Appliance Design January 2013

January 2013
REACHING OEM DESIGN ENGINEERS ACROSS CONSUMER AND COMMERCIAL MARKETS WORLDWIDE
ET
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INSIDE
15 Design Concepts & Trends
26 Displays & Interfaces
30 Electronics
34 Motors, Fans & Blowers
www.applianceDESIGN.com
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CONTENTS JANUARY 2013

volume 61, no. 1
REACHING OEM DESIGN ENGINEERS ACROSS CONSUMER AND COMMERCIAL MARKETS WORLDWIDE
30
26
15
DEPARTMENTS
Editorial: The Other Side of Sandy
Shipments/Forecasts
News Watch
View for the Top 2013
NEW - MUST SEE products & services
New Products
Association Report: AHRI
49 Advertisers Index
4
7
8
37
42
45
48
FEATURES
DESIGN CONCEPTS & TRENDS:
appliance DESIGN ONLINE

WEB EXTRAS
WEB EXTRAS
BLOGS
Manufacturing at Home? More like Design Rip-off

From prototyping to design tool to manufacturing, technological
advances continue to impact from the largest factory to the
smallest home. Home? Yep. If you believe the 3D printing hype,
soon Jim Jones in Columbus, Ohio, will be making his own
Lexus RX 350 in his garage. But will this all lead to wholesale
intellectual property theft?
15 Time for Consumer-Centered Appliance

Design. In todays design work, it takes
participatory research, in-depth observation,
extensive testing and hard work.
18 Upgrading PLA Bioplastic to Meet
Performance Demands. Bio-content PLA
compounds can create custom compounds
for a wide range of applications while
higher performance resins and innovative
compounding will expand its property profile.
23 Think Inside the Box: Design for
Manufacturing and Assembly. DFMA
focuses on the analysis of whole products
as well as their constituent parts and
subassemblies. It can save time, money,
materials and headaches.
DISPLAYS & INTERFACES:
26 New Appliance Panel Decorating

Solutions. The technical evolution of pad
printing, thanks to advances in many areas,
has gained with stepper motors that add even
more capability.
BLOGS
ELECTRONICS:
IFA 2012:
Famous Design Pioneer Braun Has New Owner
Writing from IFA, Paul Roggema reports that many of the
attendees were pleasantly surprised to see Braun joining
the fair for the first time ever. Also, worldwide, there have
been many changes in companies and their strengths and
future directions.
MOTORS, FANS & BLOWERS:
AD WEBINARS
Design, Transform, Create

With Smart Grid-enabled Devices
Its now ON-DEMAND. This useful webinar is aimed at the
appliance DESIGN Magazine audience to better position
you to cope and succeed with future anticipated and
unanticipated challenges in the design of
smart grid-enabled devices.
2 applianceDESIGN January 2013
30 Home Area Networks: Which Path to

Take? Now and more into the future, smart
appliances will communicate to the outside
but also within home area networks; but which
network will dominate?
34 Reduce HVAC-R Fan, Blower, Compressor Motor HP; Save OEM Cost, Energy
Consumption. Its a matter of reducing horse
power. One method: a novel reconfiguration of
the heat exchanger coil which reduces both
air and fluid resistance.
COVER
Assuming was yesterday. A new model has turned
product development on its head. GE Appliance Design
Director Lou Lenzi talks about participatory research,
in-depth observation and extensive testing to become
customer-centric.
let the performance begin
Its opening night and youve got the

best seat in the house.
Honeywells Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent
is here, its EPA SNAP approved1, and its time
for you to enjoy all the benets of the worlds rst
and best 4th-generation blowing agent. A near
drop-in replacement for hydrocarbons, HFCs,
and HCFCs, Solstice LBA delivers instant harmony through substantial
performance improvements, lower global-warming potential, and
outstanding safety features all without depleting the ozone layer.
How cool is that?
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 155 / Friday, August 10, 2012 / Rules and Regulations page 47772
To learn more visit www.honeywell-solsticelba.com

2012 Honeywell International Inc. All Rights Reserved.
EDIToRIAL
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publishing staff
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Daryl Delano
Economics Editor
Technicians unload and install a hot water heater

and furnace at the home of a Seaford, N.Y., survivor
of Hurricane Sandy one month after the disaster.
Photo courtesy Howard Greenblatt/FEMA
(508) 746-7986
dhdelano@comcast.net
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circulation
The other Side of Sandy

n late October, Hurricane Sandy,
after hitting the Caribbean, steamed
northward and merged with winter
weather systems over the U.S. It turned
into Superstorm Sandy, slamming the
Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes
regions with devastating wind, rain, snow
and tidal surges.
It is estimated that the storm caused at
least $50 billion in direct losses. Early last
month, the Obama administration asked
Congress for $60.4 billion in additional
federal emergency aid. For some homeowners and businesses, insurance will help.
Still, the aftermath of the Sandy tragedy may spur increased sales of home and
business appliances to replace what was
damaged or destroyed. While he doesnt
as yet have a definitive idea of the impact
of Sandy on [appliance] sales, other than
some anecdotal reports, Daryl Delano, this
magazines economics editor, says, Some
normal replacement/upgrade sales were
clearly lost/postponed during the period
blogs@appliancedesign.com
John Talan
Production Manager
Hayat Ali-Ghoneim
Audience Development
Specialist
of the storm and immediate emergency

response/clean up -- obviously a big negative -- but then recovered (and then some)
once people could get to stores again (or
arrange delivery to affected areas). I guess
the big question is how much the net (and
then some) gain will end up being. He
adds, Obviously, it was a localized event
but in a very high population area.
Auto sales may already point to an
answer. October sales were impacted, but it
was more than offset because people who
normally would have bought cars in the
next three months were joined by people
who have to buy cars because of the storm.
More broadly, and ironically, Sandy may
end up being beneficial for the U.S. economy, pushing indicators like construction
spending, industrial production and retail
sales above their pre-disaster trend-lines
over the next few quarters, according to
Goldman Sachs. <
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Editorial Advisory Board 2013-2014

Joe McGuire, AHAM
Jill Notini, AHAM
Francis Dietz, AHRI
Bob Brown, Branson Ultrasonics
Bill Romick, DNA Group
Richard Watson, Essential-Design
Tom Lipinksi, Henkel
Derek Silva, Intertek
Pat Blanc, Lydall
John Davis, Traulsen
Alberto Uggetti, UL International
| HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | Vending | Medical | Lab |
| Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment |
volume 61, no. 1
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ENTRIES ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED

26TH ANNUAL EXCELLENCE
IN DESIGN Awards!
This prestigious award is given to companies who excel in
unique designs with breakthrough features. Products that are
well engineered and have practical functions are always at the
top of the list, as competition drives innovation and practicality at
an affordable price.
Entries are slotted into one of 10 categories with a chance to
win a Gold, Silver or Bronze award. The categories are:
BUSINESS MACHINES
ELECTRONICS
MAJOR APPLIANCES AND COMMERCIAL VENDING
HVAC
MEDICAL
CALL FOR
ENTRIES
m
eid.applianceDES IG N.co
QUESTIONS? CONTACT: DARRYL SELAND

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, SELANDD@BNPMEDIA.COM
LAB & TEST EQUIPMENT

OUTDOOR & LEISURE APPLIANCES
SMALL APPLIANCES
LIGHTING
WATER PROCESSING APPLIANCES
Winners are not evenly distributed across each category as

there is no predetermined number of awards established.
Regardless of how many entries a category received, the idea
is to recognize the most excellent product designsperiod.
ALL ENTRIES ARE DUE NO LATER

THAN FEBRUARY 15, 2013.
An independent panel of experts in the field of design will
evaluate the entries based on several factors. Winners
from this years competition
will be announced in our
June 2013 issue.
Information on the 2013 EID competition will be available at:
eid.applianceDESIGN.com
LOOK AT WHAT PAST WINNERS HAVE SAID...
For Zephyr, developing new technology for our range hoods is part of our DNA.
To be recognized by our industry peers validates our vision.
- Luke Siow, President, Zephyr
Completing the entry form for the EID awards helped us to lay out the case for why our product is
important, to detail which features our dealers and consumers have told were important to them, and to
help position the product in the market.
- Jeff Cleveland, Marketing Manager, Empire Comfort Systems Inc.
FORECASTS
DVD PLAYERS/RECORDERS Shipments
(Thousands of Units)
2014
2013
Qtr:
2012
1
5145.4
4666.8
4106.8
4390.2
3911.7
3324.9
2
3863.9
3091.1
4093.1
3
4
8931.4
8350.9
7891.6
For 2012, a 14.8% decline to 22.560 million units
For 2014, an 11.4% decline to 18.414 million units
ELECTRIC RANGES & OVENS Shipments

2014
2013
Qtr:
2012
1009.8
1048.2
1107.9
1
1093.7
1129.8
1173.9
2
3
1077.5
1124.9
1169.9
4
1190.5
1253.6
1310.0
For 2012, a 1.2% increase to 4.371 million units
RESIDENTIAL GAS WATER HEATERS

Shipments (Thousands of Units)
2014
2013
Qtr:
2012
1068.7
1114.6
1013.0
1
1074.2
1124.6
1031.9
2
857.8
891.2
816.2
3
1015.0
1056.6
976.0
4

Qtr:
1
2
3
4
The economic environment in 2013 is far more likely to be determined by the interplay of consumption
and investment than any new austerity measures. Indeed, while some concentrate on developments in
the nations capital, developments at the state and local level are more encouraging, according to The
Conference Board.
Adds Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board, The Consumer Confidence
Index increased in November and is now at its highest level in more than four and a half years. The
most recent moderate improvement is a result of an uptick in expectations, while consumers assessment
of present-day conditions continues to hold steady. Over the past few months, consumers have grown
increasingly more upbeat about the current and expected state of the job market, and this turnaround in
sentiment is helping to boost confidence.
Adds Kathy Bostjancic, director of macroeconomic analysis at The Conference Board, The labor market
continues to improveproviding some needed boost to recovering consumer sentiment. Domestically, the
manufacturing sector continues to show some limited traction as sluggish foreign economic growth weighs
on the sector. More demand might also counter business concern about adding to the cost structure even
while profit margins are under pressure.
HVAC - Shipment figures for unitary air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, and water heaters can be found at www.ahrinet.org.
UNITARY AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT

PUMPS Shipments (Thousands of Units)
2014
2013
2012
Qtr:
1214.0
1271.1
1119.9
1
2224.0
2335.2
2106.1
2
1589.3
1684.7
1497.9
3
828.5
863.3
793.6
4
DISPOSERS Shipments
2012
2013
1518.7
1467.3
1494.9
1458.4
1535.6
1597.0
1492.5
1555.2
MIXED OUTLOOK:
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2014
1587.0
1578.6
1678.5
1628.3
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For 2012, an 8.5% increase to 5.954 million units

REFRIGERATORS Shipments
2012
2013
2014
Qtr:
1873.8
1950.6
1
1808.7
2
2370.0
2464.8
2595.4
3
2403.1
2528.1
2651.9
4
2047.6
2150.0
2279.0
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Data Source: AHAM Forecast Source: Delano Data Insights
applianceDESIGN January 2013 7
NEWS WATCH
Will Drones Be the Next Hot Appliance?
rones have played a great role in Afghanistan and

Iraq and there are experiments in the U.S. to see their
value for wild fires, border patrols and even highway
watches.
Recently, commercial, enterprise and media companies have
been pushing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and
the FAA to loosen rules that keep drones really called unmanned aerial vehicles out of the U.S. skies, except for border patrols.
But that may be changing. Kind of a consumer electronics
device that flies, drones may sooner or later patrol campuses
and estates, provide in-the-air gaming, bring medical records
to sites or on the bad side become a hacking device.
Recently, two security researchers demonstrated how a radio-controlled model airplane outfitted with a computer and
4G connectivity could be used to create a nearly undetectable
aerial hacking device that could perpetrate aerial attacks on
targets otherwise unreachable. Created completely with offthe-shelf equipment and open-source software -- and with a
budget of only about $6,100 the demo plane was capable
of wireless network sniffing and cracking, cell tower spoofing,
cell phone tracking and call interception, data exfiltration, and
video surveillance.
Built on top of a surplus Army target drone, the device
has been equipped with multiple wireless antennae and a
microcomputer loaded with GPS, wireless sniffing tools and
RESHORING SEEMS TO BE
CATCHING ON
Last month, Apple revealed that it

plans to join a small but growing number of companies that are bringing some
manufacturing jobs back to the United
States, drawn by the growing economic
and political advantages of producing in
their home market, according to Catherine Rampbell and Nick
Wingfield, writing in
the New York Times.
Apples chief executive, Timothy Cook
said he would invest
$100 million in producing some of its Mac
computers in the United
States, beyond the assembly work it already does in
Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, successful in war theaters by

the U.S. military, now may play a role as a commercial or household appliance.
the Backtrack 5 penetration testing toolkit. The 14-pound,

6-foot-long plane connects through a 4G dongle with a small
base station that controls it using Google Earth and an open
source autopilot software solution. The base station streams
data gathered by the plane and sends it over a VPN connection to a more robust back-end PC, which can take care of the
heavy-lifting, such as crunching through large dictionaries to
perform brute-force attacks.
the United States.

