Appliance Design August

August 2015

REACHING OEM DESIGN ENGINEERS ACROSS CONSUMER AND COMMERCIAL MARKETS WORLDWIDE

INSIDE12 Power

16 Design Concepts & Trends

20 Insulation

24 Gas Technology

P. 16

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Leveraging Trends for New Concept Inspiration

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CONTENTS AUGUST 2015 volume 63, no. 08

DEPARTMENTS

4 Editorial: Satisfaction 5 Shipments/Forecasts 6 News Watch 33 New Products 38 MUST SEE products & services 40 Association Report: SPI 41 Advertisers’ Index

FEATURES

POWER12 Extremely Low Power Instruments:

Appliances for the Internet of Things Appliance designers will want to reduce,

or at least maintain, their present power-consumption levels.

DESIGN CONCEPTS & TRENDS16 Leveraging Trends

for New Concept Inspiration The larger macro trends of our society, the

living trends in our homes, and product trends should all have a place in the design decisions we make.

INSULATION20 Appliance Foams: Overcoming

the Next Blowing Agent Challenge through Optimization

It is important to note that there is no “perfect” blowing agent.

GAS TECHNOLOGY24 The New Face of Gas Cooking Specific gas technology features are

becoming more available in the newest and most innovative kitchen appliances.

DESIGN ENGINEERING SURVEY28 Engineering Survey Shows

Job Satisfaction, Embrace of New Technology

BNP’s State of the Profession study reveals promising trends for professionals involved in design operations.

WEB EXTRASOvercoming Thermal Cycling with Distinct AdhesivesBe specific about materials being joined. Adhesives for thermal cycling aim at stress-sensitive devices, ensure joint and bond strength while bonding metal and fiber-reinforced composites.

See photo galleries from the floors of the latest trade shows!

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BLOGS

White Goods in Russia—as depressing as the country itself?

WEB EXTRAS

BLOGS

COVER

Design Concepts & Trends. This product provides the option of utilizing more of a traditional cooktop while still offering a grilling experience. Source: stocksy.com/Balance

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| HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | Vending | Medical | Lab |

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Mick Jagger sings that he “can’t get no satisfaction.” Double negatives aside, perhaps Mick should have

worked in the appliance industry.The inaugural appliance DESIGN Design

Engineering Survey reveals that design engineering professionals are satisfied in their work—to the tune of 97%—with 59% indicating they are highly satisfied. The 1st annual survey also looks at trends in the industry and a profile of the appliance industry demographic, which includes a workforce with a great deal of experience in the industry with 56 percent of respondents indicating that they have at least 16 years dedicated to the industry. And the surveyed professionals aren’t satisfied with merely the experience they have under their belt, but rather are very interested in continuing to learn and expand their skills.

So what is it that leads these professionals to this sense of job satisfaction? Technical challenge was one of the most important job attributes, cited by 54%. This was followed by a feeling of accomplishment and salary. Other positive factors mentioned include good relationship with colleagues, the ability to try new or creative approaches, job security, a pleasant work environment, and a chance to be a team leader.

However, as is true in all aspects of life, rarely do human beings get a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when good things are merely handed to us and

everything is “rosy.” Respondents to the survey did have job concerns. Fifty-four percent raised a concern about economic conditions, one of the largest concerns amongst those surveyed. Other “macro” concerns like that of the economy included company- and industry-wide worries about management support, sufficient operating budgets, the fear of outsourcing and privatization, and the ability to keep current with technology and regulations.

To offer some insight into these concerns, appliance DESIGN’s survey asked about the state of investment and resources in the industry. Just over half of respondents (53%) expect their access to resources to remain stagnant in the New Year. However, 43% said they and their companies do plan to increase resources. Personnel topped the list at 62%, followed by prototyping equipment and software (52%) and regulation and standards compliance (40%).

For the full story and analysis of the results, read “Engineering Survey Shows Job Satisfaction, Embrace of New Technology” by Associate Editor Leah Pickett. And to do our part in keeping you current on technology and regulations, read “Extremely Low Power Instruments: Appliances for the Internet of Things” and “The New Face of Gas Cooking,” all in the pages of this month’s appliance DESIGN.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

EDITORIAL

SatisfactionDesign engineering pros get it

volume 63, no. 08

by Darryl Seland, Editorial Director


publishing staffDarrell Dal Pozzo (847) 405-4044Group Publisher [email protected]

Darryl Seland (610) 436-4220 x8532Editorial Director [email protected]

Michelle Bangert (630) 849-0740Managing Editor [email protected]

Ed McMenamin (773) 931-0772Associate Editor [email protected]

Leah Pickett (248) 244-8255Associate Editor [email protected]

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Editorial Advisory Board 2014-2015Joe McGuire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AHAMPresident

Jill Notini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AHAMVice President, Communications & Marketing

Francis Dietz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AHRIVice President, Public Affairs

Bob Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Branson UltrasonicsVP Marketing & Sales North America

Bill Romick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DNA Group, Inc.VP, Business Development

Richard Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Essential-Design

Steven J. Vaccaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Henkel CorporationFocus Segment Marketing Manager Derek Silva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IntertekDirector, Marketing Communications

Pat Blanc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lydall

John Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Traulsen

Brian Ferriol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ULGlobal HVAC/R Business Development Manager

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www.applianceDESIGN.com applianceDESIGN August 2015 5

Product April-15 April-14 %Chg YTD 2015 YTD 2014 %ChgMAJOR APPLIANCES (Thousand of Units)All Major Appliances 6,200.40 5,810.60 6.70% 30,429.80 28,763.10 5.80%Cooking-Total 1,724.60 1,428.60 20.70% 8,113.10 6,946.90 16.80%Electric Cooking - Total 413.6 381.2 8.50% 2,097.70 1,943.60 7.90% Electric Ranges 332.4 306.4 8.50% 1,664.20 1,531.80 8.60% Electric Ovens 54.7 50.8 7.80% 294.3 279 5.50% Surface Cooking Units 26.5 24 10.20% 139.2 132.8 4.80%Gas Cooking - Total 229.3 218.4 5.00% 1,208.90 1,144.60 5.60% Gas Ranges 196.5 186.7 5.30% 1,031.30 979.3 5.30% Gas Ovens 1.3 2 -31.70% 10.5 12.1 -12.90% Surface Cooking Units 31.5 29.7 5.80% 167.2 153.3 9.10% Microwave Ovens 1,081.60 829 30.50% 4,806.40 3,858.60 24.60%Home Laundry - Total 1,276.60 1,209.50 5.50% 6,212.40 6,088.10 2.00% Automatic Washers 706.2 686.5 2.90% 3,470.50 3,408.70 1.80% Dryers - Total 570.4 523 9.10% 2,742.00 2,679.40 2.30% Electric 470 426.9 10.10% 2,254.70 2,193.00 2.80% Gas 100.4 96.1 4.50% 487.3 486.4 0.20%Kitchen Clean Up - Total 1,092.60 1,107.60 -1.40% 5,768.60 5,613.60 2.80% Disposers 510.1 545.6 -6.50% 2,948.50 2,877.80 2.50% Dishwashers - Total 579.8 559.4 3.70% 2,806.00 2,721.10 3.10% Built-In 575.8 555.7 3.60% 2,783.60 2,700.60 3.10% Portable 4 3.7 8.10% 22.4 20.5 9.00% Compactors 2.7 2.6 2.20% 14.1 14.8 -4.80%Food Preservation - Total 985.2 955.8 3.10% 4,355.20 4,256.60 2.30% Refrigerators 6.5 & Over 850 805.7 5.50% 3,644.60 3,548.50 2.70% Freezers - Total 135.2 150.1 -9.90% 710.6 708.1 0.40% Chest 80.2 96.6 -17.00% 458.3 452.3 1.30% Upright 55 53.5 2.80% 252.3 255.8 -1.40%Home Comfort - Total 1,121.40 1,109.00 1.10% 5,980.50 5,857.90 2.10% Room Air Conditioners 911.2 799.9 13.90% 5,006.70 4,920.90 1.70% Dehumidifiers 210.2 309.1 -32.00% 973.8 937 3.90%

SHIPMENTS

HVAC - Shipment figures for unitary air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, and water heaters can be found at www.ahrinet.org.

