. Without such exercises, manufacturers would simply revise existing products instead of creating entirely new ones. And that’s why many design competitions have a category for design concepts. Our competition, however, does not, and we are often asked why. The exclusion of magic boxes from our Excellence in Design competition is not meant to dismiss the role of pure imagination, but rather to emphasize the integration of imagination and engineering. Conceptualizing is a necessary part of product design, but in a high-tech world, it’s just the warm-up act. To breathe functionality into a form, to make it hum with technological life, to fire the thing up and make it work, that’s the main event. Appliance Design is, after all, a technical publication serving those who design the complex products listed at the bottom of publishing staff Fern Sheinman Publisher Richard J. Babyak Editor Larry Adams Managing Editor Daryl Delano Economics Editor Amy Alef Production Manager MaTT Britcher Art Director (858) 259-4585 sheinmanf@bnpmedia.com (440) 886-1210 babyakr@bnpmedia.com (773) 467-8590 adamsl@bnpmedia.com (508) 746-7986 ddelano@adelphia.net (248) 244-6409 alefa@bnpmedia.com (734) 354-1874 britcherm@bnpmedia.com A circulation Christine Baloga (248) 244-8262 Corporate Audience Development Director balogac@bnpmedia.com Amy Schuler (920) 231-4932 Audience Development Manager schulera@bnpmedia.com Alison Illes (248) 244-1730 Corporate Fulfillment Manager Illesa@bnpmedia.com Catherine M. Ronan (248) 244-8259 Audience Audit Manager ronanc@bnpmedia.com Robert Liska 800-223-2194 List Manager robert.liska@edithroman.com marketing Danielle Kimble Marketing Director Paul Dykstra Trade Show Coordinator (248) 244-8257 kimbled@bnpmedia.com (248) 786-1609 dykstrap@bnpmedia.com editorial advisory board Mark Skaer, Senior Editor, The News Susan Sutton, Editor, Ceramic Industry Roy Sakelson, Editor-in-Chief, Circuitree Tom Williams, Publisher/Editor, Quality Magazine Darlene Brezinski, Ph.D., Editor, Paint and Coatings Industry Don Hegland, Editor, Assembly BNP Media 2401 West Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084, (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317; www.bnpmedia.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: call (847) 763-9534 • Fax: (847) 763-9538 or email: AD@halldata.com APPLIANCE DESIGN (ISSN 1552-5937) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media, 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $116.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $145.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $156.00 (airmail) payable in U.S. funds. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2007, by BNP Media. GST account: 131263923. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. For single copies or back issues, contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or KalbA@bnpmedia.com. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40026999. Send returns (Canada) to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. this page. So it is only natural for us to focus on the challenge of melding aesthetics with technology and to recognize those who do an excellent job of it. Slowly transforming an abstract vision into hard specifications is tough work and the least glamorous part of product design. Sketching fanciful ideas is clearly more fun than poring over materials data sheets or discussing draft angles with mold makers. But achieving a successful design often depends on the dogged pursuit of such mundane details. Technology products can’t get by on looks alone. They have to work. They have to be manufacturable at a cost that the target market will bear. They have to meet a slew of regulatory and agency approvals. They have to be understandable and usable. They have to be better than their predecessors and different from their competitors. They must meet those tests and still display enticing good looks. Surmounting all of those challenges — that’s real magic. And that’s the kind of magic we’re looking for, the kind we want to recognize and show off to the world. Appliance Design’s 21st Annual Excellence in Design competition is now accepting entries. The contest is open to OEMs and industrial design firms worldwide and covers a broad spectrum of appliance product segments. Products entered must have been introduced to the market within the year 2007. Judging of the entries will be based on four criteria — innovation, aesthetics, human factors, and technical merits. Winners will be featured in the June 2008 issue of Appliance Design. Instructions, rules, deadlines, and entry forms are available at www.appliancedesign.com/EID. < Richard Babyak, Editor E-mail: babyakr@bnpmedia.com | HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | | Vending | Medical | Lab | Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment | applianceDESIGN November 2007 5 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com http://www.appliancedesign.com/EID http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - November 2007

Appliance Design - November 2007 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Today’s LEDs are Brighter and More Colorful than Previous Versions, Allowing Designers More Opportunities to Improve and Differentiate Their Products. When Converting from CCFL to LED Backlights in LCD Panels, New Driving Methods are Needed. Electrowetting Technology Allows Displays to be Designed in an Extensive Range of Colors. Noise Problems are Not Always Easy to Find or Fix, but Acoustic Labs Can Help Designers Ferret Out the “Good” Noise from the “Bad.” A New Sanitization Protocol for Clothes Washers Combines the Best of Three Well-Established Provisions to Ensure Efficiency, Quality and Safety. Stricter EMC Requirements Raise the Bar for Appliances with Electronic Controls and Require Testing to New Levels. Despite Added Cost and Complexity, Gas-Modulating Systems have Migrated from Large-Scale Boiler Applications to Smaller Residential and Commercial Furnaces and Appliances. A New Treatment Technology Hardens the Surface of Light Alloys such as Aluminum and Magnesium and Expands Their Potential Applications. DesignMart Advertiser’s Index Association Report: AHAM

Appliance Design - November 2007

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