Over the last years, companies across
various industries, including electronics,
automotive and medical devices, have
pledged to reshore jobs. Lower energy
costs in America, rising wages in
developing countries like China
and Brazil, quality control issues
and the desire to keep the supply
chain close to the American consumer base all
are factors in the shift.
Apple just said it is reshoring
jobs back to the U.S. While
American manufacturing
has been growing in the
last two years, the sector still has two million
fewer jobs than it had
when the recession began
in December 2007.
Lennox International is a global player in the

heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and
refrigeration markets.
LENNOX: DECLARES DIVIDEND,

STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM
In early December, the board of directors of Lennox International Inc.

voted to declare a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share of common
stock. It also approved an additional
share repurchase program of $300
million of its common stock. The
company may also repurchase about
$71 million of its common stock under an earlier share repurchase program.
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NEwS watch
Solar-powErED
clothING May
powEr coNSuMEr
ElEctroNIcS
A team of chemists, physicist and engineers led by John Badding, a professor of
chemistry at Penn State University, has developed a fiber made out of crystalline silicon a common semiconductor material
used in solar photovoltaics that can function as a solar cell.
Our goal is to extend high-performance
electronic and solar-cell function to longer
lengths and to more flexible forms, BadFashion meets device recharging.
ding
has been quoted in media coverage.
Solar fiber woven into clothes and
A
solar
cell is usually made from a glass or
connected to electronic devices
could one day power them and
plastic substrate into which semiconductor
charge their batteries.
material has been deposited. These solar cells
are flat and heavy with very little flexibility.
While this may be okay for utility-scale energy generating applications, it does
not work for smaller applications such as portable electronics.
The solar fiber is also created by depositing semiconductor materials onto
a surface but this surface is optical fiber. Thinner than human hair, the fibers
surface is filled with tiny holes. The semiconducting material is deposited into
these tiny holes directly, layer by layer, using high pressure chemistry techniques.
These fibers are light-weight and retain their flexibility. They can be woven
into a fabric for a semiconducting material that can be used to generate power
in a variety of applications such as power generation, battery charging, chemical
sensing and biomedical devices. <
One CES Innovations winner: Belkins WeMo

Baby Monitor turns a homeowners iPhone
into a nanny.
cEa: BESt of INNovatIoNS DESIGN

aND ENGINEErING hoNorEES
The Consumer Electronics Association

(CEA) announced the International CES
Best of Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award honorees and they will be
featured in the Innovations Design and En10 applianceDESIGN January 2013
gineering Awards Showcase in The Venetian

at the 2013 International CES this month.
Among the Best of Innovations Honorees for 2013 are:
Accessible and Universal Design
Moneual
Smart Care System for Hearing-
Impaired Person
Eco-Design and Sustainable
Technologies
SWITCH Lighting
SWITCH 3-Way
Home Appliances
Belkin
Belkin WeMo baby
Personal Electronics
Liquid Image Co, LLC
Apex HD+, Wi-Fi Snow Goggle
Tech For A Better World

XPAL Power Inc.
SpareOne
MIcroGroovE cENtEr StaGE at

thE ahr Expo 2013
The International Copper Association

tells News Watch that tube suppliers, equipment makers and heat-exchanger manufacturers will share their expertise on topics
relating to smaller diameter copper tubes
at the New Product & Technology Theater
B of the AHR Expo 2013 in Dallas late this
month.
MicroGroove technology, originally developed for room air-conditioners, including window units and split systems, is now
also recognized by manufacturers as being well suited for large heat exchangers in
commercial-sized air conditioning and refrigeration systems. When smaller diameter
copper tubes are used in the construction
of large-area heat exchanger coils, major
advantages are realized in terms of energy
savings, materials savings, reduced refrigerant charge and smaller footprints.
To facilitate technology transfer at the
AHR Expo, the Copper Alliance has organized a series of presentations from industry experts who are active in the development of new applications for copper tubes.
Readers can join an ongoing discussion on
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups/Microgroove-4498690
coMMErcIal rEfrIGEratIoN
EquIpMENt MarkEt to rEach uSD
46.6 BIllIoN GloBally IN 2018
According to a market report published

by Transparency Market Research, Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market -
Global Industry Size, Market Share, Trends,
Analysis and Forecast, 2012 - 2018 , the
global commercial refrigeration equipment
market will account for USD 29.1 billion in
2012 and is expected to reach USD 46.6 billion in 2018, growing at a CAGR of about
8.2% from 2012 to 2018. In the overall global market, Asia Pacific leads the commercial
refrigeration equipment market in terms of
revenue with 34.1% market share, followed
by the North America.
TM
Seminar
Microgroove Technology
for
f Commercial Systems
The Copper Alliance is hosting a series of technical

presentations from innovative industry experts who are active
in the development of new applications for copper tubes.
WHEN: Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 2 to 4 p.m.
WHERE: New Product & Technology Theater B
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UIFTFNJOBSTBUUIFJSCPPUIT
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New Product & Technology Theater B

2:00 to 2:20 pm
The MicroGroove Advantage
John Hipchen from the Copper Alliance, Booth #5524
3:00 to 3:20 pm
A New Era of Coil Manufacturing
Newell Franks from Burr Oak Tool Inc., Booth #2957
2:20 to 2:40 pm
Copper Tubing in R410A and CO2 Applications
Dr. Charles Stout, PE and Chris Mueller from
Mueller Industries, Inc., Booth #2545
3:20 to 3:40 pm
New Copper Alloys for the ACR Industry
Ed Rottmann from Luvata, Booth #1545
2:40 to 3:00 pm
High Efficiency MicroGroove Coils for
Commercial and Industrial Applications
Matt Holland from Super Radiator Coils, Booth #1737
3:40 to 4:00 pm
Optimization of Copper Tubes for
ACR Tube Applications
Steffen Rieger from Wieland-Werke AG, Booth #4156
NEwS watch
hoNEywEll DoNatES
fIrSt rESpoNDEr
GEar for SupErStorm
SaNDy rElIEf
Honeywell is donating more than $600,000 in first responder products to aid in relief and recovery efforts in areas
devastated by Superstorm Sandy.
It will donate more than 19,000 personal protective products including protective footwear, gloves, hoods and helmets, designed to weather the most arduous conditions first
responders face every day. The protective gear will be distributed via the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management in Long Island, New York, to first responder teams in
affected areas in New York and New Jersey.
The commercial refrigeration equipment market is driven by various factors

including continuous evolving technology, changing food consumption trends,
rising international food trade, emergence
of supermarkets and fast food chains, rise
in horticulture, and seafood and processed
food exports across the globe. However,
some of the key restraints for the commercial refrigeration equipment market include
less energy-efficient commercial refrigeration equipment, the Montreal and Kyoto
protocol and increasing fuel cost.
Currently, the transportation refrigeration segment retains the maximum share
of 18.8% with revenue of USD 5.4 billion
owing to the rise in international food trade
across the globe. The transportation refrigeration segment is expected to attain revenue of USD 10.2 billion in 2018 at a CAGR
of 11.1% from 2012 to 2018. The transportation refrigeration segment is followed by
refrigerators and freezers segment, which is
estimated to be USD 5.1 billion in 2012.
Slow chINESE SalES SpurS haIEr

to Buy all of fIShEr & paykEl
Chinas Haier Group was poised to take

complete control of Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Ltd after it acquired more
Honeywell employees help load a shipment of first responder gear

to aid in Hurricane Sandy response. As the worlds leading provider
of personal protective equipment, we are deeply committed to
worker safety and to helping those on the front lines of rescue and
recovery efforts remain safe, says Honeywell Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer Dave Cote. Honeywell employees work and live
in these communities, these are our own hometowns and we feel a
sense of responsibility to support the first responders there.
than 90 percent of New Zealands top whitegoods maker, the companies were quoted in
early November.
Having snapped up 92.8 percent of F&P
Appliances, Haier will buy out the remaining minority shareholders to complete the
NZ$927 million ($766 million) takeover.
The move marks the second major takeover
in as many years for the parent of Qindao
Haier Co Ltd, Chinas No. 2 appliance maker by sales, as it is looks overseas for new
revenue sources in the face of sluggish demand and increased competition at home.
Last year, Haier bought Panasonic Corps
Sanyo Electric washing machine and refrigerator
units in Japan and Southeast Asia for $130 million.
Electrolux Design Lab 2012 winner is Jan

Ankiersztajn, a Polish designer behind the
Aeroball, a flying air cleaning concept. Jan is a
student at Uniwersytet Artystyczny w Poznaniu.
StuDENtS Show off thEIr DESIGN

SkIllS
Take, for example, New Zealand born

Ben de la Roche of Massey University,
who has been awarded second place at

the annual Global Electrolux Design Lab
competition in Milan in late October 25.
Bens Impress refrigerator submission
promises to change the way people refrigerate perishables and offers a sustainable
and unique solution to food usage and
storage.
Put simply, the design concept is a refrigerated wall that allows the user to
press storage containers and bottles directly into the wall, out in the open and
not behind closed doors so you will always remember the lunch you prepared
for work or find that midnight snack
with ease. Impress uses thermo-acoustic
technology and gases such as argon and
helium that are non-ozone depleting and
harmless to the environment.
The overall winning concept, the Aeroball by Jan Ankiersztajn of Poland, is a
collection of luminescent, hovering balls
that can filter and fragrance the air in a
room. They float using helium and drift
down to the ground when they are ready
to be changed.
Electrolux Design Lab is an annual
global design competition open to undergraduate and graduate design students
worldwide. Established in 2003, the competition is encouraging and facilitating
young designers in the pursuit of innovative home appliance design.
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PRODUCED BY
S I LV E R S P O N S O R
DESIGN CONCEPTS & TRENDS
Time for
Consumer-Centered
N
APPLIANCE DESIGN
ot too long ago, our product

development process consisted
of designers and engineers studying trends, sketching designs, developing
mock-ups and assembling focus groups,
and made adjustments to prototypes as
needed. We thought we were being pretty
progressive. We assumed, with confidence
that we were getting inside the consumers
head at every turn.
That was then.
Todays consumers made that process
outdated. They want the latest features and
functionality, but without complicating
the design or increasing the price tag. They
expect features theyll use every day, but at
the same time they want to be delighted
by features they may never have imagined.
Ask, and they will share how they would
have designed our appliances differently,
maybe even better.
So, that got us thinking. Under a model
that has completely turned product development on its head, we at GE are assuming
a lot less, and asking a lot more. Weve even
put a new demanding boss in charge of our
industrial design group, and shes a tough
critic. Her name? The consumer.
Proactive Interfacing
Today, we still follow trends and
embrace technology. That always will be
an important part of our jobs as designers;
but we assume nothing from the start. We
dont compile sketches or mock-ups and
ask consumers to respond to them upfront
anymore. Instead, we insert consumers
into the design process, ask and observe
what they want and literally have them
design their ideal appliances before we
ever put pen to paper.
Our 360-degree proactive approach
consists of three layers:
Participatory research,
In-depth observation and
Extensive testing.
The design process

always has been critical,
but today it takes more
hours of research,
observation and hard
work.
Participatory Research
When we say were having consumers
participate in design, we dont just mean
in focus groups. We have consumers quite
literally design their ideal appliances using
foam core, paper, scissors and glue.
For instance, we present a shell of a
refrigerator and then have them create
their ideal interior by designing, through
mock-ups and 3D designs, their own
by lou lenzi
Lou Lenzi is the design director at GE
Appliances where he is responsible for leading
product design for the business.
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shelves, door storage and other components. We then have them place these elements where theyd use them to allow us to
really understand and visualize their needs.
Weve installed the latest rapid prototyping machines in our studio that can
translate drawings into mock-ups quickly,
so when the consumer has an inspired
moment about the shape of a shelf or the
curve of a handle, we can have a mock-up
created within minutes for the consumer
to try.
This type of research comes early
sometimes years before a product will be
seen at retail and often. We never leave a
product feature at its first, second or even
22nd pass. We work with the consumer
to design and re-design product features
under the direction of a new consumer
insights team. This team records learnings,
analyzes findings and then shares them
with designers to translate into mockups, prototypes and software concepts for
review by the business.
Excessive Observation
In addition to participatory research,
observation is a critical part of product
development. Well pretty much move in
with a consumer if it helps us come up
with a winning design. Designers meticulously observe families in their homes to
understand how appliances can make their
habits and routines easier.
When we set out to design our French
door refrigerators, for instance, we paid
close attention to how consumers use
their on-door water dispensers. What we
found surprised us. We knew theyd be
filling water glasses and mugs, but we also
observed them attempting (and struggling) to fill sports bottles and pitchers
much larger than a 12-ounce tumbler. In
an era where weve become accustomed to
instant gratification, we also found them
impatient with the time it took to fill these
vessels.
Multitasking was prevalent across the
board.
We saw consumers unloading the dishwasher while toasting a bagel or checking emails while boiling water. Waiting
for pitchers to fill was not acceptable. The
result of these observations is a handsfree autofill feature that will fill virtually
any-sized vessel while the consumer walks
away; the feature can handle most anything
from a large water pitcher to a coffee pot to
a dog dish. A pull-out tray positions larger
containers underneath the dispenser.
It takes research, consumer involvement, solid listening and observation for appliance
designers to hit the mark when it comes to buyer needs as well as meeting their perceptions.
We also were amazed at how many condiments most consumers store. Of those
we observed, condiments accounted for
nearly a quarter of the total food items in
the fridge, but everyone stored those items
in a different way. Some consumers wanted an egg shelf on the door; but for others, the egg shelf area was wasted space
sometimes they had eggs, sometimes they
didnt. Our resulting design incorporates
adjustable shelves that can move based on
needs, as well as a drop-down egg shelf, so
consumers can store eggs or push the shelf
up and use the space in a different way.
Similarly, when designing new dishwashers, we saw consumers washing a lot
of partial loads and, in some cases, very
meticulously rinsing dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. So new models will wash top racks or bottom racks
independent of one another and will apply

steam in a pre-wash no matter what the
load size to virtually eliminate that predishwasher rinse. We also saw consumers
really digging for their silverware baskets,
so our dishwasher flex baskets attach to the
outside of each dishwasher rack and can be
used on either the top or bottom.
In addition to observing consumers in
their own homes, GE teams also complete
extensive in-store shopping studies where
they accompany shoppers as they search
for new options, see what influences them,
observe where they struggle in the experience and more fully understand the purchasing process overall.
Psychological Testing
After observing and involving consumers in participatory design, we move to

testing. We may have the best engineers,
designers and developers on staff, but we
are also aware that there is a bit of psychology behind product use and purchases.
To this end, weve employed a cognitive
psychologist to help our engineers apply
what we know about human cognition to
the product design process, a role that is
very important during our product-testing
stage.
Much of our product testing takes place
at our human-factors lab Studio U at
our Appliance Park headquarters. The purpose of Studio U is to investigate issues of
consumer use and perception related to
the design and engineering of our products. The U stands for usability, universal design, understanding and you -the consumer. The mission is to improve
design elements and operations by obtaining consumer feedback and applying it
directly to the products design early in
the process.
Studio U focuses on testing the usability
of controls, ergonomics, consumers perceived quality of fit and feel, competitive
benchmarking and normalized behavior.
When testing usability, our teams have
consumers use products on a task-by-task
basis while thinking aloud about how they
are problem solving. On other occasions,
we look at how design impacts normalized
behavior and perceived quality.
In another example, when exploring prototypes of new French door water
dispensers, consumers informed product designers that the dispenser paddle
looked fragile and that they had concerns
about children breaking it. As a result, GE
redesigned the paddles to sit more snugly
against the back wall of the cavity for better durability.
Comparative studies in design characteristics are also conducted. For example,
different dishwasher latching mechanisms
on GE products may be compared to competitive products. This even comes down
to details like color, which is why GEs
newest water heater, the GeoSpring, has
red accents. During testing, consumers
shared that the red would catch their attention at retail over the sea of gray and white
typically associated with products in this
category.
2014, design will be crucial to success.