Note: Figures (in units) include shipments for the U.S. market whether imported or domestically produced. Export shipments are not included.

Source: Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).

INSIDE14 Displays & Interfaces

19 Motors

22 Insulation

29 Heating Technology

April 2015

REACHING OEM DESIGN ENGINEERS ACROSS CONSUMER AND COMMERCIAL MARKETS WORLDWIDEwww.applianceDESIGN.com

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THE STATE OF

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Prepainted TechnologyPrepainted TechnologyContinues to Advance

INSIDE11 Smart Appliances

14 Internet of Things

17 Fans & Blowers

24 Connected Technology

May 2015



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June 2015


INSIDE20 Connectors & Cords

24 Quality & Standards

27 Prototyping

32 Excellence In Design

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FORECASTSAUTOMATIC WASHERS – Shipments

(Thousands of Units)Qtr: 2014 2015 20161 1887.0 2038.1 2133.92 2290.2 2402.4 2517.73 2213.7 2295.6 2421.94 2307.8 2377.0 2533.9For 2014, a 6.4% increase to 8.699 million units For 2015, a 4.8% increase to 9.113 million units For 2016, a 5.4% increase to 9.607 million unitsData Source: AHAM Forecast Source: Delano Data Insights

DRYERS – Shipments(Thousands of Units)

Qtr: 2014 2015 20161 1492.2 1601.4 1683.12 1776.8 1876.3 1940.13 1706.0 1775.9 1870.14 1792.1 1849.4 1953.0For 2014, a 4.0% increase to 6.767 million units For 2015, a 5.0% increase to 7.103 million unitsFor 2016, a 4.8% increase to 7.446 million unitsData Source: AHAM Forecast Source: Delano Data Insights

FREEZERS – Shipments(Thousands of Units)


GAS RANGES and OVENS – Shipments (Thousands of Units)


GAS FURNACES – Shipments(Thousands of Units)

Qtr: 2014 2015 20161 600.5 598.5 619.42 630.1 650.8 668.43 687.7 702.1 717.54 816.5 836.9 870.4For 2014, a 5.1% increase to 2.735 million units For 2015, a 2.0% increase to 2.788 million unitsFor 2016, a 3.1% increase to 2.876 million unitsData Source: AHRI Forecast Source: Delano Data Insights

DEHUMIDIFIERS – Shipments (Thousands of Units)


Note: All forecasts begin in Q2/2015

For the most up-to-date information, visit www.applianceDESIGN.com.


NEWS WATCH

WASHINGTON - The shipments value of plastics machinery posted a moderate rise in the first quarter of 2015 when compared with the same period last year, according to statistics compiled and reported by SPI: the Plastics Industry Trade Association’s Committee on Equipment Statistics.

“Yet again, the quarterly CES shipments data posted a year-over-year gain. This is particularly encouraging in light of the slower-than-expected growth in the US economy to start the year. The U.S. economy will build momentum in the second half of 2015, and the market conditions that favor business investment in new equipment — low interest rates and rising aggregate demand — will continue to prevail,” according to Bill Wood, the plastics market economist who analyzes and reports on the plastics machinery market sector for the CES.

Shipments of primary plastics equipment (injection

molding, extrusion and blow molding equipment) for reporting companies totaled $293.6 million in the first quarter. This was a seasonal decline of 15.2 percent from the shipments total of $346.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, but it was a gain of 2.9 percent when compared with the total from same quarter of a year ago. In 2014, the total annual value of primary equipment shipments escalated 7.6 percent.

A breakout of the CES data shows that the shipments value of injection molding machinery advanced 1.4 percent in quarter one, when compared with same quarter from last year. The shipments value of single-screw extruders increased 8.4 percent in the first quarter over last year. The value of shipments of twin-screw extruders (includes both co-rotating and counter-rotating machines) gained less than 1 percent in the quarter. The first quarter shipments value of blow

Uptrend in Plastics Machinery Shipments Continued in First Quarter

THOMSON REUTERS ANALYSIS SHOWS CONCERNING TREND FOR GLOBAL INNOVATION

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Thomson Re-uters announced the launch of its State of Innovation website.

“Innovation is at the heart of the global economy. It is the lifeblood of business, but it’s difficult to measure,” said Basil Moftah, president, Thomson Reuters IP & Science. “By dissecting in-novation to its core components – the scientific research that informs initial discovery and the patents that protect and commercialize new ideas – we can begin to identify important trends that influence the future of the global econ-omy.”

Stateofinnovation.com includes the annual Top 100 Global Innovators and Citation Laureates. The launch of this website features findings from the business’s latest research: The Future Is Open: 2015 State of Innovation, an analysis of global scientific literature and patent data across 12 technology areas. It shows that although overall patent ac-tivity has reached an all-time high, year-over-year growth in new inventions has slowed considerably and scientific litera-ture production has declined in almost every industry.

“The State of Innovation offers a unique view into the business of innova-tion building upon our leading position as a provider of intelligent information,” said Elise Finn, chief marketing officer, Thomson Reuters IP & Science. “We have created this new go-to destination and credible source of comment and in-sight for anyone with an interest in the world of innovation.”

Key findings from the 2015 State of Innovation include:Year-Over-Year Innovation Growth

Slows: Total, worldwide patent volume increased just 3 percent over the last year, the slowest rate of patent volume growth since the end of the global recession in 2009. The total volume of new scientific research decreased 34 percent over the same period. The largest declines in patent and sci-entific research volume were in the Semiconductor industry.Overall Patent Volume Reaches New

High: Despite the slowdown in year-over-year growth rate, total, worldwide patent volume has reached a record high, with over 2.1 million unique inventions published over the last year. The industries showing the larg-est growth in patent volume were Food, Beverages & Tobacco (21 per-

cent); Pharmaceuticals (12 percent); Cosmetics & Well-Being (8 percent); and Biotechnology (7 percent).Businesses Embrace “Open

Innovation”: Across virtually every industry studied, the trend toward “open innovation,” whereby compa-nies partner with academic institu-tions, individual researchers and other companies (in some cases, even com-petitors) has been on visible display. Samsung, for example, has moved to aggressively partner with academic institutions in the development of semiconductor technologies, filing 129.1 of every 10,000 patent filings in this space jointly with an academic institution.Traditional Industry Lines Blur: Driven

largely by the rise of the Internet of Things, the traditional boundaries between industries and companies’ areas of specialization have continued to blur. Dozens of companies featured in the study, such as Apple, DuPont, General Electric, IBM, and Samsung, appear among the top patent assignees in multiple industries outside of their core areas of focus. Samsung is the most extreme example, ranking among the top 25 patent assignees in nine of the 12 industries analyzed in the study.


NEWS WATCH

NASA CHALLENGES DESIGNERS TO CONSTRUCT HABITAT FOR DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION

YOUNGSTOWN, OH — NASA and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, known as America Makes, are hosting a new $2.25 million competition to design and build a 3D printed habitat for deep space explora-tion, including the agency’s journey to Mars.

The multi-phase 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, is designed to ad-vance the additive construction technol-ogy needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.