Next on our plate is the design of additional smart technologies to support the
connected home. Soon there will be mobile
applications that will tell the consumer
when the laundry is finished and when the
oven is pre-heated and technologies that
will allow consumers to turn off appliances
while away on vacation and make sure they
are up and running by the time the family
returns home.
Consumers may not realize when they
fill their water bottles, load their dishwashers or tap into their appliances remotely
just how many hours of research, observation and hard work are behind the design;
and we dont want them to. We just want to
make their lives easier, and if we do, thats
what well call a success.<
A Capital Investment
The design process always has been
a critical part of our business, but as GE
embarks on a $1 billion investment in the
development of new appliance products by
Upgrading PLA
Meet Performa
Into one end of the process goes corn. Out the other come
pellets, an industrial resin for use in many types of branded semidurable goods. Higher performance resins and compounding
technology advances will expand the property profile of PLA.
A Bioplastic to
ance Demands
I
n recent years, the publics concern

over the depletion of the earths limited natural resources has increased. An
important solution that has evolved within
the heavily fossil fuel dependent plastics
manufacturing sector has been the development of new thermoplastic polymers
derived from bio-based, rapidly renewable
resources. During a relatively short period
of time, biopolymers have made inroads to
replace petroleum-based plastics in a range
of applications.
Commercial penetration for unmodified
bioplastics has been largely limited to packaging and commodity applications due to
performance limitations. Leading plastics
compounders have been successful in using
property enhancing additives to impart
higher performance into biopolymers that
allow them to be used for more demanding
semi-durable engineered applications in a
range of industries including the
appliance market.
Among the obtainable performance

improvements are greater impact resistance,
higher strength, and better thermal capabilities along with value added features such as
halogen-free flame retardance and permanent static control.
The emergence of these new biopolymer
compounds can help processors and OEMs
meet their corporate sustainability goals
and the growing consumer demand for
products that have a lower environmental
impact.
PLA compounds
What Are Bioplastics?
innovative compounding
To fully grasp the development and use

of these unique bio-based plastics, its
important to have a firm understanding
of the industrys terms and definitions.
Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived
from renewable biomass sources such as
corn, wheat, sugar cane, and sugar beets,
unlike traditional plastics which are derived
from petroleum products.
Since bioplastics are not derived from
limited fossil fuel resources, they are considered an environmentally friendly alternative
to plastics derived from petroleum. The
production of bioplastics typically results in
lower CO2 gas emissions and uses less energy compared to traditional plastics resulting
in reduced environmental impact.
Bioplastics is a commonly used
catchall term and can encompass many
types of bio-based plastics, often containing blends of both renewable and
fossil-fuel based carbon materials. The
renewable carbon content is referred to as
bio-content and the percentage of biocontent varies widely.
Commercially available bio-based
can create custom

compounds for use
in a wide range of
applications while higher
performance resins and
will expand its property
profile.
by will taber
Will Taber is business manager emerging
technologies for RTP Co., a compounder of
custom engineered thermoplastics, based in
Winona, Minn. He has more than 20 years of
experience in the plastics industry. He can be
reached at (816) 591-7181 or
wtaber@rtpcompany.com.

polyester type resins include polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates
(PHA) such as PHB and PHV and polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT). PLA
and PHA contain 100 percent bio-content
while PTT has 37 percent. In the polyamide family of plastics, nylon 11 (PA) is 100
percent bio-based and nylon 6/10 (PA) is
62 percent.
PLA Offers Commercial

Opportunities
Among these new biopolymers, PLA,
100 percent bio-based polyester, has
gained the most attention because it is
widely available in commercial-scale
quantities and at relatively low cost.
From an environmental standpoint, the
manufacture of PLA produces 60 percent
less greenhouse gases and uses 50 percent
less non-renewable energy than traditional polymers like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS), according to NatureWorks LLC of Minnetonka,
Minn., a major producer of PLA resin.
Materials produced using renewable
content, like PLA, are also valued by
industry certification agencies such as
LEED, EPEAT, BIMFA and the USDAs
BioPreferred label, which can help
increase a products marketability.
The potential commercial opportunities for unmodified PLA polymer, however, have largely been limited to commodity applications such as clamshell packaging, disposable utensils, grocery bags and
disposable water bottles due to inherent
low mechanical properties.
For PLA to take the next step into semidurable applications, its properties must
be improved to put it on par with petroleum-based polymers including highimpact polystyrene (HIPS), acrylonitrilebutadiene-styrene (ABS), polypropylene
(PP), polycarbonate/ABS alloys (PC/
ABS), nylons (PA) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).
Leading thermoplastic compounders have invested considerable resources

to develop methods of upgrading PLAs
properties to engineering level performance by using the process of melt compounding, which mixes molten resin with
additives, modifiers, reinforcements or
other polymers to modify select characteristics.
While PLA displays inherently low
mechanical properties in terms of impact
resistance, strength, stiffness and heat
deflection temperature (HDT), it can be
up-engineered by compounders due to its
favorable economics, ample supply, and
ease of modification via compounding.
A limiting characteristic of PLA is that
it does share the hydrolytic stability properties that are inherent to all polyesters,
making these resins best suited for indoor
applications, like many appliances, where
the environment (temperature and
humidity) is better controlled.
Melt Compounding Raises

PLA Impact Resistance
Various polymer technologies allow
PLA to overcome its deficiencies and
permit this biopolymer to be considered
for more semi-durable uses. In the resin
production stage, upstream reactor tech-
nology to produce purer monomers will

result in polymers with a higher melting
point and greater crystallinity.
Advancements are also made possible
by melt compounding PLA with other
polymers and additives. PLA can be successfully compounded with impact modifiers to dramatically improve toughness
to match that of HIPS, ABS and PC/ABS
alloys.
Compounds are commercially available where adding 5 percent of a compatible impact modifier to PLA produces a
bio-based compound that has approximately 95 percent renewable resource
content and offers impact performance
similar to popular HIPS products which
are used in many semi-durable applications. Similarly, incorporating 10 percent impact modifier with PLA results
in a compound that has impact performance comparable to popular ABS grades
but with roughly 90 percent renewable
resource content. Further, increasing the
impact modifier to 15 percent produces
a compound with greater than 80 percent renewable resource content that has
impact performance similar to PC/ABS
alloy, one of industrys leading impactresistant petroleum-based materials.
PLA can also be compounded with

mineral reinforcements and impact modifiers to produce a material with the overall performance of ABS, which, due to its
engineering level performance, has been
the material of choice in many demanding appliance applications.
Upgrading PLA Thermal

Performance
PLA can also be alloyed with other
polymers to improve properties including both impact resistance and thermal
performance. With an HDT @ 66 psi of
125 F, a component manufactured from
unmodified PLA could possibly have difficulty surviving shipment in a semi-trailer truck across hot southern U.S. climates
in mid-summer. In order to allow PLA
to be confidently used in semi-durable
applications, its thermal capabilities must
be improved.
Product development work by compounder RTP Company, for example,
has shown that PLA can also be alloyed
via compounding with several traditional polymers including PC, ABS, acrylic
(PMMA) and polyethylene (PE) to produce polymer blends that have unique
performance.
A PC/PLA alloy has appliance market
potential for its significant performance.
This blend offers performance similar to
the versatile PC/ABS alloy in strength,
impact resistance and HDT.
One of the reasons that PLA has such
a low HDT is that the polymer, in its
unmodified form, achieves very low levels of crystallinity during the course of a
typical injection molding cycle and can be
considered an amorphous polymer. To
overcome this, nucleating packages have

been developed that can be compounded
into the polymer to speed up the rate and
degree of crystallization during the injection molding process.
Using nucleators the HDT of PLA
can be increased from 125 F to 195 F,
comparing favorably to HIPS, ABS and
PMMA. A nucleation package typically
consists of a nucleating agent, such as a
fine mineral or salt, which provides a site
on which crystal growth can initiate.

Engineering Adds
Strength to PLA
Incorporating glass fiber reinforcement
is another important method to overcome the shortcomings of unmodified
PLA by increasing its strength and stiffness with 10 percent to 40 percent loadings of chopped glass fiber.
Bio-based PLAs performance, through
compounding with glass fiber, can be
raised to levels that fall predominantly
between that of glass fiber reinforced PP
and glass fiber reinforced PBT. A 30 percent glass fiber reinforced PLA compound
features a tensile strength of 16,500 psi,
a flexural modulus of 1,630,000 psi, and
HDT @ 66 psi of 320 F.
Testing has clearly demonstrated that
PLA can be up-engineered to compete
as a drop-in alternative to some of the
most popular glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics in use today while still providing its bio-content benefits. Raw material costs for glass fiber reinforced PLA
also fall between that of the glass fiber
reinforced PP and that of glass fiber reinforced PBT.

PLA compounds can be easily processed in existing tools and equipment
and its colorability plus resin-rich surface
finish allow for its use in many types of
branded semi-durable goods.
For the appliance industry, PLA compounds can be used to create custom
compounds for use in a wide range of
applications including housings, bezels,
brackets, handles, knobs, buttons and

lenses.
As more demanding application opportunities for bioplastics present themselves,
higher performance resins and innovative
compounding technology will be used to
expand the property profile of PLA and
other plastics produced from renewable
resources to meet industrys performance
requirements. <
easy handling, simple

installation, dependable
performance
High-Performance
Ceramic Igniters
physical and thermal
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available in gas
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igniters@coorstek.com
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2012 CoorsTek, Inc. L0112 8510-1797 REV.B
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Expanded polypropylene foam serves as a mechanism to

assemble the components on the inside of a medical device.
n important part of being an engineer is the ability to design products

such that they can be manufactured
economically with existing technologies in
an environmentally conscious way.
Many engineers are probably familiar with the terms DFM (Design for
Manufacturing) or Design for Assembly
(DFA).
DFA is a technique to minimize the total
cost of the product by reducing total part
count, assembly time and the complexity of
the assembly process. DFM is a technique
to minimize part cost though choosing the
best manufacturing process, the optimal
material and the best tool for making the
product.
One of the recent trends in the design
world has been to combine these two
techniques (DFM and DFA) to design for
both ease of manufacturing and for ease
of assembly. The resulting concept, called
Design for Manufacturing and Assembly,
or DFMA, is increasingly becoming the
method by which products are designed.
DFMA can be used throughout the
entire product development lifecycle from
concept selection to design tracking, cost
estimating and product benchmarking.
As an example, a cash register OEM redesigned one of their main products using
the DMFA technique and was able to
obtain an 85 percent part count reduction,
a 75 percent reduction in assembly time, a
44 percent reduction in labor cost, 65 percent fewer suppliers, reduce the need for all
assembly tooling and fasteners, save $1.1
million in product lifetime labor and free
up 33 percent of the floor space dedicated
to manufacturing.
Whole Product Analysis

Design for Manufacturing and Assembly
(DFMA) focuses on the analysis of whole
products as well as their constituent parts
and subassemblies. If a significant portion of a products final cost comes from
materials, it is reasonable to assume that
the fastest way to reduce cost would be to
eliminate parts/subassemblies. Boothroyd
and Dewhurst, the pioneers in the DFMA
process, developed the concept of theoretical minimum part count, which serves as
a goal for the product designer to achieve,
yielding a design with the fewest part/subassemblies possible.
To determine if a part is a candidate
DFMA and the concept

of reducing total part
count will naturally
spread across the
organization saving time,
money, materials and
headaches.
by jessica irons
Jessica Irons is master of engineering
management and marketing specialist,
Sonoco Protective Solutions. Sonoco is
a multi-billion dollar global provider of
consumer packaging, industrial products,
protective packaging and packaging
supply chain services with headquarters in
Hartsville, S.C. Contact Ms. Irons at (847)
632-9694 or jessica.irons@sonoco.com.

structure of a device with EPP is to use
a sandwich approach with top and bottom EPP pieces that lock the components
between them. Instead of attaching a muffin fan or circuit board to a wall or chassis with screws, EPP can be used such that
the components are snapped into place in
the bottom piece of foam, and then the
top piece of foam is placed over the components in a sandwich fashion. This not
only eliminates fasteners and brackets, but
it can also help to dampen vibration and/
or noise created by the fan.
Quicker Snap fitting
This water pump

uses expanded polypropylene
as both protection during shipment
as well as insulation upon install.
for elimination, a simple set of questions

must be answered. One must ask if the
part is required to meet the function of the
design; if the part is required to move relative to other parts; if the part must be made
of a different material than the other parts;
and if the part is necessary for the service
or disassembly of the product. If you can
answer yes to any of these questions in
regards to the part in question, then the
part may be required. If the answer to all
of these questions is no then the part
is a good candidate for elimination. The
exercise of how to design the product to
hit the theoretical minimum part count is
left to the imagination and creativity of the
design team.
Reducing the part count is a key benefit
of utilizing DFMA.
Part count touches every department
in an organization from engineering to
sourcing, manufacturing, purchasing and
sales to marketing, quality and customer
service. Reducing the total part count has
the obvious benefit of fewer SKUs to track
and fewer raw materials used; but it has
several hidden benefits as well. Reduced
part count leads to fewer drawings to
keep straight, fewer tolerance issues, fewer
assembly stations/equipment (and thus
less assembly labor required), fewer tools,
jigs, fixtures, etc., necessary and a simpler

supply chain overall.
Identifying Parts
for Elimination
Typical candidates for elimination
include any of the brackets, fasteners and
sheet metal trays whose only purpose is to
hold together all the parts and subassemblies that need to be interconnected so that
the product will function. As such, these
parts are the ones most often highlighted
for elimination when the theoretical minimum part count questions are asked. One
way to reduce the total number of screws,
fasteners, etc., is to employ a different
method to house the internal components
such as by using an internal chassis made
from expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam.
The resiliency of the EPP foam allows
internal components such as printed circuit boards, fans and power supplies to be
held in place using a friction fit; no other
attachments are necessary. The components are simply slid or snapped into place
and then held in place by the foam. As a
result, any of the screws, fasteners and
brackets that do nothing more than hold
the components in place can be eliminated,
right in line with the principles of DFMA.
One method of replacing the internal
During assembly, snap fitting various

components into the foam is much quicker
than taking the time to assemble using four
screws (or more) to attach a component
to the chassis. Using the foam sandwich
method will result in a significant labor
time savings in some cases upwards of
50 percent labor savings has been achieved
as well as eliminate the need for additional assembly tools such as a screwdriver.
Additionally, when a technician needs to go
in to service the unit and replace or repair
certain components, being able to remove
and replace components quickly will make
repairs much more efficient. Finally, with
this snap fit feature, removing and separating components for disassembly and recycling at end of product life is much easier.
In addition to resiliency, the material
properties of EPP are such that a foam
chassis structure can be very strong and
rigid. Because of this, the outer housing on
a device can be made with a thinner gauge
material, and, in some cases, be eliminated
completely, leaving the foam as the internal
protection, support and outer housing. In
the case of the hot water heater application
shown, the foam acts as the internal support and the external housing as well as
protects the unit during shipment. In the
case where the external housing must have
a particular texture or surface finish, the
foam can have a variety of textures molded
into it in order to achieve the desired look
on the finished product.
One unique benefit of EPP is the ability
to mold different types of channels into the
part. Channels are helpful for use in routing tubes, wires or even directing air flow.
Small crush ribs, molded into the sides of
the channels allow the wire or tubing to be
snapped into place and held there without
the need for any additional attachments.
In the case of a channel for air flow, the
channel can be designed and molded such

that air is directed away from the components and out to the heat sink. By directing
the airflow within the chassis to precisely
where it is needed, smaller fans can be used
which often results a quieter and more
energy efficient design.
In one application, a medical device has
an external heat sink with the foam on
the inside directing airflow in all the right
places; the outer housing of the device
itself actually acts as a heat sink.
of appliances and devices is a relatively

new concept in the United States, often
the most difficult part is teaching designers to literally think about designing their
products in a completely new way. That is
where DFMA comes in.
Teaching a designer about DFMA and
the concept of reducing total part count
will help him or her to start thinking in
new ways. This in turn can help think
about reducing as many parts as pos-
sible and make the concept of using EPP

as an inner chassis much more feasible.
Designers can then take that knowledge
and share it with fellow engineers to help
expand the concept beyond their project
team or work group.
Once the idea is planted, it will spread
across the organization saving time, money, materials and headaches. Start thinking
inside the box by literally replacing the
insides of said box with foam. <
Shortening
Design Process, Too
DFMA can shorten the design process
by as much as 40 percent and though more
time is spent upfront on the initial concept design phase, less time will be spent
later in the project on design changes and
documentation. Using EPP to create the
inner chassis of a product can also reduce
the design and prototyping time because
prototypes can be made without the need
for any special prototype tooling.
Once the initial design has been completed, a preliminary prototype can be produced
using a CNC mill. The designer creates the
design using a 3D CAD modeling program,
and then programs the CNC machine to cut
a billet of the EPP material. The prototype
can be tested by assembling the components
in place and, if modifications are necessarily,
the engineer can use a razor knife to make
the necessary adjustments. The improvements are then added to the CAD model
and the next iteration of the prototype can
quickly be made on the CNC mill.
An inner chassis made from EPP gives
product designers more flexibility in their
designs because they have more freedom
in how the internal chassis is designed
relative to the outer sheet metal or plastic housing. Designers no longer have to
worry about how the components will
attach to that structure, and only need
to worry about designing the foam to fit
into the outer housing and allow for other
components to snap fit into place. In some
cases, they may even be able to eliminate
the outer housing all together. In the case
where the outer housing cant be replaced,
designers are given the freedom to change
the inside of the device without changing
the outer housing.
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A Touch of Creativity
EPP can be molded into extremely complex shapes and thus allows a lot of room
for designer creativity. However, since the
use of EPP foam as an internal component
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DISPLAYS & INTERFACES

Among influential trends, there is the dramatic
change in the design of control panels used on
dryers as well as other appliances.
NEW APPLIANCE PANEL

DECORATING SOLUTIONS
A
The technical evolution
of pad printing, thanks to

advances in many areas,
has gained by stepper
motors that add even
more capability.
by john kaverman
John Kaverman is founder and president
of Pad Print Pros, LLC, an independent
sales and consulting firm specializing in pad
printing and digital thermal transfer marking.
Kaverman, who holds a degree in printing
technologies, has nearly 25 years of pad and
screen printing industry experience. Contact:
padprintpro@gmail.com or online at www.
padprintpros.com.
ppliance manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to design

and manufacture their products so
as to differentiate them from the competition. One of the most influential trends has
been the dramatic change in the design of
control panels used on newer appliances
such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers.
In the past, appliance panels were typically flat.
But in recent years, designers have
gone to great lengths to incorporate more
attractive curved surfaces into their panels
with the aim of differentiating their products from those of competitors. To make
matters more interesting, new panels often
feature an assortment of multicolor graphics across their surfaces, and the panels
may be as wide as the appliances on which
they are mounted.
When curved and contoured panels emerged in Europe, the only available
options for decorating them were to use inmold decorating technology or turn to conventional pad-printing equipment. Neither
option is ideal, especially considering that the
same panel might be used on products sold
in a dozen different countries with a dozen
different language requirements, or under
several different brand names, with and

without specific options. For the decorator,
this means the order isnt really a single project, but a collection of short-run jobs.
Adding to the difficulty is the fact that
many appliance OEMs demand just-in-time
manufacturing on their orders. Under these
circumstances, the make-ready required for
in-mold decorating and the frequent press
changeovers necessary with conventional padprinting equipment simply arent practical.
More Flexibility
But with the latest generation of padprinting machinery, it is no longer necessary
to perform multiple setups, use multiple
machines or rely on inaccurate conveyors
to move large-format parts through a multicolor pad-printing line. Today, pad presses
are available that can print the entire length
of large panels with as many as ten printing operations per cycle, with production
rates of several hundred parts per hour. The
secret behind this new level of performance
is found in the stepper motor and the digital
systems that drive it.
Since their inception in the mid-1980s,
stepper motors have revolutionized the
pad-printing industry in Europe. In basic
terms, a stepper motor is a digitally conwww.applianceDESIGN.com

and vary these distances over the course of
the print run if necessary.
Additionally, with stepper motors,
you can program in delays in each axis of
motion, a necessity for obtaining maximum
print quality in pad printing.
Another, much slower solution for pad
printing appliance panels is to pick up and
then print one image at a time, using a multiple-axis robot. In this scenario the transfer pad essentially acts like end of arm
tooling, with the cycle time being anywhere
from two to three times as long.
Benefits of Stepper
Motor Technology
A stepper motor can be programmed to travel specific distances at specific speeds. When
applied to pad printing, stepper-motor technology allows the machines to precisely control the
position and motion of parts along multiple independent axes.
trolled electric motor that doesnt rotate

continuously (like a servo motor), but
moves in small increments or steps of a predetermined distance (measured in degrees).
A stepper motor can be programmed to
travel specific distances at specific speeds.
When applied to pad printing, steppermotor technology allows the machines to
precisely control the position (linear or
rotational) and motion (speed, direction,
delays, etc.) of parts along multiple independent axes.
In one example, the operator loads from
the far left side of the linear indexer, so the
part travels right/left along the Y axis via a
linear indexer and in the R axis (rotation)
via a rotary table, while the pads travel in/

out along the X axis, and up/down along
the Z axis. On such machines, the accuracy
of the image placement in each axis can be
+-0.05mm.
Before stepper motors, pad printing
presses were either driven with simple
pneumatic cylinders or electro-mechanical
methods. Older presses might employ a
mechanical stop or a limit switch, but they
couldnt move that stop or switch during a
print run to vary the distance the machine
moved in any particular direction. With a
stepper motor, however, the operator can
select the exact distances he or she needs
the print head and part to travel in each axis
The programmability of stepper motor

driven machines means better process
control, and, in many multicolor industrial applications, a faster and less expensive
alternative to in-mold decorating.
Earlier this year the author was involved
in a Whirlpool project that required six different versions each of washer and dryer
control panels to be pad printed with six
or seven operations each. Two different
molding companies were tasked with molding, pad printing and assembling over 1.4
million units annually. Instead of decorating with in-mold labels, Whirlpool elected
to pad print directly, saving an average of
about 60 percent on decorating costs, which
was equivalent to about 26 percent of the
total part cost including material, molding,
decorating and assembly.
The switch to pad printing also enabled
the molders to print to order all of the
various versions of panels and graphics
using only two large, stepper motor driven,
pad printing systems from TOSH.
Other Benefits of Steppermotor Driven Pad Printing

Systems
Besides supporting a broad range of
part-conveyance accessories and motion
sequences, pad presses driven with stepper
motors also allow users to employ combinations of varying ink cup diameters, and the
corresponding clich dimensions, in a single
setup. The first image might be very small,
requiring only a 90mm (diameter) ink cup,
whereas another image in the sequence may
be 115, 130, 160mm (or even larger) ink
cup. This feature minimizes costs for ink
and additives, and in some cases, reduces
cycle times by shortening doctoring stroke
distances.
What about registration?
Most
stepper-motor
pad-printing
machines come with prepress equipment
It is no longer necessary to perform multiple setups, use multiple machines or rely on

inaccurate conveyors to move large-format parts through a multicolor pad-printing line.
Industry Peers
specifically designed to preregister films

to clichs before they are exposed with the
image. Typically, polymer clichs are used
that are pre-punched with holes that correspond to pin-registration systems. The films
are then aligned and punched with registration holes so that they align precisely where
theyre needed on the clichs. The machine
components driven by stepper motors generally maintain tolerances of 0.01 mm.
To reduce changeover times, presses like
the one pictured have one large clich platform that can accommodate all of the clichs
and ink cups on a pin registered system. The
beauty of this is that all of the clichs and ink
cups can be removed at once, as a set. By
having spare clich platforms and accessories
available, changeover times of 10-15 minutes
can be obtained, even for applications that
involve as many as ten printing operations.
Labor reduction is a key justification for
adopting stepper-driven pad presses. These
labor savings are realized primarily by interfacing the machines with other elements of
an automated production line. Because they
are stepper-motor driven, the pad presses
can be easily connected with the programmable logic controllers and computers that
drive other systems, creating an integrated
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manufacturing system that be controlled
through one operator interface.
Stepper-motor technology also allows
machines and part-conveying accessories to
be easily integrated with non-print-related
automation. Picture a part-handling robot
and a stepper pad-printing system configured with a plastic-molding machine. When
the mold opens, the robot rapidly removes
two bezels that were just formed, placing the
parts, one at a time, on a rotary table. The
table indexes to print the first bezel, then
again to print the second. While the second
is being printed, the first is being dried with
a hot-air dryer that is also integrated with
the system. As the parts leave the dryer, the
robot picks them up and deposits them in
a package, which is sealed and whisked off
by a conveyor to the shipping department.
By eliminating several material handling
steps, several machines working together can
mold, convey, print, dry, assemble and pack
more bezels than a team of human workers
using conventional production methods.
The Future is Now

Orchestrated by the programmable logic
system, the motions of a stepper-motor
Orchestrated by programmable logic, the

motions of a stepper-motor press are
fantastic to see, and the speed at which
complex printing jobs can be processed
becomes instantly apparent, points out
John Kaverman, founder and president of
Pad Print Pros.
press are fantastic to see, and the speed at

which complex printing jobs can be processed becomes instantly apparent. This
authors first exposure to this technology
occurred at a trade show in Milan, Italy, a
dozen years ago, watching in fascination as
a stepper-driven pad press printed toy train
cars on five sides using a combination of
different part conveying accessories. While
clearly built for industrial applications,
the solution was so elegant that it was like
watching a pad printing ballet.
The technical evolution of pad printing
from a labor-intensive specialty printing
process to an automated industrial decoration method has been made possible by
advances in many areas, from computerbased filmmaking and photopolymer clichs to self-regulating inking systems and
digital controls. The introduction of pad
presses driven by stepper motors adds even
more capability to a process already sought
out for its versatility. With this technology,
industrial printers can provide an efficient
and accurate decorating method that supports both high-volume, high-speed production and short-run, just-in-time applications.
With LCR, you dont have to settle for components that almost meet your specs. Because at LCR,
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ELECTRONICS
Home View, a new application for ADTs interactive

smart home product, ADT Pulse, allows a homeowner
to map a virtual floor plan and then remotely monitor
and interact with smart appliances and devices via
any Web-enabled PC, iPhone or iPad.
HOME AREA
NETWORKS:
WHICH PATH TO TAKE?
Sooner or later, smarter
appliances will connect into
HANs. Anticipating which is
the tricky part.
by bill zalud
Bill Zalud, contributing writer, is a longtime editor and writer in the fields of home
area networking, smart appliances and home
automation.
ome appliances will sooner or

later be part of a home area network (HAN), which may also connect with the appliance manufacturer and/
or service technician, probably through a
broadband connection.
No doubt, new subscription-based
home energy management and automation offerings are rapidly transforming the
way homeowners will monitor, secure and
control their homes and what is in them,
according to a recent report from ABI
Research, Oyster Bay, N.Y.
I agree, says John Stiernberg of
Stiernberg Consulting, Sherman Oaks,
Calif. Transformation of how homeowners interact with their home, appliances and
electronics is going from where it was to
where it will be at an accelerated rate. There
was the Smart House in 1984, I think. Until
2004, there was a low degree of change.
Then high speed Internet buzzed in.
So such networking will connect together
and enable communications among systems, devices and appliances inside and
around homes as well as connect to outside
broadband, utility and fiber to the home
solutions.
In the late summer of 2012, Lowes, the
second largest home improvement retailer
in the world and a significant seller of home