Shelter is among the most basic and crucial human needs, but packing enough materials and equipment to build a habitat on a distant planet would take up valuable cargo space that could be used for other life-sustaining provisions. The ability to manufacture a habitat us-ing indigenous materials, combined with material that would otherwise be waste from the spacecraft, would be invaluable.

The first phase of the competition, an-nounced at the Bay Area Maker Faire in San Mateo, Calif., runs through Sept. 27.

This phase, a design competition, calls on participants to develop state-of-the-art architectural concepts that take advan-tage of the unique capabilities 3-D print-ing offers. The top 30 submissions will be judged and a prize purse of $50,000 will be awarded at the 2015 World Maker Faire in New York.

“The future possibilities for 3D print-ing are inspiring, and the technology is extremely important to deep space ex-ploration,” said Sam Ortega, Centennial Challenges program manager. “This chal-lenge definitely raises the bar from what we are currently capable of, and we are excited to see what the maker community does with it.”

The second phase of the competition is divided into two levels. The Structural Member Competition focuses on the fab-rication technologies needed to manu-facture structural components from a combination of indigenous materials and recyclables, or indigenous materials alone. The On-Site Habitat Competition

challenges competitors to fabricate full-scale habitats using indigenous materials or indigenous materials combined with recyclables. Both levels open for registra-tion Sept. 26, and each carries a $1.1 mil-lion prize.

Winning concepts and products will help NASA build the technical expertise to send habitat-manufacturing machines to distant destinations, such as Mars, to build shelters for the human explorers who follow. On Earth, these capabilities may be used one day to construct afford-able housing in remote locations with limited access to conventional building materials.

“America Makes is honored to be a partner in this potentially revolution-ary competition,” said Ralph Resnick, founding director of America Makes. “We believe that 3D printing/Additive Manu-facturing has the power to fundamentally change the way people approach design and construction for habitats, both on earth and off, and we are excitedly await-ing submissions from all types of com-petitors.”

America Makes is a public/private partnership of organizations focused on accelerating the capabilities and adoption of additive manufacturing technology.

The Centennial Challenges Program is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama for the agency’s Space Technology Mission Di-rectorate in Washington.

DOW CHEMICAL AND GE CEO AMONG TOP WINNERS AT MANUFACTURING LEADERSHIP AWARDS CELEBRATION

CARLSBAD — Standout companies and individuals received top honors for their breakthrough achievements at the 11th annual Manufacturing Leadership Awards ceremony.

The program’s distinguished panel of expert judges selected General Electric Chairman and CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt as the Manufacturing Leader of the Year. Immelt was recognized for his advocacy of the manufacturing industry, his deter-mination to return GE to its manufactur-ing roots, and his positioning of GE as a

manufacturing innovation and technol-ogy leader.

“It’s really a great award, and I receive it on behalf of all of our great teams at GE,” said Immelt in a recorded message pre-sented at the ML Awards Gala. “I’ve been with the company for decades, and I’ve been CEO for more than a decade, and I can’t remember a time when manufactur-ing has been more at the core of every-thing we do.” Immelt added, “It really is a great era for manufacturing professionals and where industry is heading. So, thank you again for this award.”

Dow Chemical was selected as Manu-facturer of the Year, Large Enterprise, for its focus on developing the next-gener-ation of manufacturing leaders while also driving step-change improvements in operational performance. Also recog-nized was Proto Labs, Inc. as the Manu-facturer of the Year, Small Enterprise, for creating a bridge between the maker community and the industrial world and accelerating innovation through its Cool Idea! program.

James E. Harbour, an automotive in-dustry visionary of Harbour and Associ-ates, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his forward-looking efforts in the 1980s and 1990s to open the eyes of complacent U.S. car makers to the ur-gent competitive challenges they faced. Harbour’s foresight lead them to accept the operational efficiencies they needed to survive. This award was presented by John Fleming, executive vice president, global manufacturing and labor affairs, Ford Motor Company, and a member of the Manufacturing Leadership Council’s Board of Governors. Members of his fam-ily accepted the award on behalf of Har-bour, who died in September 2014.

“The ML Awards’ top winners in 2015 set themselves apart through their will-ingness to innovate, take risks and push the limits of what is possible in the man-ufacturing industry,” said Global Vice President & Editorial Director, Manufac-turing Leadership Community David R. Brousell,. “They are leading the industry into a brighter future, and I congratulate them.”

Nominations for the 2016 Manufac-turing Leadership Summit will open in


NEWS WATCH

August 2015 at mlawards.gilcommunity.com.THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY TRADE ASSOCIATION’S FUTURE LEADERS IN PLASTIC ANNOUNCE FIRST OFFICIAL GROUP CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR

WASHINGTON — The Future Lead-ers in Plastic group, a segment of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association tailored to professionals in the plastics in-dustry under the age of 40, voted to elect Michael Stark, divisional manager, mate-rial handling and auxiliaries at Wittmann Battenfeld, Inc. as the group’s first official chairman.

The group also elected Annina Don-aldson, vice president of operations at Maxi-Blast, Inc. as its first vice chair.

The vote was held in early May and the results were announced at a FLiP meeting hosted just before the SPI Spring National Board Meeting, which took place in May at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.

“Michael and Annina are two found-ing members of SPI’s FLiP group that not only have great careers ahead of them, but also a deep passion and understanding of what makes the plastics industry so fas-cinating to be a part of, and what makes it such a great place for young people to work,” said SPI President and CEO Wil-liam Carteaux. “SPI started FLiP to begin grooming the next generation of leaders who will lead the plastics industry into continued growth for the next several decades. In Michael and Annina’s capable hands, FLiP will continue to make an im-pact on the plastics industry workforce and show more young people all of the creative, exciting and innovative things that a career in the plastics industry makes possible.”

Stark has been in his position as a di-visional manager with Wittmann Bat-tenfeld for more than five years. He has accumulated a list of credits for writing articles that have appeared in publica-tions such as Plastics Today, Plastics News and on In the Hopper, the SPI industry blog. He first received an associate’s in applied science degree in mechanical engineering technology from the State University of New York College of Agri-culture and Technology at Morrisville, before earning a bachelor’s of science in

mechanical engineering technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a master’s of business administration with a concentration in leadership from Post University.

Donaldson has been involved in the plastics industry her entire life. Growing up she worked part time in her father’s manufacturing plant doing various tasks but has been in her current role with Maxi-Blast for more than nine years. She spends much of her spare time doing lo-cal volunteer work with three different nonprofit groups: Hammers & Heels of Habitat for Humanity, Friends of Strays of Pinellas County and the Island Chapel of Tierra Verde, where she serves as chair of the church’s administrative committee. Donaldson earned a bachelor’s degree with dual concentration of marketing and entrepreneurship from Boston Uni-versity and eventually earned a master’s degree in marketing from London Met-ropolitan University.

SURVEY: SALARIES ON THE RISE IN PLASTICS

BETHEL, CT — Optimism continued to prevail among employees in the plas-tics industry, as average base salaries in the U.S. grew 0.7 percent from 2013 to $104,722 in calendar year 2014, and job confidence and growth expectations have remained high for both managers and non-managers, according to the latest Plastics Salary and Trends Survey con-ducted by Gros Executive Recruiters and the Society of Plastics Engineers.

The 2015 survey of 1,250 plastics pro-fessionals, which tracks earnings during the full calendar year 2014, showed a continuation of a five-year trend of con-fidence in both the plastics industry and individuals’ personal job security.

“In the 2014 survey, 75 percent of sur-vey participants expected their employ-ers to deliver a salary increase, with most expecting a raise of 1-3 percent,” said Dennis Gros, president of Gros Execu-tive Recruiters. “The 2015 survey shows a slight increase in base salaries—so at least some employers gave raises. Total com-pensation, however, was down by about 2 percent.”