appliances, had its sales associates stock its
version of a home automation system and
accessories after a ten store pilot.
Its squarely aimed at mass market; but
dont think Kevin Meagher, Lowes vice
president of smart home in Mooresville,
N.C., believes his Iris products will jump
off the shelves just yet. Most shoppers will
instead still head to paint, ladders and
asphalt crack repair products at the home
improvement stores. But Lowes is educating homeowners, just as Best Buy does,
about connecting all devices and appliances
in the home to some type of management
and control platform as well as, to a lesser
degree, each other.
One big challenge, though, is that there
are myriad means of communications.
There is no one home area network that
connects everything and everyone together.
Utility to Home Energy Management
Home to Homeowners Standalone
Energy Management
Home to Appliance Maker, Service
Technician
Appliances to each other through HAN
Home Security: Intrusion, Fire, Video
Home Automation
Entertainment
ELECTRONICS
Home energy management is one element
of Lowes Iris platform but also a key to smart
appliances as well as cable and telecom
offerings, too.
Information Services
Home Healthcare,
Medical Devices, Aging
in Place
So it is not surprising that there are diverse
approaches, wiring, protocols, proprietary and open
standards when it comes
to home area networking. Still, it is obvious that
the smart grid, intelligent
appliances, the Internet
and a growing attraction
by homeowners to receive
information and control
things through mobile
devices are all influencing
the future. Here are some
thumbnails of existing
and emerging approaches,
which may be of interest
to appliance designers and
engineers.
dards that aim to ensure open access to

customer electricity use data by service
providers. At osgug.ucaiug.org.
HomePlug
HomePlug is a broad name for
various powerline communications
standards that support networking
over existing home electrical wiring.
Several different standards fall under
the HomePlug umbrella. Some target
broadband applications such as inhome distribution of TV, gaming, and
Internet content, while others focus
on low power and extended operating temperatures for applications such
as smart power meters and in-home
communications between electric systems and appliances. The HomePlug
Powerline Alliance owns the HomePlug
trademark. At homeplug.org.
ZigBee
ZigBee is a specification
for a suite of high level
communication protocols
using small, low-power
digital radios based on the
IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard for low rate wireless personal area networks (PAN), such as wireless light switches
with lamps, electrical meters with in-homedisplays, consumer electronics equipment
via short-range radio needing low rates
of data transfer. The ZigBee Alliance is an
open, non-profit association of members
comprised of businesses, universities and
government agencies. At zigbee.org.
Z-Wave
Z-Wave is a proprietary (from Sigma
Designs) wireless communications protocol
for home automation, specifically to remote
control applications in residential and light
commercial environments. The technology uses a low power RF radio embedded
or retrofitted into home electronics devices
and systems, such as lighting, home access
control, entertainment systems and household appliances. The Z-Wave Alliance is an
international consortium of manufacturers. At z-wavealliance.org.
OpenADR
Aimed at energy management, demand
response is a set of actions taken to reduce
load when electric grid contingencies
threaten supply-demand balance or market conditions occur that raise electricity

costs. Automated demand response (ADR)
consists of fully automated signaling from a
utility, electrical independent system operators and regional transmission organizations (ISO/RTO) or another appropriate
entity to provide automated connectivity
to customer end-use control systems and
strategies. OpenADR provides a foundation
for interoperable information exchange to
facilitate automated demand response. The
OpenADR Alliance is comprised of industry stakeholders for demand response communication protocol. At openadr.org.
OpenHAN
The OpenHAN suite of standards for
home area networks and home grids is promoted by the OpenAMI (automated meter
reading) and UtilityAMI. Both efforts aim
to standardize powerline networking interoperation from a utility point of view and
ensure reliable communications co-extant
with AC power outlets. Both utilities and
vendors of home control have promoted
such standards. The OpenHAN label usually denotes standards favored by the utilities
and distinguished from the OpenADR stan-
G.hn and HomeGrid

G.hn is the common name for a home
network technology standard developed
under the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU-T) and promoted by the
HomeGrid Forum. It supports networking over powerlines, phonelines and coaxial cables with data rates up to 1 Gbit/s. At
homegridforum.org.
IPv4 and 6
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), to succeed IPv4, operates by transferring data in
small packets that are independently routed
across networks. Each data packet contains
two numeric addresses that are the packets
origin and destination devices. Since 1981,
IPv4 has been the publicly used version of
the Internet Protocol. IPv6 allows for vastly
more numerical addresses, but switching
from IPv4 to IPv6 is challenging. 6to4 is an
Internet transition mechanism for migrating from IPv4 to IPv6, a system that allows
IPv6 packets to be transmitted over an IPv4
network. The IPSO Alliance promotes IP
for smart object communications. Smart
objects are small computers with a sensor
or actuator and a communication device,
embedded in objects such as thermometers,
ELECTRONICS
car engines, light switches, appliances, and
machinery for applications such as home
automation, building automation, smart
cities, structural health management systems, smart grid and energy management.
At ipso-alliance.org.
Three-tier IP Gateways
There is architecture for internetworking
between home automation networks and a
TCP/IP based wide area network, such as
the Internet. The architecture abstracts the
functionality of any home network into a
driver layer (tier one), and provides a common access layer (tier two) from any TCP/
IP network application (tier three) to a local
home automation network. Clients and
application programs may transparently
access services and resources on the home
network and appliances connected to the
home network may access resources and
services on the TCP/IP network.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi, a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance,
is within enabled devices such as a personal
computer, video game console, smartphone,
or digital audio or video player. They con-
It doesnt end with delivery. Some retailers as well as cable and telecom firms aim are
connecting into home appliances as mass market home systems expand.
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nect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network
connected to the Internet. The
alliance has generally enforced
its use to describe only a narrow
range of connectivity technologies including wireless local
area networks (WLAN) based
on the IEEE 802.11 standards,
device to device connectivity
such as Wi-Fi Peer to Peer, and a
range of technologies that support PANs, local area network
(LAN) and even wide area network (WAN) connections. At
wi-fi.org.
Wi-Gig
The Wi-Gig specification
enables high performance wireless data, display and audio
applications that supplement
the capabilities of todays wireless LAN devices. Wi-Gig triband enabled devices, which
operate in the 2.4, 5 and 60 GHz
bands, deliver data transfer
rates up to 7 Gbps, more than
10 times faster than the highest
802.11n rate while maintaining compatibility with existing
Wi-Fi devices. Additionally,
the technology was designed to
support a multitude of applications on both low power
and high performance devices,
including consumer electronics,
PCs, handheld devices, streaming video and home networking equipment. The Wireless
Gigabit Alliance adopter members develop wireless products
that use the unlicensed 60 GHz
spectrum. At wirelessgigabitalliance.org.
WiMAX and WiMAX

Advanced
WiMAX
(Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave
Access) is a telecommunications
protocol that provides fixed and
mobile Internet access. The current WiMAX revision provides
up to 40 Mbits with the IEEE
802.16m update expected to
offer up to 1 Gbits fixed speeds.
The name WiMAX was created
by the WiMAX Forum, which
describes it as a standardsbased technology enabling the
delivery of last mile wireless

broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. At
wimaxforum.org.
UPnP
Universal plug and play
(UPnP) is a set of networking
protocols for primarily residential networks without enterprise
class devices that permits networked devices, such as personal computers, printers, Internet
gateways, Wi-Fi access points
and mobile devices to seamlessly discover each others presence
and establish functional network services for data sharing,
communications, and entertainment. It is promoted by the
UPnP Forum. At upnp.org.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary
open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over
short distances (using short
wavelength radio transmissions) from fixed and mobile
devices, creating PANs with
high levels of security. Created
by Ericsson, it was originally
conceived as a wireless alternative to RS-232 data cables.
It can connect several devices,
overcoming problems of synchronization. It is managed by
the Bluetooth Special Interest
Group, with member companies in telecommunication,
computing, networking, and
consumer electronics. At bluetooth.org.
LonWorks
LonWorks is a proprietary
networking platform specifically created to address the needs
of control applications. The
platform is built on a protocol
created by Echelon Corporation
for networking devices over
media such as twisted pair,
powerlines, fiber optics, and RF.
It automates various functions
within buildings such as lighting and HVAC. Peer-to-peer
architecture means theres no
need for a central computer or
controller. At lonmark.org.
X10
X10 is an international
and open industry standard
for communication among
electronic devices for home
automation. It primarily uses
powerline wiring for signaling
and control, where the signals
involve brief radio frequency
bursts representing digital
information. A wireless radio
based protocol transport is also
defined. X10 was developed by
Pico Electronics remote control
home devices and appliances.
BACnet
BACnet is a communications
protocol for building automation and control networks.
It is an ASHRAE, ANSI and
ISO standard protocol. It was
designed to allow communication of building automation and
control systems for applications
such as heating, ventilating,
and air conditioning control,
lighting control, access control,
and fire detection systems and

their associated equipment. The
protocol provides mechanisms
for computerized automation
devices to exchange information, regardless of the particular
building service they perform.
At bacnetinternational.org.
USNAP Alliance
It promises to provide a
common connector between
the communications module
and devices including a thermostat, energy display, load
controller, home appliances,
and plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles. It enables any home
area network standard, now
and into the future, to use any
vendors smart meter as a gateway into the home, without
adding additional hardware.
The approach, with a protocol
independent serial interface,
extends the smart grid to energy aware consumer products.
At www.usnap.org.
Low Viscosity
Toughened Epoxy
Two Component
EP21FL
Withstands rigorous
thermal cycling
Electrically insulative
Excellent for potting
Long working life
154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA

+1.201.343.8983main@masterbond.com
www.masterbond.com
MOTORS, FANS & BLOWERS
Reduce HVAC-R
Fan, Blower,
Compressor
Motor HP; Save
OEM Cost, Energy
Consumption
There are many
benefits when reducing
horse power.
by hemant kale
Hemant D. Kale, PE, is energy research
engineer and inventor of the DEEP coil. For
more information on the technology, prototype
samples, test data and commercialization,
contact Kale at Thermorise Inc.,
(315) 416-0780 or info@thermorisecoil.com
eat transfer is a universal, perpetual and ever increasing human

need. Most of the heat transfer
occurs in the form of absorption or rejection
between fluid and air. And, both fluid and
air is moved by means of an electric motor.
To reduce energy consumption is to reduce
motor horse power (hp).
To reduce any motor horse power, the
load on the motor needs to be reduced. In
HVAC-R products, this load is mostly the
resistance in the heat exchanger coil. The
blower and fan motor pushes air through
fin-tube heat exchanger, called coil, to allow
necessary heat exchange. The air encounters
considerable resistance due to the presence
of tube and fin structure. If this resistance is
reduced without loss of heat transfer capacity
then it will proportionately reduce the load
on the motors pushing the air. The reduced
load is reduced motor horse power.
The motor BHP varies per the formula:
where SCFM= standard air volume cfm, sp

= static pressure in inches of water column,
sp. gr. = specific gravity
Similarly, the refrigerant fluid moves within the tubes of the heat exchanger. These
tubes are typically 3/8" diameter and include
many 1" diameter, 180 turns. These sharp
turns pose significant resistance to the refrigerant movement, which is significant load
on the compressor pushing the fluid, which
translates in to significantly higher compressor motor horse power needs. This resistance
is mostly centrifugal force. If these sharp
bends are made less sharp, then this resistance will reduce. For example, if the diameter of the bends is doubled the resistance
inside the bend is reduced by half per the formula f = mv/r.
Redesign without Heat

Transfer Loss
This article explains how a long, arduous
R&D process resulted in a novel reconfiguration of the heat exchanger coil which reduces
both air resistance and fluid resistance without loss of heat transfer capacity and concurrently reduces OEM cost and addresses many
other issues.
Current energy-efficient condensing units
use coil design based on high fin density, 1"
tube spacing, single row, large face area, short
Current Condenser
DEEP Coil Condenser
Coil H x W, In.
32 x 54
24 x 24*1
Coil Sq ft Face Area
12
4*1
comes from never-before large return bends

(4" diameter vs. 1" diameter). The 4 times
larger diameter will reduce the resistance
in the bends by 3/4th, which is 75 percent
reduction.
Tests have shown that the increased tube
spacing does not create a thermal boundary
layer which can impede heat transfer. Given
the staggered tube pattern, fin corrugations,
thin density medium (air) and velocities in
the range 300-500 fpm, it is not possible for
boundary layer to develop and take hold.
The table below provides comparison
between two condensing unit specifications
and performance based on empirical tests.
Use Thermorise Sketch 2 AND
Thermorisesketch1 AND Thermorise Table 1
AND see the attached original unedited article for way the three items need to be placed.
The reconfigured coil uses 145 ft. of total
tubing, compared to 148 ft. for the current
design coil; about the same. However, the
new coil also uses 183 sq. ft./0.122 cft fin surface compared to 288 sq. ft./0.132cft for the
current coil. Both coils use same amount of
copper tubing. So, overall material cost can
be same or lower.
Coil Depth, in.
11
Considering Dwell Time
fpi
24
Rows
11
Tube Spacing, In.
1x1
4x1
Tubes per Row, 3/8 diameter
32
Tubing Length (a), ft
148*2
145*2
No. of 180 Bends
40*3
66
This concept of reduced fin density, larger

tube spacing, multiple rows, counter flow
and long dwell time can be extended to any
HVAC-R machine where heat transfer occurs
between refrigerant or other fluid and air.
Dwell time is the real-time contact between
two heat exchanging media. In this case, it
is indeed very unusual that both OEM cost
and consumer operating cost can be reduced
concurrently. This reduces the pay back
waiting time to nearly zero.
The 11 rows provide long air path. In
this case, the air path is 11 times longer.
Concurrently, the cross section of the coil is
also reduced from 12 sq. ft. to 4 sq. ft. (24" x
24"). For same air volume, the reduced cross
section will increase velocity by multiple of
12/4=3. Normally, this will increase the air
resistance to unacceptable levels. However,
in this situation, the 4 times larger tube spacing combined with lower fin density more
than compensates for this increase, despite
the increased rows.
This concept of spreading out the heat
transfer surface over larger volume is same
as reducing the density of the heat exchanger
material. By reducing the density, the resistance to air movement is reduced. And, that
results in power reduction for the air moving
motor. This approach is particularly effective
in propeller fans which are very sensitive to
air resistance. They are most efficient in low
air path, U-shaped coil. Typically, a three

ton unit will use a single row, 12 sq. ft. face
area, 24 fins per inch coil. This coil is then
bent in to U shape and then installed to
reduce overall size of the unit. This design
is reconfigured to reduce both air and fluid
side resistance which will reduce both energy
consumption and OEM cost by more than 20
percent concurrently.
In the example used here, the reconfig-
ured coil design uses large tube spacing (4"

vs. 1"), multiple rows (11 vs. 1), low fin density (5 vs. 24), long air path pattern (11" vs.
1"). Combined effect of this transformation
is reduced air resistance, reduced fluid-side
resistance, long air path and long dwell time.
The reduced air resistance comes from combined effect of large tube spacing and low fin
density, despite mind numbing higher (11)
tube rows. The reduced fluid side resistance
Added Equivalent Straight Tube (b), ft to 80*4

represent tube bends
33*4
Corrected Total Straight Tubing, ft (a+b) 228
178
Air Pressure Drop, in. w.g
0.05
0.02
Air Temp Rise, t f
15
30
Total Fin Surface, sq ft/cft
288/0.132*5
183/0.122*6
CFM
3000
1500
Air Velocity Across fins, fpm
250
375
Dwell Time Multiple
7.4
Fan BHP Multiple
0.2
Comp. HP Multiple
0.8
Heat Transfer Capacity
Same
same
Footprint
Same
same
*1- 24 x 20 finned face, 24 x 24 air stream cross section which includes return bends
*2- Includes return bends
*3- The 1 row, 32 tube U coil has thirty two (32) 180 1 diameter bends, plus 64 soft, 90
large radius bends. The combined load is estimated to be equivalent of forty (40) 180 bends.
*4- Each 180, 1 dia bend is estimated to add 2 feet of equivalent straight tubing; each 180
4 dia bend is estimated to add 1/4th (0.5) ft. of equivalent straight tubing.
*5- 0.0055 thickness
*6- 0.008 thickness

air resistance application, such as condensers.
In this case, the fan motor hp is reduced by
80 percent. While current design 1 row, high
fin density coils are optimized to reduce the
air resistance, they concurrently reduce the
important dwell time to minimum. Dwell
time needs to be as long as possible. The
reconfigured DEEP coil is optimized both to
minimize the air resistance and to maximize
the dwell time.
Considering Resistance in
the Coil
Blower motor horse power reduction is
also achieved; but it is smaller than the propeller fan motor. The blower motor is sized
to overcome the air resistance posed by unit
cabinet, the heat exchanger coil and external
duct work. Accordingly, resistance in the
coil, and therefore any reduction in it, is relatively a smaller portion of the total resistance.
One or two row coils generally have large
face area with rectangular geometry. Round
propeller fan on a rectangular coil does not
provide for uniform air flow across the face
area. Larger portion of air passes through
coil surface nearest to the fan, starving area
outside the fan sweep. This starved heat
transfer material is relatively unused and
wasted. Whereas, the DEEP coil with more
square shape face with a round fan alleviates this situation and enhances output from
same amount of heat transfer surface.
There is another advantage to 11 rows, and
this is a big one and of the kind that currentdesign coils inherently cannot provide. The
11 rows in the reconfigured DEEP coil, unlike
current 1 row coil, provide highly effective
counter flow. Counter flow allows complete heat rejection at minimum air flow and
at minimum air resistance (minimum fan
power). Complete heat rejection is possible
in the current cross flow design coil but only
with huge amounts of air, which is neither
practical nor economical. For example, in
this case, to achieve complete heat rejection,
the air volume needed will increase from
3000 cfm, 0.05" s.p. to upwards of 8,000 cfm,
0.3" s.p. Obviously, this will increase the fan
motor hp by a large multiple. Alternately, the
heat exchanger surface can be enormously
increased, which brings another set of untenable problems. Therefore, the counter-flow
is a highly valuable, unique and exclusive

DEEP coil attribute.
Compressor HP reduction comes from
22 percent reduction in corrected tube
length (228 vs. 178). Then, there is significant additional reduction from the counter
flow feature of the 11 row coil. The 11 rows
also provide chimney effect over the finless 4" diameter return bends making them
effective heat transfer surface. The 7.4 times
longer dwell time is very effective in rejecting
all heat to atmosphere at minimum airflow/
minimum air resistance, which is minimum
fan power. Which is, all refrigerant will be
condensed and beyond that cooled to be
close to the ambient temperature (complete
sub cooling). With a reliable and inherent complete sub cooling, the refrigerant
amount needed to be circulated will be less
than otherwise. Lesser refrigerant in circulation means smaller compressor power, lesser
condenser tubing and smaller receiver. The
whole unit will shrink. The net compressor
HP reduction amounts to 20 percent or more
in this configuration.
Sizable Reduction
With proper balance of different variables,
compressor and fan motor hp reduction can
be hefty.
Complete heat rejection is complete cooling of the refrigerant to the ambient temperature, which is complete sub-cooling.
Complete sub-cooling results in reduction
in the refrigerant amount needed for same
heat transfer capacity. Reduced refrigerant
amount is reduced compressor load, which
is reduced compressor motor horse power. Indeed, this can cause the entire unit to
shrink.
In the case described here, the counter flow
reduces air volume needed from 3000 cfm to
1500 cfm. The net effect of reduced air flow
and reduced cross section is 7.4 times longer
dwell time, which is the real-time contact
between air and the refrigerant. Heat transfer, among many factors, is also dependent
on the real time contact. Longer the contact,
more complete heat transfer until the temperatures of the two heat exchanging media
equalize. And, 7.4 times is a large multiple
which will accomplish complete heat transfer
with ease.
The 7.4 times longer dwell time is a major

and an enormous advantage. This is very
powerful attribute unique to DEEP coil. This
dwell time will allow total sub-cooling with
minimum air flow/minimum air resistance
over wide temperature range with single or
multi speed motor. This will require lesser
amount of refrigerant to be circulated, which
is lesser load on the compressor.
About two dozen prototypes were tested,
with each having a different floating variable. These test results were then layered to
see through likely optimum combination of
variables before purchasing exact tooling.
Other Savings Possible

Along with reduction in blower, fan and
compressor horse power, many other savings
in material costs automatically fall in place.
These are: smaller fan blade, smaller blower
wheel, less expensive mounting/securing
hardware and, less expensive electrical components such as wiring, contactors, and terminals in larger units.
While the primary objective of this effort
was to enhance energy efficiency, the new
configuration incidentally also addressed
many other issues. These are low noise levels, less maintenance, and better indoor air
quality suitability. The low noise levels come
from reduced air volume due to counter flow,
which allows use of lower rpm motor, and
lower air resistance. Less maintenance comes
from wider fin spacing which makes the coil
less prone to clogging from debris. Also, for
the same reason, in evaporator application,
the coil is less prone to icing and mold development.
In many situations, the above configuration results in smaller footprint. Smaller
footprint allows reduction in shipping, packaging and storage costs. In case of commercial condensing units, it improves plant utility since it requires smaller sq. ft. floor area
than the current-design units of comparable
heat transfer capacity.
This is a reset opportunity for the industry to address the national and worldwide
issues concerning climate change, pollution
and energy-efficiency.
2013
VIEW FROM
THE TOP
SPECIAL ADVE RTISI NG SECTION
appliance DESIGN is proud to

present the special advertising
section VIEW FROM THE TOP.
VIEW FROM THE TOP features

C-level perspectives on their
companies, their industries,
and the events that shape
them.
AMERICAN NICKELOID
merican Nickeloid
provides a complete
range of finished
metal solutions including Plating, Polishing,
Laminating and Painting.
Our 6 coil lines in two
facilities process a wide
variety of metallic substrates in gauges from
.008 to .107 in widths
up to 60.
With two plating lines,
one at each facility, we offer a variety of decorative
and functional finishes which include brass, copper, nickel and chrome. In coil coating, our unique
configuration of coaters and ovens allows us to apply
complex paint systems in a single pass. Our job
shop environment also allows us to offer many tinted
coatings and unique finishes for special needs and
applications. We routinely polish a complete line
of non-ferrous metals, both to a bright or a brushed
look. We can laminate both interior and exterior
grade film, one-side or two-sided, ranging in thickness
from .500 mil up to 40 or 50 mil.
Whether you require a single bill, or prefer toll
processing, American Nickeloid is prepared to meet
your needs. In addition to coil processing, we also
offer auxiliary operations such as slitting, corrective
leveling, blanking and the application of several types
of strippable protective coverings, chosen to meet
your needs.
Our proven system speeds production, minimizes
inventories and rejects, and best of all overcomes environmental concerns. As a certified ISO 9001:2008
Supplier, we are committed to provide a quality product at an economical price.
More than a Metal - Its a Method
Try us for APPEARANCE,
Stay with us for PERFORMANCE.
Get connected and read

VIEW FROM THE TOP!
AMERICAN NICKELOID COMPANY

2900 West Main St
Peru, IL 61354
800-645-5643
www.americannickeloid.com
applianceDESIGN
January 2013 37
VIEW FROM THE TOP

FOAM SUPPLIES
oday, more and more

consumers and
manufacturers are
looking for environmentally friendly products, but
dont want to pay more to
get them.
Thats why at Foam
Supplies, Inc., were
proud to offer a truly
greener alternative and
offer manufacturers a
competitive edge, with
an economically sound
alternative our ecomate family of urethanes.
Ecomate PU technology is safe and affordable
when used in rigid insulating, spray, integral skin and
flexible foam applications. Its U.S. EPA SNAP approved to replace HFCs and SMOG producing hydrocarbons, and as such, does not contribute to global
warming or ozone depletion. In fact, ecomate meets
all current and future regulatory requirements, allowing OEMs to stay ahead of the curve and meet the
worlds growing demand for greener products without
spending more to do so.
While were proud to have developed this breakthrough technology, were also proud of our 40-year
history of innovation, and of the people whove made
that innovation possible. As a leading polyurethane
chemical manufacturer, technical services provider
and process consulting company, FSI has developed
industry-changing technology in PU systems and
dispensing equipment. But we also believe that our
companys foundation and our future depend upon
the experienced, talented professionals who continue
to drive our success. Their commitment to innovation
and quality keeps us in a leadership position in the
markets we serve, including (but not limited to) the
commercial foodservice, marine, transportation and
construction industries.
Better products. Better for the environment. At FSI,
thats more than our slogan thats our mission.
FOAM SUPPLIES, INC.

4387 North Rider Trail
Earth City, MO 63045
www.foamsupplies.com
1.800.325.4875
INTERNATIONAL COPPER
The Copper Alliance

in recent years supported research on
the use of smaller-diameter, inner-grooved tubes
in heat exchanger coils,
specifically for residential
air-conditioning appliance
design. In the first wave
of successful innovation,
OEMs such as Chigo,
Gree, Haier, Kelon and
Midea used MicroGroove
technology in low-cost,
mass-produced residential air conditioners, including
window units and split systems.
You can buy these products in stores today.
Further innovation is taking the form of optimized
fins especially designed for smaller diameter tubes.
Ecofriendly refrigerants are driving another wave of
innovation in appliance design, which will benefit from
the use of smaller diameter copper tubes.
The use of smaller diameter tubes is not limited to
residential appliances. MicroGroove technology can
also be used to advantage in the design of large commercial and industrial systems, including refrigeration
and air-conditioning applications. In the USA, Super
Radiator Coils is already working with large coils
made of small diameter copper tubes. Similar developments are ongoing in Europe.
Recent research into the antimicrobial properties of copper suggests that appliance designs may
benefit from all-copper coils made with smallerdiameter copper tubes and copper fins. In field tests
of HVAC systems installed on buses in Shanghai, the
microbial levels on copper surfaces were significantly
lower than those on aluminum, concurring with a US
study investigating the same subject in a laboratory
environment.
In short, MicroGroove Technology is a game changer. As is often the case in the supply chain, a single
basic innovation can lead to hundreds of product
innovations. MicroGroove tubes represent the shape
of things to come in appliance design.
INTERNATIONAL COPPER ASSOCIATION

212-251-7240
nigel.cotton@copperalliance.eu
microgroove.net
VIEW FROM THE TOP

LCR ELECTRONICS
s a supplier to
the Appliance
Industry (AI) for
more then 25 years, LCR
Electronics Inc. has seen
the industry transform
its products from simple
and mostly mechanically
based, to smart,
electronically controlled
and ergonomically
sophisticated.
Our products include

Electronic Controls to the
domestic market and EMI Filters to the export market.
As a component supplier, we realize our success is
dependent on the success of our customers. For
this reason LCRs purpose and focus is to help our
customers achieve their goals.
Technology Todays appliances have sophisticated
controls driven by firmware and sized to take very little
space. LCR has adapted its technology to support
these new demands and create more innovative
products.
Price - In the Appliance Industry you must always
be able to offer competitive prices. To support our
customers, LCR opened a Wholly Owned Foreign
Enterprise in China in order to supply cost-effective
products.
METAL COATERS
As one of the largest toll processing coil coating

companies in the United States, Metal Coaters
has been providing coil coating solutions to
various industries for more than 25 years.
Metal Coaters uses state-of-the-art techniques
to clean, pre-treat, and roll-apply organic coatings
in a continuous process on Hot Dipped Galvanized,
Galvannealed, Galvalume, Cold Rolled, ElectroGalvanized Steel and Aluminum Coils.
As a full service coil coater, Metal Coaters offers a
complete line of coating finishes including Polyesters,
Silicone Modified Polyesters (SMP), Fluorocarbons
(PVDF), and Plastisol (PVC). Coatings are available
for interior or exterior and for warranted or nonwarranted applications. Additionally, Metal Coaters
has slitting and embossing capabilities performed
separate from the coil coating processes on
dedicated production lines.
Finally, Metal Coaters specializes in the conversion
of manufacturers from their inefficient post-painted
processes, to the use of highly efficient and
environmentally friendly pre-painted metal. When this
opportunity arises, a dedicated supply chain team
is created to identify the customers needs and to
engineer coating systems that meet their specific
requirements. As an added benefit, Metal Coaters
offers access to an Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI), and CoilTracker, an internet-based inventory
management information system that allows
customers to easily manage their pre-painted metal.
Quality - Although your customer may not pay much

for what you supply, they expect a high level of quality.
LCRs qualifications are measured with audits on our
manufacturing facility, processes, quality systems and
delivery.
Support - To be in the AI market you must be prepared
to provide customers with a high level of support.
Support not only comes during product development,
but also during production where customers require
consignment inventories, 90 day+ payment terms and
a supplier prepared to provide global warehousing.
LCR is presently a key global supplier to major
appliance, food service, medical and industrial
markets.
Shmuel Yankelewitz, Chief Operating Officer
LCR ELECTRONICS, INC.