The reason for the decrease is that average cash compensation—which in-cludes base salary plus incentives such as bonuses and commissions—fell by 2.2 percent from the year before. In 2014, participants reported $122,301 total cash compensation, but the figure in the 2015 survey was $119,576.

Nevertheless, optimism prevailed, ac-cording to Gros. “An overwhelming 85 percent of managers surveyed said they expect compensations to rise for calendar year 2015, as did 77.2 percent of employ-ees.”

Along with optimism about salaries, plastics employees are confident of their job security. 76.9 percent of this year’s re-spondents said they were “very” confident that their jobs would exist in 12 months, and another 19.0 percent were “some-what” confident. This positive perception of job stability began in 2010, following the 2008 recession.

Job confidence expands into job loy-alty and high morale, noted Gros. “Only about 7 percent described their job situ-ation as ‘unhappy,’” he said. “Managers can expect challenges in finding new em-ployees, because only 16 percent expect-ed to be active in looking for a new job. For managers this means ‘Keep the Ones You’ve Got!’”

This year, once again, employees sur-veyed said they expect pay raises of 1 to 3 percent, or more.

Of managers who responded to the survey, 55 percent expected their compa-nies to increase the number of full time employees this year.

“There will be a continuation of growth opportunities over the next several years within the plastics industry,” predicted Willem De Vos, CEO of SPE “This year’s polling again shows improvement in the perception of job stability, and anticipa-tion of higher earnings. We should con-tinue to see a healthy turn in the plastics industry, especially in the United States.”

Respondents in the 21-34 age group re-ported an average base salary of $71,394. The average jumps to $99,318 for the 35-44 age group, continues to climb to well over $100,000 for the 45+ age groups, and reaches a maximum of $131,587 for those over 65. Total cash compensation reflects

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NEWS WATCH

SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Asso-ciation has announced the agenda for its new Re|focus Recycling Summit & Expo and launched the event website as well. In collaboration with its Recycling Committee, SPI has designed the event to assist brand owners and processors in taking their environmental goals from aspirational to operational. The Re|focus Recycling Summit & Expo will take place April 25-27, 2016 at the Rosen Shingle Creek conference center and hotel in Or-lando, Fla.

The summit launches with an evening reception on April 25. Events on the next two days will include sessions within sev-en concurrent tracks. Conference track topics will include cutting edge recycling technologies, product engineering & design, supply chain management and manufacturing with recycled content, regulatory & compliance issues, industry-specific topics on recycling to recovery and use of recycled content, sustainability challenges and solutions and global man-ufacturing trends in recycled content. There will also be two plenary sessions with keynote addresses. An off-site plant tour is also in development.

“The Re|focus content will provide brand owners, processors, engineers and designers with resources to help them translate environmental goals into con-crete actions. We want to help companies look at product manufacturing in a new way, with an increased focus on recycling and sustainability” said Gene Sanders, SPI’s senior vice president of trade shows and conferences. “It’ll be about supply chain solutions, and our expo floor will reflect this mission as well.”

The programming team is seeking speakers with dynamic presentations who will participate in panel discussions and engage both other speakers and attendees through an active Q&A. Presentations should focus on practical implementa-tion and application of leading best prac-tices in the specific subject areas outlined. Those interested in submitting a speaker proposal can contact Ashley Patton at [email protected].

“SPI consulted with the industry to identify the challenges facing the supply chain and outlined subject matter to ad-dress these areas,” said Kim Holmes, SPI’s senior director of recycling and diversion. “The call for speakers will ensure we are

aware of the best speakers outside our core group of thought leaders. We seek the best and brightest to round out many of the panel discussions where our ex-perts are already involved.”

As the session content ramps up, so does the expo floor. The expo floor is designed to be a solutions-based space featuring material suppliers, equipment suppliers and recycling and sustainability service providers. Re|focus has received early exhibit commitments from numer-ous leading companies to include ADG Solutions and Davis-Standard, Bunting Magnetics, Fukutomi Green Products, Kice Industries, Plastics Technologies Inc., Phoenix Technologies, Rapid Gran-ulator, Ravago, United Recycling and WEIMA America.

Attendee registration will open later in the summer and discounts will be avail-able for members of SPI and official part-ner organizations. Additional summit in-formation and the exhibit sales floor plan with exhibit categories can be found at www.RefocusSummit.org. For additional assistance, contact SPI at [email protected].

CONVENTION NEWS

an even higher gap by age, with the 21-34 age group reporting $76,911 on average compared to the 65+ age group reporting almost double at $149,375.

Education plays a significant role in determining pay. Respondents with a post-graduate degree reported an aver-age base salary of $115,873 and average cash compensation of $131,847, where-as those with a high-school level educa-

tion reported an average base salary of $77,557 and average cash compensation of $92,500.

Respondents in executive manage-ment reported higher base salaries and total cash compensation than all other job titles. The average total cash compensation for job titles grouped as “executive management” was $158,489, followed by job titles grouped as “Sales,

Marketing, Customer Support” at

$137,734.

A detailed report of the full survey

will be available in the September is-

sue of Plastics Engineering magazine

produced by SPE. Members of SPE can

obtain a copy of the 2015 survey, with

detailed information, by logging into

their accounts at www.4spe.org.

BUSINESS NEWSAnaren launched a new Atmosphere Sen-sors Partnership Program that introduces a suite of proven sensor technologies and tools into Anaren’s wireless connectivity ecosystem. A key feature of the initiative is a new sensors element library, avail-able within the Anaren Atmosphere tool,

which allows non-RF and non-software savvy customers to develop wirelessly connected products and, now, to eas-ily incorporate sensors and sensors assets such as drivers and algorithms into their wirelessly connected IoT projects.

The inaugural member and primary

sensor provider to the project is STMicro-electronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and leading sup-plier of sensor technologies. Also on hand at Anaren’s Sensors Expo booth will be demos of the company’s expanding line


NEWS WATCH

up of Broadcom-based AIR for WICED modules, the Anaren Atmosphere online development tool, and Anaren’s new Cel-lular Machines family of remote moni-toring solutions.

“Since the introduction of our first AIR modules – which were all about helping customers ‘go wireless’ without being RF experts – Anaren has been totally com-mitted to giving our customers all the tools they need to do the job on their own,” said Mark Bowyer, Anaren’s direc-tor of wireless business development. “This new Sensor Network Partnership Program continues this progression, by enabling customers to easily incorporate sensing functions into their products…whether their goal is to transmit the re-sulting sensor data to a mobile device or all the way to the cloud.”

Portacool is addressing the rise in Eu-ropean demand for its products through a new warehouse facility in Barcelona.

The trend of hotter summer tempera-tures across the European continent, coupled with the need for cooler environ-ments for both commercial and leisure pursuits, have seen Portacool’s business in Europe increase by 12 percent since 2010, and the company sees significant growth potential as a result of the new warehousing facility in Barcelona.

The Portacool warehouse in Spain en-ables more rapid deployment of prod-ucts that reduce temperatures by up to 17 degrees Celsius in areas where tradi-tional air conditioning is impractical or cost prohibitive. These cooling solutions are aimed at meeting the cooling needs of commercial construction sites, manu-facturing facilities, hotels, restaurants, and military facilities across Western and Eastern Europe. The new facility in Spain provides a strategic link between Portacool’s manufacturing capabilities in the United States and customer demand, providing rapid deployment of cooling solutions to customers across Europe.

Digital manufacturing company, Proto Labs was named Manufacturer of the Year, Small Enterprise, at the 2015 Manu-facturing Leadership Awards ceremony held recently in Carlsbad, Calif.

The 11th-annual event — produced by

corporate growth consulting firm Frost & Sullivan and its Manufacturing Lead-ership Council — celebrates industry leaders and companies that are pushing global manufacturing forward.