9 South Forest Ave.
Norristown, Pa. 19401
sales@lcr-inc.com
1-800-527-4362
www.lcr-inc.com
METAL COATERS
9123 Center Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
800-841-4565
sales@metalcoaters.com
www.metalcoaters.com
951 Priscock Road
Jackson, MS 39272
800-858-1203
1150 Marietta Industrial Drive NE
Marietta, GA 30062
800-669-0624
2400 Yankee Road
Middletown, OH 45044
877-669-3602
applianceDESIGN
January 2013 39
VIEW FROM THE TOP

PROTO LABS
roto Labs is the

worlds fastest
provider of CNC
machined and injection
molded parts. Our
Firstcut and Protomold
services utilize proprietary
computing technologies
and automated
manufacturing systems
to provide both prototype
and short-run production
parts from a customers
3D CAD model.
Turnaround can be as fast as one day and you can
choose from a wide variety of stocked engineering
grade resins and metals.
Our Firstcut service supplies customers with
functional CNC machined parts from an array of
engineering-grade resins and metals. Its great for
prototypes in very small quantities or custom oneoff projects, such as jigs or fixtures. Or if you need
more than 1-10 parts, our Protomold service offers
injection-molded parts in hundreds of engineeringgrade resins, in a variety of finishes, for a fraction
of traditional injection molding costs. Its great for
low-to-mid volume production, bridge tooling, and
functional testing.
Submit your 3D CAD model online, anytime day
or night, and our compute cluster will go to work,
analyzing your design based on best molding and
machining practices. Our software examines your
model for potential problems and presents your
results in a web-based interactive quote, generally
within hours. Parts are delivered in as fast as 1-15
business days.
SONOCO
he phrase think
outside the box is
often used to describe
an approach to coming up
with an innovative concept,
product or service by
thinking unconventionally
or from a new perspective.
At Sonoco, we believe
that significant innovation
can also be achieved by
thinking inside the box
as well.
One area where Sonoco is driving innovation inside
the box is through the use of molded foam as an internal
chassis in electro-mechanical applications such as
medical devices and HVAC units. Components such as
tubes, pumps, circuit boards, fans, and power supplies
can be snap fit or sandwiched into the foam chassis;
essentially eliminating all types of stamped brackets, holddowns, screws and fasteners. This not only simplifies the
assembly process, but makes it easier to disassemble
the product for any cleaning, service or maintenance that
is required.
Sonoco also continues to innovate inside the box,
literally, by having expertise across a wide range of
materials and technologies that enable our engineers
to solve the most complicated packaging challenges.
Sometimes the ultimate design is reached not when
nothing more can be added, but when nothing else can be
removed. Sonocos less is more packaging philosophy
creates innovative solutions that will reduce damage
losses, improve sustainability, stack higher in warehouses,
and pack denser in trailers.
To learn more about how thinking inside the box
can help you create innovative products and packaging
solutions, please visit www.SonocoProtectiveSolutions.com
TM
PROTO LABS, INC.

5540 Pioneer Creek Dr.
Maple Plain, MN 55359 USA
877.479.3680
customerservice@protolabs.com
www.protolabs.com
SONOCO PROTECTIVE SOLUTIONS

3930 N. Ventura Dr. Suite 450 Arlington
Heights, IL 60004
(847) 632-9694
www.SonocoProtectiveSolutions.com
VIEW FROM THE TOP

TESA TAPE
UL
s todays appliance
OEMs and suppliers
continue to evolve
products, processes, and
ultimately customer experience, we at tesa tape
stand ready to partner
with the industrys leading companies and bring
value to their operations.
s technology and the

global marketplace
continue to evolve,
UL is there to help your
business meet the shifting
needs of a changing world.
Most often thought of as
a North American safety
company, the UL of today is
much more.
PRODUCTS
Todays appliances for
both residential and commercial use are more sophisticated and durable than
ever. With more than a century in the tape making
business, tesa tape has been an innovator of adhesive tape technologies to meet market demands from
yesteryear to tomorrow. Our expansive line of adhesive
tapes includes: double-sided tapes for permanent
bonding and mounting, masking and holding tapes for
temporarily securing components throughout the unit,
and surface covering tapes for protecting delicate or
exposed areas of the unit throughout assembly, transport, and on to final installation point.
GLOBAL
As a global certifications
leader UL can help you
navigate complex country compliance issues and
regulatory and trade challenges in order to gain access to
new markets. Our standards writing group participates in
global groups and industry associations, contributing to
the adoption of new technology, while continuing to assure
on-going safety of existing technologies.
PROCESSES
Efficiencies are crucial to any production operation,
particularly within the appliance industry. Although
small in nature, tesa tapes offer major efficiencies right
down to the core of every roll of tape. Cut time with
quick and easy application of every tesa tape; cut costs
by eliminating a variety of inventoried mechanical fasteners and glues; cut waste by appropriately protecting
delicate surfaces from scratches, dings, and dents.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
As a supplier to the industry, we at tesa tape are
consumed with offering the right products, the needed
support, and the forward thinking innovation necessary
to service our customers to the best of our ability. We
understand that we are part of a bigger cause the
important cause of providing the industrys customers
with the best quality products, the best looking products, and the best overall brand image in the marketplace. We look forward to supporting you.
Dave Adams
Market Manager Appliance Industry
tesa tape, inc.
TESA TAPE, INC.

5825 Carnegie Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28209
customercare@tesatape.com
www.tesatape.com
BROADER SERVICES
While safety remains critical to marketing most
products, the list of regulatory needs continues to grow.
UL energy efficiency testing, product performance testing,
environmental testing, training, workplace safety support
and other capabilities offer a range of solutions to meet
your business needs.
FASTER, SMARTER, BETTER
As we expand our services, were also improving
your safety experience with UL. Several new programs
are dramatically reducing time to market and making it
simpler to get quick answers to your questions. It is our
honor to support you as your businesses grow. Look to
UL.com/appliances to experience todays UL.
Regards,
Alberto Uggetti
Global VP and GM, HVAC, Appliances, Lighting, Components
UL (UNDERWRITERS LABORATORIES)
333 Pfingsten Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
1-877-UL HELPS (854-3577)
F 1-360-817-6278
cec.us@us.ul.com
ul.com/appliances
UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC
applianceDESIGN
January 2013 41
applianceDESIGNs
MUST SEE
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The appliance DESIGN MUST SEE Gallery provides a glimpse at the latest innovations
entering into the market. Please visit the companys website or email them for more information.
INTELLIGENCE OF FASTENING
A Raymond Tinnermans specialty fastener products
offer the most reliable means of attaching panels,
components, and wiring safely and securely to
improve quality and reduce assembly cost. These
fastening solutions will be demonstrated at the AHR
Expo 1/28 1/30 in Dallas, TX. Come see us in
booth 5500!
www.araymondtinnerman.com
2013 Washer Catalog
Get the book Injection Molding

Part Design for Dummies
Find out how to get better injectionmolded parts, faster by understanding
the basic principles of the injection
molding process. You will discover
how to make a better prototype, how
to avoid costly mistakes, and how to
get it all in less time than you ever
thought possible. Visit www.protolabs.
com/parts to request a free copy
Enter Code AD13DB of Injection Molding Part Design for
Dummies, Protomold Special Edition.
The complimentary 2013 Washer

Catalog illustrates Bokers 27,000
non-standard flat washer sizes, wide
range of outside diameters, variety
of inside diameters and thicknesses
and its over 2,000 materials. With
high volume capabilities and
fast delivery, Bokers provides
endless washer possibilities
and manufactures solutions to
your exact specifications. ISO
9001:2008 Registered.
Bokers Inc.
Email: sales@bokers.com
Web: www.bokers.com
Silicone Hose Handles Temperature

Variations Free Sample
Adhesive Has High Thermal Conductivity

Master Bond Supreme 10AOHT is a single component epoxy
with high thermal conductivity and excellent electrical insulation.
It exhibits high shear and peel strength and cures at elevated
temperatures while maintaining serviceability from 300F to
+400F. Supreme 10AOHT offers resistance to impact, vibration,
thermal shock and stress fatigue cracking.
Master Bond
www.masterbond.com
The One-Source Solutions Provider

DESIGN | FORMULATE | COMPOUND
MOLD | FINISH
Thermoset Composites
mar-bal.com
Reinforced Silbrade silicone hose

offers flexibility for fluid transfer while it endures variations in
temperature from -80F to 350F
(-62C to 176C). Silbrade is NSF51 certified and offers excellent
bend radii for restricted space usage
without impeding flow. Sizes to 1 I.D.
Made in USA.
NewAge Industries, Inc.

www.newageindustries.com/sample-ad3
Temperature and Control Solutions
Hot or Cold
Thermostats
NTC Thermistors
Thermal Cut-offs
Thermal Protectors
Capillary Controls
Electronic Controllers
Knobs
800-257-3526 www.selcoproducts.com
MUST SEE PRODUCTS & SERVICES

TEMPERATURE ISSUES?
WANT EYES ON
YOUR NEW PRODUCT?
appliance DESIGNs Design
Engineering readers are interested,
active and always looking for
information to help them design and
specify products and services to use
in the creation of their appliances.*
Contact
Darrell Dal Pozzo
at (847) 405-4044 or
for more information.
Precision Thermistors
RTDs, Probes & Assemblies for Temperature Measurement and Control
www.ussensor.com
800.777.6467 sales@ussensor.com
1832 W. Collins Ave, Orange, CA 92867
*AM Editorial Readership Study, August 2004
ENTRIES ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED

26TH ANNUAL EXCELLENCE
IN DESIGN Awards!
This prestigious award is given to companies who excel in unique
designs with breakthrough features. Products that are well engineered
and have practical functions are always at the top of the list, as competition
drives innovation and practicality at an affordable price.
Entries are slotted into one of 10 categories with a chance to win a
Gold, Silver or Bronze award. The categories are:
BUSINESS MACHINES
ELECTRONICS
MAJOR APPLIANCES AND COMMERCIAL VENDING
HVAC
MEDICAL
CALL FOR
ENTRIES
eid.applianceDE SIG N.com
QUESTIONS? CONTACT: DARRYL SELAND

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, SELANDD@BNPMEDIA.COM
LAB & TEST EQUIPMENT

OUTDOOR & LEISURE APPLIANCES
SMALL APPLIANCES
LIGHTING
WATER PROCESSING APPLIANCES
Winners are not evenly distributed across each category as there is no predetermined
number of awards established. Regardless of how many entries a category received,
the idea is to recognize the most excellent product designsperiod.
ALL ENTRIES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN

FEBRUARY 15, 2013.
An independent panel of experts in the field of design will evaluate the
entries based on several factors. Winners from this years competition will be
announced in our June 2013 issue.
Information on the 2013 EID competition will be available at:
eid.applianceDESIGN.com
New Products
Literature for
Elgin Fastener Group
Elgin Fastener Group offers a literature
sheet describing its companies manufacturing capabilities and product offerings. EFG
is comprised of seven leading domestic specialty fastener manufacturers, a metal finishing company and an international sourcing and engineering division. Collectively
the group offers a complete range of ISO
9001:2008 quality industry standard, semistandard and custom fasteners in a wide
variety of styles, sizes, materials and finishes. The literature offers a brief company
description for each company within the
group, as well as its general product capabilities. Visit www.elginfasteners.com
Medical 24WAC/DC Desktop/

Wallmount Adapter with
Interchangeable Plugs
The Power Partners PPWAMW24 Series of
AC/DC power supplies provide up to 24W
of power from a 90-264VAC input and offer
output voltages from 5VDC to 48VDC.
The base desktop power supply is housed
in a super compact 3.1 x 2.0 x 1.4 case
size with a C8 AC inlet and features the
option to add interchangeable input plugs
to convert the PPWAMW24 Series to a
wall mount configuration for worldwide
use. There is a power-on LED indicator.
It is compliant to the highest standards for
operational efficiencies and no load standby
power. Visit www.powerpartners-inc.com
SMD Resettable PPTC for Fast

Overcurrent Protection, Resets
Automatically
Littelfuse has a resettable PPTC (Polymer
Positive Temperature Coefficient) resistor
series. The new product line is designed
for high speed overcurrent protection in
applications that require ultra-low internal
resistance, ultra-low voltage drop and minimal power dissipation. The Polyfuse LoRho
Surface Mount Resettable PPTC series
offers ultra-low internal resistance while
maintaining high level electrical characteristics and performance. The devices provide
overcurrent protection against fault current surges by limiting the electrical current
flowing through the device. When a fault
current flows through the device, it generates heat, which causes the devices internal
resistance to rise rapidly, limiting the current flow to the circuit downstream to a safe
level. After the overcurrent condition passes,
the devices internal resistance drops back to
its normal low resistance state, restoring the
circuit to its normal operating condition.
By resetting automatically, this device offers
a low maintenance alternative to one-time
fuses for overcurrent protection.
Visit www.littelfuse.com
3000 RPM with near servo performance.

Not a piggyback design, the sine commutation position, torque and speed control
and 12 bit encoder are integrated inside
the motor envelope. The entire unit is very
compact with an overall length of only
72 mm. Integrated Plug & Drive stepper
motors are used wherever speed, high precision and compact design are required. They
are characterized by high-torque stepper
motors combined with especially smoothrunning dspDrive technology developed by
Nanotec and an integrated position control
system with an encoder. Visit www.nanotec.com
High Isolation Reed Relays

for Surface or Through-Hole
Mounting
Standex-Meder Electronics has the KT
Series of high isolation reed relays, ideal
for use in green applications, such as photovoltaic technology. It is particularly helpful in measuring isolation resistance across
several components in a solar energy system prior to grid connection, preventing
injury or further current leakages. The KT
Series offers isolation resistance greater
than or equal to 1013, and an isolation
voltage between the coil and contact of
over 7kVDC. Measuring only L30 x W8.6
x H10.6mm, the series provides these high
isolation characteristics in a very small
package. It is available in three coil voltages
of 5V, 12V and 24V, and all three versions
are available in either surface or throughhole mounting. Visit www.standexmeder.com
New Updated PWM Controller

Integrated Closed Loop Stepping
Motor with 12 Bit Encoder
Nanotec is expanding NEMA 17 applications into traditional servo applications
with 71 oz-in of torque and speed up to
Advanced Power Electronics Corp. (USA), a

manufacturer of MOS power semiconductors
for DC-DC power conversion applications,
has updated two of its most popular PWM
controllers to provide customers with space
saving and more cost effective devices without
NEw ProDuctS
sacrificing performance and reliability. The
APE3061 PWM controller is now available in
a small 8-lead DFN package, reducing package
size down from 5x6mm (SO-8) to 3x3 mm,
without any negative impacts on power handling capability. The new APE3061GN3-HF-3
component supports input voltages from 3V
up to 24V and is designed to drive an external N-channel MOSFET. The output voltage
is dependent on the external N-MOSFET and
is programmable using an internal reference
voltage of 1.0V and external resistors connected as a voltage divider. Visit www.a-powerusa.com
Self-clinching Pilot Pins in

Several Variations
PEM self-clinching pilot pins in several
variations provide hardware solutions for
positioning, alignment or pivot applications. All install reliably in thin metal
sheets and become permanent parts of an
assembly. PEM Type TPS (300 series stainless steel) pins install in steel or aluminum
sheets and PEM Type TP4 (400 series stainless steel) pins are designed for stainless
steel assemblies. Both types install flush
in sheets as thin as .040 / 1mm or greater,
feature a chamfered end to locate the mating hole quickly and easily, and are available
in a variety of sizes and diameters. Visit www.
pemnet.com
Broadening Access to
3D for Mechanical Design
SpaceClaim Engineer 2012+ has new capabilities for manufacturing, simulation, concept
development and mesh remodeling. These
enhancements help engineers work more
effectively in 3D, without the high cost and
complexity of traditional CAD. SpaceClaim
users can leverage existing 2D and 3D designs,
including customer and supplier models,
analysis and simulation results, mesh and STL
data, and surface models, along with PMI and
tolerance data, in all their work. It directly

opens and edits all leading 2D and 3D CAD
file formats as well as neutral file formats, such
as JT (with PMI), STEP and 3D PDF. Visit www.
spaceclaim.com
can adjust and re-optimize without rerunning the simulation. A new interactive panel
displays cutting conditions immediately,
anywhere in the machining process. Visit www.
cgtech.com
Small Diameter tubing Solutions
Expanding Solutions for

Low-Power rL78 Mcus
The coil designs of the heating and air

conditioning industry have evolved with
the conversion to smaller diameter tubing; moving from 3/8 and 5/16 to 7mm
and now 5mm as manufacturers continue
to experiment in order to reduce manufacturing and raw material costs, as well as
improve performance and efficiency. Burr
Oak Tool Inc. has been directly involved
with the HVAC industry throughout this
evolution, from the first hairpin bender and
expander in the mid-1950s to the 5mm fin
and hairpin production of today. The transition to smaller diameter tubing brings a
very different set of manufacturing challenges, and Burr Oak Tool is positioned to
deliver solutions to these challenges. Visit
www.burroak.com
Renesas Electronics America has expanded

its portfolio of solutions for the low-power
RL78/G14 microcontroller (MCU) family
in order to simplify systems development
and decrease time-to-market. Designed to
deliver performance and power-efficiency
while incorporating advanced on-chip
peripherals, the MCUs aim at applications
including low-power consumer and wireless systems, household appliances, home
healthcare, HVAC equipment and industrial
automation systems. Visit www. am.renesas.com
tPV Grades from Alliance

Polymers & Services
Faster, Easier cNc Simulation

The newest version of Vericut software is
from CGTech and used to simulate all types
of CNC Machines including leading brands
such a Mazak, DMG/Mori Seiki, Makino,
Matsuura, Chiron and Heller. It features
many enhancements to improve speed,
thereby reducing the time required for
manufacturing engineers to develop, analyze, inspect and document the CNC programming and machining process. Another
new feature is the ability to optimize a NC
program from a saved simulation. Users
Alliance Polymers and Services now offers

its own brands of soft thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) to be sold under the trade
name Viprene. The first series: Viprene G
a general purpose TPV that combines the
various mechanical performance properties of thermoset rubber with the processing ease of plastics. These materials offer
good flexibility at low temperatures as well
as long-term resistance in harsh environments and demanding applications where
abrasion, chemical and UV resistance are
required. Viprene G is formulated to compete with the leading grades of thermoplastic vulcanizates. They are offered in hardness ranges from 45 Shore A to 50 Shore D.
Visit www.apstpe.com
NEw ProDuctS
printing industries. They can also be used
in a variety of other applications. Visit www.
crouzet.com
wireless Load Measurement

System
Hand-held cases for Hand-held

Devices
Hammond Manufacturings new 1553T
range of T cases are for use in a wide variety of hand-held instrumentation, data
capture and controller application across
all industries. Initially available in two sizes
6.50 x 3.15 x 1.10 inches (165 x 80 x 28mm)
and 8.27 x 3.94 x 1.26 inches (210 x 100 x
32mm), the enclosures feature recessed
areas for keypads and displays. Versions
without a battery box have two removable
end panels; the battery versions have a single. Visit www.hammondmfg.com
Bloomer Plastics New web Site

Shows Products
Bloomer Plastics has launched a new and
improved company Web site. The new site
offers a contemporary look and streamlined
user interface. It features enhanced resources including: More concise descriptions of
markets served and Bloomers associated
product lines to include aerospace, automotive, composites, prepreg, rubber separator,
packaging, consumer, office products, medical and healthcare. Visit www.bloomerplastics.com
Brushless Dc Diaphragm Pump

Designed for fuel cell applications, the oilless 907Z Series brushless DC diaphragm
pump provides the ultimate in efficiency
and mobility, according to Gardner Denver
Thomas. Among specs: Lightweight (5.5
lbs./2.49 Kg), die-cast aluminum parts for
strength and durability, efficient, low-vibration design, long-life 24V brushless DC
motor. Maximum continuous pressure to
25 PSI/1.72 bar, maximum vacuum to 21.2
in. Hg/717 mbar. Visit www.gd-thomas.com
Actuator for AB-QM Pressure

Independent control Valves
Danfoss has a new generation of 435 Series
Actuators, which will replace the prior AME
15QM series of actuator for the Danfoss
AB-QM pressure independent control valve
(PICV). The AME 435QM and AMV 435
are the first of a new design of actuators
which offer improved operation with lower
power consumption. This new family of
actuators requires no additional tools when
it is installed to the AB-QM valve bodies.
The click on mounting mechanism of
the actuator reduces actuator installation
time. Standard features include two selectable operation speeds, external LED for
visual confirmation of actuator operation,
end travel LED signaling and easy calibration via an external reset button. Visit www.
ABQMvalves.com
Tekscans Wireless ELF 2 System is a userfriendly, wireless load measurement system. This new system combines ultra-thin
(0.008) piezoresistive FlexiForce singleelement WB201 load sensors with a battery-operated Wi-Fi transmitter (certified
802.11b radio- 802.11 b/g/n compatible)
and simple software. The software displays
real-time force data in pounds, grams or
Newtons. You can select whether to view the
data digitally, or in chart format. Data can
also be saved as movie files to play back
later and can be saved in ASCII format and
exported to data analysis programs. Visit www.
tekscan.com
Mode radiator Speaker Drivers

HiWave Technologies has Balanced Mode
Radiator (BMR) speaker drivers, which are
being used by Boston Acoustics in its latest
family of loudspeakers. One of the keys to
the enhanced performance and wide sonic
dispersion of the Boston Acoustics M Series
is the Balanced Mode Radiator. Visit www.hiwave.com
Integrated HPLc
Injector
New Generation of Silent Dc

Brush Motors
Crouzet, a brand of Custom Sensors &
Technologies (CST), has a quiet range of
direct current brush motors. These soundless motors, even under full load, offer
exceptional efficiencies, long service life
and a wide range of gearboxes and accessories. Because of its noiseless operation,
the DCmind Brush motor series is particularly well suited to applications in medical,
laboratory, industrial and high performance
VICI Valcos Cheminert

C52 Series Injector is
an integrated motor/
valve assembly designed
specifically to be built
into an OEM system.
Using the Cheminert HPLC injector design
and the 24 volt motor from its microelectric actuators, the C52 needs only to be
connected to the instruments power supply. Control is simplified to require a single
contact closure; the injectors position is
determined by whether the closure is held
high or low. Theres even an easy way for the
instrument to confirm the valves position
by sensing the output from a built-in sensor. Visit www.vici.com
ASSocIAtIoN REPoRt: AHRI
Good, Better and Best:

Proud of It All
By Francis Dietz
Vice President, Public

Affairs, Air-Conditioning,
Heating, and
Refrigeration Institute
ts a constant challenge to contribute and encourage the finest in the industry.

But, since the AHRI Annual Meeting last
November and through the upcoming AHR Expo
later this month, it is obvious that challenges are
being met. Its a matter of:
The good by continuing a leadership role in
alternative refrigerant testing, for example.
The better by taking a more confident stance
as the economy improves.
The best by honoring students, members for
distinguished service to AHRI and product
innovations.
Doing Good with the Environment

AHRI released three final test reports for its Low
Global Warming Potential Alternative Refrigerants
Evaluation Program (Low-GWP AREP). The reports
contain test results of low-GWP refrigerants for
residential heat pump, water-cooled chiller and commercial ice machine applications, and also include
the refrigerants compositions.
Tests are ongoing, but all are expected to be completed by early 2013. Test reports will be released to
the public as they are reviewed and approved by the
AHRI Low-GWP AREP Technical Committee. In
response to environmental concerns raised by the
use of high global warming potential refrigerants,
AHRI has this industry-wide cooperative research
program to identify and evaluate promising alternative refrigerants for major product categories.
These include air conditioners, heat pumps, dehumidifiers, chillers, water heaters, ice makers and refrigeration equipment. The program consists of compressor calorimeter testing, system drop-in testing, softoptimized system testing and heat transfer testing.
The Low-GWP AREP is an effort undertaken by
AHRI and its member companies. It was launched
in March 2011 and the program will not prioritize
these alternatives; rather, it will identify potential
refrigerant replacements for high GWP refrigerants
and present performance of these replacements in a
consistent and standard manner. Thats a good thing.
Signs Business Is Getting Better

Confidence makes a difference. According to an
AHR Expo survey, released in November and based

on more than 1,000 HVACR manufacturers worldwide, 70 percent of respondents expect the economy
to be better this year than in 2012. In fact, 15 percent
of these manufacturers expect a much better year
while 28 percent of respondents expect the economy
to remain the same.
In keeping with this outlook, 86 percent of the
HVACR manufacturers believe sales will increase
this year with 35 percent of respondents expecting
sales increases of more than 10 percent. Most (41
percent) said the residential sector would account
for the strongest demand for new products. And
more than two thirds (67 percent) predicted that the
greatest demand for new products would come from
domestic markets and 33 percent from international
markets.
The 2013 AHR Expo is co-sponsored by AHRI.
People and companies

Make It the Best
At our Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, Calif., the
Clifford H. Ted Rees, Jr. Scholarship Foundation
awarded scholarships to four students studying at
San Joaquin Valley College. Congratulations go to
the best of the future. And the Richard C. Schulze
Award was an honor presented in recognition of distinguished service and commitment to AHRI and the
industrys goals and objectives.
Schulze recipients include:
Gary Berlin, Nortec
Bill Hansen, Trane
Diane Jakobs, Rheem Manufacturing Co.
Eric Lannes, Bradford White Corporation
John Mandyck, Carrier Corporation
Neil Rolph, Lochinvar Corporation
We presented the AHRI Public Service Award to longserving industry veteran John Conrad of the ACHR News
for his many and varied contributions to our industry.
Finally, we awarded three in our industry with our
highest honor: The AHRI Distinguished Service Award.
Pat Quilty of Honeywell, Ray Hoglund of Dover, and
Joe Mattingly, longtime AHRI General Counsel (recently
retired) were selected by the membership to receive this
award, which is given in recognition of their many contributions to their association and to our industry. <
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33 Motors, Fans, Blowers, Pumps, Motor Controllers
45 Heating Elements/Igniters
47 Connectors, Cords, Wire, Cable, Terminating Machines
34 Controls, Sensors, Thermostats
28 Switches, Relays, Thermal Cutoffs, Circuit Breakers,
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11 Product Design & Development (PD&D)

7
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301SUB
American Nickeloid Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
www.americannickeloid.com
APEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
www.apec-conf.org
CoorsTek Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
www.coorstek.com
CSA Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
www.csagroup.org
EBM-Papst Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC
www.ebmppapst.us
EID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.appliancedesign.com/eid
Foam Supplies Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
www.ecomatesystems.com
Honeywell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
www.honeywell-solsticelba.com
International Copper Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
www.microgroove.net
KB Electronics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
www.kbelectronics.com
LCR Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
www.lcr-inc.com
MasterBond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
www.masterbond.com
Metal Coaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
www.metalcoaters.com
Pacific Design & Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
www.pacdesignshow.com
Proto Labs, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
www.protolabs.com
SONOCO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
www.sonoco.com
teas tape, inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
www.tesatape.com/industry/appliance
The Assembly Show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
www.theassemblyshow.com
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC
www.ul.com/advantage
www.appliancedesign.com/buyersguide
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January 2013

SAFETY IS EVOLVING. SO IS UL.

VISIT US AT AHR EXPO, HALL B, BOOTH 369

Others say theyre FAST...

But do they have the

Proto Labs entire operation is optimized to deliver quick-turn CNC

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CONTENTS JANUARY 2013

appliance DESIGN ONLINE

Manufacturing at Home? More like Design Rip-off

15 Time for Consumer-Centered Appliance

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26 New Appliance Panel Decorating

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30 Home Area Networks: Which Path to

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The other Side of Sandy

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4 applianceDESIGN January 2013

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Will Drones Be the Next Hot Appliance?

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