Alongside Proto Labs, Dow Chemical received top honors as Manufacturer of the Year, Large Enterprise; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, General Electric and The Campbell Soup Company were among other notable award winners. Large and Small Enter-prise categories for Manufacturer of the Year were determined by companies with annual revenues of over and under $1 bil-lion, respectively.

“The Manufacturing Leadership Awards are a broad representation of industry excellence as evident by the impressive field of honorees,” says Vicki Holt, president and CEO at Proto Labs. “We’re humbled to be included with such innovative forces within manufacturing, and graciously accept our award.”

Proto Labs’ Cool Idea! Award program, which provides gratis prototyping and low-volume production services to en-trepreneurs bringing inventive products to market, was also recognized for In-novation Process Leadership during the ceremony.

“The award is further validation that our automated approach to Internet-based modern manufacturing—one that blends high-tech software with high-speed equipment—is positively impact-ing our advancing industry,” explains Rob Bodor, Proto Labs’ vice president and general manager of the Americas.

A complete list of winners can be found on Frost & Sullivan’s Manufacturing Leadership Awards page at mlawards.gil-community.com/winners/2015-winners.

Foam Supplies, Inc., a polyurethane foam systems supplier and producer of the patented ecomate EPA SNAP ap-proved foam blowing agent, recently an-nounced plans to add more than 50,000 square feet of new production and ware-housing space. The expansion is in re-sponse to the already increased demand for ecomate, as well as the anticipated fu-ture demand from both new and existing customers.

“With the EPA set to announce phase outs of current HFC blowing agents, manufacturers in a range of industries are taking a proactive approach in replac-ing HFCs now,” says Todd Keske, COO at Foam Supplies. “As the only EPA SNAP approved non-HFC blowing agent with a proven track record spanning well over 10 years, ecomate is the easy choice for any-one looking for an effective and environ-mentally friendly replacement.”

Foam Supplies recently broke ground on a new ecomate production facility ad-jacent to its current plant at the company headquarters in Earth City, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. The new building is expected to be fully operational by August of this year. Additional warehousing and distri-bution space has also been secured less than a half-mile away. In total, the expan-sion adds more than 50,000 square feet of capacity to the company’s U.S. operations in Missouri and Texas.

Introduced in 2002 and first approved by the EPA in 2003, ecomate has no global warming potential, no ozone depletion potential and no volatile organic com-pounds, so it does not produce smog. It is currently used in Foam Supplies’ eco-foam rigid polyurethane foam systems, ecoflex flexible and integral skin foam systems, ecospray spray foam insulation and more. It is also supplied to other foam systems providers around the world for use in appliances, refrigeration equip-ment, construction panels, doors, HVAC equipment, boats and many other types of products.

Jabil Circuit, Inc., a global provider of design, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain solutions, announced the opening of its Blue Sky Center in San Jose, Calif.

Strategically located in the Silicon Val-ley, the 100,000-square-foot facility fea-tures the company’s intelligent digital supply chain tool set, called Jabil inCon-trol, factory-of-the-future technologies, state-of-the-art Internet of Things (IoT) and rapid prototyping labs, as well as ac-cess to advanced capabilities for increas-ing customer collaboration and product innovation.


POWER

With the Internet of Things (IoT) becoming a reality, household appliances are well positioned to

provide consumers control of their costs and time, and producers with new revenue and service models. Appliance designers can fit their products with sensors and displays to monitor their usage patterns, and provide timely service and exclusive buying opportunities.

With the expected deployment of the IoT being an order of magnitude greater than that of smart phones, there will be tens of billions of “things” that must be powered. Appliance designers will want to reduce, or at least maintain, their present power-

consumption levels—in order to meet governmental regulations while adding IoT capabilities.

To fulfill this need, extremely low power microcontrollers (MCUs) and Bluetooth Smart radios are required. They represent a flexible and cost effective way to connect objects at the edge of the IoT. Let’s explore these aspects of a low-power IoT system.

Defining the IoTThere are many interpretations of the

IoT, often depending on what portion of the market you serve, but one definition in Wikipedia, as shown in Figure 1, does a good job of summarizing the concept.

So, relating this definition to appliances, an IoT appliance would be uniquely identifiable, offer advanced connectivity, such as Bluetooth Smart or Wi-Fi, and connect to the existing Internet infrastructure.

Appliance designers

will want to reduce,

or at least maintain,

their present power-

consumption levels.

by jason tollefson

Jason Tollefson is the senior product marketing manager at Microchip Technology

Inc. For more information, call (888) 624-7435, email [email protected] or visit

www.microchip.com/IOT.

EXTREMELY LOW POWER INSTRUMENTS: APPLIANCES FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS

Figure 1 – IoT Defined


POWER

IoT-Enabled ServicesConnecting appliances to the Internet

ushers in a new paradigm for both consumers and producers. For consumers, it offers them value in the ability to control cost and manage time. For producers, it offers value in the ability to monitor the performance of the appliance, proactively solve maintenance issues, and offer revenue-generation structures.

Enabling Smart Phones as Your IoT Gateway

The smart phone, low-power MCU and Bluetooth Smart radio offer appliance manufacturers the simplest way to add IoT capabilities in their products. Smart phones now ship with integrated Bluetooth Smart, providing an instant gateway to the Internet, with the added benefit of simplified pairing to the appliance. A smartphone app can control the user experience and manage the data transfer to and from the appliance. Wi-Fi is another method to IoT-enable appliances that provides a constant channel to communicate sensor data, but pairing can be slightly more challenging.

Bluetooth Smart offers beacon capability, vastly simplifying the pairing process. Beacons can advertise their presence to the smart phone when the two are in close proximity. Wi-Fi pairing, on

the other hand, requires pushing a Wi-Fi Direct button on the router, which often resides in another room.

Generating Valuable DataThe value of the appliance’s IoT

connection is generated by low-power MCUs mated to a Bluetooth Smart radio. The MCU collects sensor data, such as power consumption or run hours, generated within the appliance and stores it in a usable format. When a smart phone connects with the appliance, the data are uploaded and either transmitted or displayed. The low-power MCU and radio also maintain compliance with governmental regulations by adding connectivity without measureable increases in power consumption.

Bluetooth PrimerSeeing the simplicity of this system, let’s

explore the components in detail. We’ll begin with Bluetooth. It’s very likely that you have used Bluetooth in some form for years. You may own a Bluetooth headset for your phone, and many cars have Bluetooth for audio streaming. But the Bluetooth we are interested in for IoT appliances is Bluetooth Smart. This is a new standard that is only recently available from the Bluetooth SIG. This new standard enables low-power operation, which is ideal for IoT applications. Looking at Table 2, you see that Bluetooth Classic offers longer range and throughput of 2.1 Mbps. But for low-data-rate applications like IoT appliances, this rate is not required. Bluetooth Smart’s advantage is that it connects quickly, has throughput matching the need for IoT and offers lower power consumption.

Bluetooth Smart was designed specifically for devices at the edge of the IoT. Recall the Wikipedia definition of an IoT device; it had to be uniquely identifiable. Well, Bluetooth Smart has that capability. For example, Figure 2 portrays the organization of a Bluetooth Smart medical application.

The hierarchy in Figure 2 shows the Bluetooth Blood Pressure Profile. This profile has services attributed to it, such as the Device service and Blood Pressure service. You can see that the profile includes UUID, uniquely identifiable information (in this example, the manufacturer), which is a requirement for IoT. This is just one example that is part of the Bluetooth Smart GATT or Generic Attribute Profiles. The profiles are typically supported in the Bluetooth device directly, as shown in Figure 3. There

Table 2 – Bluetooth Comparison

Table 1 - Top 5 Examples of New Appliance Services


POWER

are profiles for many other applications, including a custom profile. The custom profile is ideal for appliances.

Bluetooth Smart Saves Energy

In addition to uniquely identifiable attributes, what makes Bluetooth Smart radios ideal for IoT appliances is their power needs. The radio has the ability to stay paired with a smart phone without requiring a constant connection; and since connections require power, this saves energy. The Bluetooth radio features a “Connect Interval” and “Slave Latency,” which make this possible. In Figure 4, you see that the Connect Interval is the time period between which the slave or “peripheral” transmits to the smart phone or “central” before entering a low-power state. This time varies from a few milliseconds to several seconds, with the regularity of the connection determined by slave latency. These parameters, when combined, allow for data to be transmitted as frequently as every 7.5 milliseconds, or as infrequently as every 33 minutes for maximum energy savings.

Low-Power MCU FeaturesOf course the other half of the power

equation is the MCU. Power consumption is largely determined by the power mode state and clock speed.

Power ModesMany new low-power MCUs include

power modes. This is the ability to change the configuration of the MCU under software control. Typical examples are run, doze, idle, low-voltage sleep, and deep sleep. Each of these modes has key attributes that affect power. For example, the PIC MCU has doze and low-voltage sleep modes. In doze, the MCU can run code at a lower frequency than its on-chip peripherals. This reduces current consumption, but still allows key peripherals like a UART to communicate at the proper baud rate. Low-voltage sleep switches out the high-performance, on-chip regulator for a low-current regulator, allowing full MCU state retention using current of only hundreds of nano-Amps. A transition from run to low-voltage sleep reduces current consumption by 99.9%.

Clock SwitchingLow-power MCUs also offer on-the-fly

clock switching. This is the ability to change clock frequency based upon the task. If you are running math-intensive filter algorithms

on sensor data, run at full clock speed. If in a simple loop and awaiting an interrupt, dial back clock speed to save current. Using these methods, current consumption is reduced from 5 milliamps to 26 micro-amps—a savings of 99%. The bottom line: low-power MCUs make it easy to save energy.

Step Out to the EdgeJoining the edge of the IoT is quite

achievable for a broad range of appliance designs. By using the built-in features of low-power MCUs and Bluetooth radios, it is now possible to create a connection to the IoT from an appliance that maintains regulatory energy compliance. This connection allows the collection, processing and transmission of data to smart phones in a way not possible just a few years ago. And with smart phones growing in popularity, they provide an instant gateway to value-creating applications. Consumers value this connectivity as it allows management of their busy lives from the one thing they always have near, their smart phone. Manufacturers benefit from product insights into performance and usage, allowing the utilization of modern marketing and service techniques to reduce lifetime costs and enhance revenue; and to gain insights for the development of next-gen appliances.

The IoT is here, and it represents new opportunity, so step out there.

Sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things

https://developer.bluetooth.org/TechnologyOverview/Pages/BLE.aspx (2013)

http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/70005191A%20(1).pdf (2014)

http://www.microchip.com//wwwAppNotes/AppNotes.aspx?appnote=en572728 (2014)

Figure 2 – Bluetooth Profile Hierarchy Figure 3 – Block Diagram of Bluetooth Smart Module

Figure 4 – Bluetooth Smart Communication Period

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DESIGN CONCEPTS & TRENDS

by rené polin

René Polin is president and founder of Balance Inc. For more information, call (440) 247-4711 x 100, email [email protected]

or visit www.balanceinc.com.

As an industrial designer, my first inclination is to go right to the seemingly cool stuff. I’m referring

to those times when an inspiring new tech-nology is introduced and designers quickly incorporate it into new design concepts. For this piece, I’m going to resist that urge. I’d rather not go on about the specifics of how the Internet of Things will impact applianc-es, how everything and everyone is (and will continue to be) connected, or how the next-big-thing will make a splash in the industry. This won’t be a how-to for technologies, materials or processes. Instead, let’s look deeper into the bigger picture to get a better understanding of the ‘why’ and ‘for whom’ we are designing new objects and applianc-es. The larger macro trends of our society and world, the living trends in our homes and kitchens, and the technical and prod-uct trends of all the things we use each day should all have a place in the design deci-sions we make. We can use this information along with pre-selected end-user personas to best choose the proper tools, technolo-gies, features, functions, interfaces, aesthet-

ics and experiences that will truly connect with the end user. When all of these factors are balanced properly, the new product will be embraced by consumers, and if all goes as planned, drive revenue growth and gain market share.

The Technology TrapMany manufacturers fall into the trap

of jumping on a new technology as quickly as they can, but most of them don’t stop to think about whether or not they should. Technology for technology’s sake is usu-ally not a good approach to most consumer products unless your goal is to appeal to the very small segment of early-adopters who are willing to pay any price to have the latest and greatest new thing. Virtual reality, 4K screens, and drones are great, but they might not nec-essarily have a place in tomorrow’s kitchen or laundry room. Not to say that they won’t, but it’s best to focus on which technologies will drive the greatest utility and value in your products. Consider this a more pragmatic approach to technology.

The larger macro trends

of our society, the living

trends in our homes,

and product trends

should all have a place

in the design decisions

we make.

Leveraging Trends for New Concept Inspiration

This product provides the option of utilizing more of a traditional cooktop while still offering a grilling experience.

Source: stocksy.com/Balance

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Starting with Macro TrendsIn thinking outside of your particular

industry and market, you can start to map new areas that can create more opportuni-ties for success within your particular busi-ness. Macro trends represent large scale, longer term shifts in consumer interests. There is an umbrella effect that these larg-er trends have over micro trends and the more specific consumer or market trends on which design teams usually focus. The smaller, more focused trends should logi-cally fall under these macro trends, and here is where you can start setting up your guardrails to begin exploring exciting new concepts.

Some of today’s macro trends that should be of interest to appliance designers include:Rise in Urban Living: This is highlighted

by smaller living spaces and less access to nature.

Aging Populace: Birth rates are trending downward and there will be more elderly and pets.

HomeWork: More people of all ages will be working from home and will need flex-ible space.

Instant Delivery: Expect same day or even same hour delivery of everything from clothing to groceries.

Water Value: Fresh water is not an end-less resource and conservation and smart usage is imperative.

Always Connected: Everything, everyone, and everywhere will be connected and reachable 24/7.

Back to Natural: The direct result of being always connected—the desire for an authentic, natural, analog experience.

Home and Kitchen TrendsTo further dive into new appliance con-

cept opportunities, designers can’t deny the value of focusing on home, living, and kitchen trends. These typically link directly to one or more macro trends, illustrating how they fall beneath the umbrella of these larger prevailing forces. Today’s and tomor-row’s new homes at first glance don’t appear too radically different from those of our parents or grandparents, but when you con-sider double pane windows, multiple bath-rooms, A/C, and so forth, they are more different than one might think. Technology and new design aesthetics aside, there are certainly many changes in how we live and what we expect of our living spaces.

Looking into some home and kitchen trends:Accessible Design: Universal, safe, intui-

tive, space that works for baby boomers and millennials alike.

Design for Me: Throw out the old tradi-tions, and design for me, for now, and for how I do things.

Zone Focus: Get away from the standard ‘kitchen triangle’ layout, and group prod-ucts where they make the most sense.

Inside-Out: Look into transitional indoor/outdoor space, realizing fresh air space is at a premium.

Social Sharing Space: Beyond the physical socializing space, think about real-time social media sharing areas.

Informal Transitional: Think of your home as a relaxing oasis with less defined, non-linear spaces.

Command and Control: With everything being connected, you may need a life-traffic-control center.

Health and Wellness: Plan on doing much more of your health and wellness care right at home; this will be more than a medicine cabinet.

Focused Ideating Around Trends – and a Good Persona

Once again, for today, let’s get past some of the obvious, technical details and design features like IoT and connectivity. Assume the product concepts you are designing will all be connected and have the latest technol-ogies appropriately used. Let’s also assume, in the interest of time, that a persona has been identified, around whom the ideation will revolve. Let’s call this persona Jennifer.

Consumers can use the product inside on a daily basis, and when the weather is right, open the sliding doors and enjoy grilling outside. Source: stocksy.com/Balance

The base should also be versatile enough to easily rotate or slide the product from the inside to the outside and back again. Source: Balance



She is a young urban professional, single, no kids, 29. She lives in a high-rise in the city, and likes yoga, gardening and cooking.

Now let’s connect Jennifer with some of the trends like ‘rise in urban living,’ ‘inside-out,’ and ‘informal transitional.’ Jennifer’s apartment has some good open space and a small outdoor porch accessible by slid-ing doors. She likes cooking and wishes she could spend more time grilling outside—only she lives in Michigan, and the weather is unpredictable.

A great product for Jennifer would be an electric grill that also has an induction cooking surface. She has the option of utiliz-ing more of a traditional cooktop while still enjoying the grilling experience. She’d like this product to be indoor and outdoor, but doesn’t want to pick it up and move it every time she needs it. Let’s now make the concept semi-permanent, in that it has a floor-standing base. The base should also be versatile enough to easily rotate or slide the product from the inside to the outside and back again.

Jennifer can use the product inside on a daily basis, and when the weather is right, open the sliding doors and enjoy grilling outside. The new concept successfully con-nects three of our trends with our persona

and some existing technology.

A Couple More ExamplesHere are some more examples of product

concept idea starters to further illustrate the process.

Cool Mover: Combine ‘aging popu-lace’ with ‘instant delivery’ and ‘accessible design’ for Walter, a 79 year old retired wid-ower. Walter can’t get out for his groceries, so they’re delivered almost daily. Why not provide him with a small, portable personal refrigerator into which the food deliveries can be placed. They can be safely cooled until he can get to them. There may also be a warming section to keep prepared meal deliveries at the ideal temperature until Walter has time to eat. The product can be moved effortlessly from his front door to his kitchen and is at the perfect height for him to access everything—even from his powered scooter.

Healthy 2.0: Combine ‘always con-nected’ with ‘design for me’ and ‘health and wellness’ for Joe, a 23 year old grad student who lives in university housing. He’s never home for too long because he’s always on the run, and when he’s not on the run, he’s

running for his health. Joe carries water

with him daily and he utilizes his wearable

fitness tracker and smartphone to keep up

on his activity. Joe could use a water station

that filters and fills his bottles for him so

they’re always ready to go. The station links

to his devices so it gives him a real-time sta-

tus of his physical activities and even pre-

scribes the amount of water he’ll need to

consume. Joe’s also a ‘maker’ so the product

is open source and allows for user hacks. He

added a heating element to the product so

it’ll now make him hot tea for those cold

mornings before school.

These concepts may seem a little far-

fetched to some, but they are meant to pro-

vide some examples of how new design con-

cepts can be visualized by utilizing trends

and personas. Combined with appropriate

technologies, intuitive user interfaces, and

well-selected features anyone can ideate

innumerable innovative concepts. Don’t be

afraid to embrace a new creative approach

like this trend-based model; it just might

lead to that breakthrough product that

changes the face of a market. <

Just go to www.applianceDESIGN.com/godigital

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INSULATION

by john murphy

John Murphy is a senior blowing agent specialist at Foam Supplies Inc. For more information, call (800) 325-4875 or visit

www.foamsupplies.com.

T he appliance industry is rapidly fac-ing another environmentally man-dated change in polyurethane blow-

ing agents (BA). This means that the cur-rently used class of blowing agents used in developed countries (HFCs), and their pre-decessors (HCFCs) still being used in less developed (Article 5) countries face immi-nent transition.

While the industry has become quite adept at transitioning from one generation of BA to the next, it has not been without tremendous compromise in efficiency and economics, not to mention the tremendous amount of man-hours expended optimizing formulations in making these transitions.

For instance, the thermal insulation capa-bility of each successive generation of BA (Table 1) has been poorer than its predeces-sor. They also have had varied boiling points, solubility, flammability, and stability. These affect foam properties dramatically and increase the challenge toward optimization.

Methyl Formate (based on patented tech-nology) is a good choice as a blowing agent because of its low molecular weight, low gas lambda (Table 2), and favorable economics. But it has strong solvency (slightly stronger than HCFC-141b), which (like 141b) can affect dimensional stability and compres-sive strength if not properly formulated for. Similar optimization is/was needed for both

It is important to note

that there is no “perfect”

blowing agent.

Appliance Foams: Overcoming the Next Blowing Agent Challenge through Optimization

Gas Lambda(mW/m-K)

Molecular Weight(g/mol)

CFC-11 Generation 1 8.4 137

HCFC-141b Generation 2 10.0 117

HFC-134a Generation 3 13.7 102

HFC-245fa Generation 3 12.7 134

Table 1: Fluorochemical Blowing Agents

The EPA and other regulatory agencies worldwide will soon be enacting legislation which will begin a phase out of common HFC-based polyurethane foam blowing agents used for insulation in many types of appliances.

Fortunately our ecomate® blowing agent used in our family of environmentally friendly foam systems is already an EPA SNAP approved and proven replacement for HFCs. In fact, it’s replaced HCFCs and CFCs as far back as 2002. In addition to having no impact on the environment (zero GWP, zero ODP and zero VOCs), ecomate® offers superior insulating properties, requires no changes in equipment, and can offer manufacturers lower total costs than other alternatives.

So why wait to make the change that everyone knows will happen down the road? Contact us today to learn more.

Better Products. Better for the Environment. www.ecomatesystems.com

Dead EndHFCs/VOCs

The road wherethe end is insight.

The road where the future isbright.

New environmental regulations are coming down the road. Which way will you go?

EPA/SNAPAPPROVED


INSULATION

molecules.Why is optimization so critical? Many

formulators, in their initial evaluations of a blowing agent candidate, simply “drop-in” one or more candidates for the original BA. It has not been evaluated with the proper surfactant (or proper amount perhaps), or the proper polyols (in the case of increased solubility of the BA). This was indeed the case in moving from CFC-11 to HCFC-141b. It took formulators nearly two years to properly address the increased demand on the polyol system introduced by the stronger solubility of 141b.

Another factor that is critical for the effi-ciency of the foam is the choice of the right surfactant. The surfactant influences the cell size, orientation, and flow charac-teristics of the foam—but most importantly the thermal conductivity (k-factor) of the foam! A change in solubility caused by a change of the blowing agent will affect the surface tension of the foam cell windows—and dramatically affect thermal conductiv-ity of the foam. Equally important to the type of surfactant is the amount of surfac-tant used…to much or too little can result in poorer lambda values.

Optimization is always required.Even something as mundane as the cat-

alyst package and amount used (speed of reaction) can dramatically affect critical foam properties. The following initial study based on MF blowing agent run by an out-side lab dramatically demonstrates this:

Methyl Formate based Appliance System Evaluations – Physical Testing DiscussionBackground

The following details outline the runs for the evaluation of initial MF based appli-ance systems. The objective of the trial was to evaluate standard process and property parameters as part of 1st stage development used to benchmark against existing HFC-245fa based foam systems.

Based on all gathered PT results, the fol-lowing can be concluded:

Comparison to standard results:K-factor values for the three systems are

higher than what would be expected of a standard HFC-245fa based appliance system. Normalized compression modulus is

somewhat comparable to what would be expected, however compression strength is lower than the standard. S1b had slightly better dimensional vac-

uum values at 1.85 lb/ft3, therefore free

Gas Lambda (mW/m-K) Molecular Weight (g/mol)

Methyl Formate 10.7 60

System Run Date Comments

MF –S1 11/17 Commercial PIP system

MF-S2 11/18 Alternate Polyol system

MF-S1b 11/19 S1 with increased catalyst

Properties Expected value Comments

Foam Core Density (lb/ft3) 1.80 Range 1.75 – 1.90

Core/Fill Ratio 0.90

K Factor(Btu-in/hrft2°F) @ 75°F 0.137 Initial value

@ 50°F 0.127 Initial value

“Normalized” Comp strength 19.0 psi Normalized to 1.80 pcf

Closed Cell Content 90 % minimum

Dim Stab 14d @ -25’C -1.70% Vol change <2% Value required

System S1 S1 @ 77°F S2 S1b Standard

Gel (sec.) 50-52 46 40 35 35-40

Tack free (sec.) 71-80 N/A 59-67 55 55-65

Free rise density (lb/ft3) 1.43 N/A 1.43 1.42 1.40

Lanzen Panel

Minimum fill density (lb/ft3) 2.04 1.99 2.02 1.98 1.94

Flow index (MFD/FRD) 1.43 1.40 1.41 1.40 1.38

Name: Cyclopentane Methyl Formate HFO 1233zd[E]HFO

1336mzz[Z]UNITS

MW: 70 60 130.5 164 g/mol

Boiling Pt: 49.3 32 19 33 °C

Flash Point: -37 -19 None None °C

LFL: 1.5 5 None None Vol%

GWP: 11 < 1.5 < 7 5 100 yr

MIR: 2.39 0.06 0.04 0.04Ethane = 0.28 g

O3/g VOC

PEL: 600 100 300 500 ppm

Gas Lambda: 11 10.7 10 10.7 mW/m°K

sp. gravity: 0.75 0.982 1.27 1.356 g/l

Table 2: Blowing Agent

Table 3a: Systems Run

Table 3c: Physical Testing Summary. Standard “Expected” results for HFC-245fa based system

Table 3b: Run Summary at 70°F

Table 3b: Run Summary at 70°F


INSULATION

stable density might be somewhere in the range of 1.90-2.00 lb/ft3 core density. Core/fill ratio for the group were in the

range of 0.75-0.81 which is below the standard of 0.90. This value is especially important in terms of total foam usage. Higher values are characteristic of more efficient foam usage as it will not require as much foam to achieve a certain core density. Adhesion for these systems was deter-

mined to be acceptable and comparable to standard appliance systems.Based on Flow Index, MF systems flow

better than the standard 245fa system.Overall, greater cross-linking and run-

ning at a higher index would benefit both the dimensional stability of the foams as well as the strength.

Observations between systems:Addition of catalysis to S1 improved

K-factor, cell size, cell content, and nor-malized compression strength.The same relationship can be seen

when S1 component temperature was increased from 70°F to 77°F on run day 1. Foam cell structure/cell content improved as a result of faster reac-tivity. S1b overall was the best performing

system of the group in all areas of foam performance.

Bear in mind that these were initial inves-tigatory runs made with MF foam blowing agent. MF has a slightly stronger solvency than even HCFC-141. Because of this, for-mula changes such as greater cross-linking and running at a higher index benefits both the dimensional stability of the foams as well as its strength.

Further optimization of these formulas has demonstrated improved dimensional stability, compressive strength, and thermal properties allowing MF to be competitive with current blowing agents.

Today we are faced with yet another tran-sition, from Generation 3 HFCs to other alternates (including Generation 4 HFOs, Table 4). It is important to note that there is no “perfect” blowing agent. There never has been, nor will there ever be! Each has its merits and its shortcomings. Each has allowed the polyurethane industry to grow, by optimization of formulations for the BA then being used.

The HFOs bring improved gas lambda values back to the table. However, it is not without some challenge, as those candidates are higher in molecular weight (i.e., more is

required on a molar (MW) basis to achieve a desired density). For instance, to produce an equivalent density foam, it would require 130.5 parts of HFO-1233zd versus 70 parts of Cyclopentane—nearly twice the quan-tity. That, concurrent with an additional disparity in pricing, steepens the challenge. In addition, little is yet known about any potential diffusion of the HFOs from the foam insulation through the plastic liners into food stored in refrigerators (or of the

diffusion of their break-down products,

or if any potential toxicity of these break-

down materials exists).

The future choice of blowing agents for

the appliance industry will require diligent

work today to address these unknowns, and

to optimize each of the above candidates

into successful appliance foam formula-

tions. The time to start is now. May the best

candidate win! <

www.appliancedesign.com/products

AD2015eProduct_Book_AD_island.indd 2 7/16/15 11:25 AM


GAS TECHNOLOGY

by kevin henry and steve joseph

Steve Joseph is the president of Dacor and

Kevin M. Henry is Dacor’s director of business

development. For more information, call (626)

799-1000, email [email protected] or khenry@

dacor.com or visit www.dacor.com.

Ever since our ancestors first climbed down out of the trees, they promptly turned around and set them ablaze

to cook the evening’s catch; humankind has had a unique and symbiotic relationship with fire ever since. A love/hate relationship that spans the vastness of human evolution, humanity’s connection with fire generates a variety of emotions that range from fear to comfort. From the time they first sat around the evening’s fire, cooking a chunk of freshly killed caribou, our cave dwelling cousins must have had the Neolithic equivalent of, “No, baby…hot!”

As we have evolved over the ages, so has the kitchen. And, in some respects, the basic kitchen has changed very little from those early days; the kitchen is still the gathering place—if not so much for the tribe, then for the modern family. It is a place where we meet and start the day over cups of coffee, prepare lunches for the kids and gather at

the end of the day to discuss events over a hot meal.

What has changed is how we cook. We have moved from fire pit and spit to the hearth, from the hearth to the cast-iron stove, and from the cast-iron stove to the modern age with electric coils, glass top radiant and induction cooktops. There is no question that these modern cooking devices are easy to clean and efficient to use, but they are lacking something—something very human. There is something about the click, click, whoosh as that little blue flame flickers to life that touches the primal instinct that still lives deep inside each of us.

In today’s modern world, filled as it is with new smart home technology, safety still comes first. As the kitchen continues to adapt, there are specific gas technology features that are becoming more available in the newest and most innovative kitchen appliances.

Specific gas technology

features are becoming

more available

in the newest and most

innovative kitchen

appliances.

Electronic gas digital controls are shown here. Source: Dacor

of GAS COOKINGNew Face

The

December 2014


S E8 n

22 S or Index

26 Product/Service Locator

44 Supplier Locatorwww.applianceDESIGN.com

Cover.indd 1

11/19/14 10:37 AM

applianceDESIGN.com/buyersguide

Find suppliers of the products you need. Start your search today!

DESIGN ENGINEERS THEIR SEARCH HERE

BUYERS GUIDE2015


GAS TECHNOLOGY

In North America, premium appliances typically offer gas flame rectification tech-nology. With auto-reignition, an electrode in the tip of the spark igniter senses the flame, and if the gas valve is on but no flame is detected, then using the process of ioniza-tion, it sends a signal to the spark module. This technology provides additional safety by preventing any buildup of gas above the cooktop. However, the clicking sound can be a nuisance for consumers, especially if the spark ignitors are not cleaned properly, or if the burner is not assembled correctly.

In Europe, cooking appliances typi-cally use thermocouples connected to a thermal valve. The thermocouple senses the heat from the flame and will close the gas valve if the flame is not present. Thermocoupled burners take longer to fire up than burners with auto-reignition because the thermocouples need to warm up before the valve opens.

The residual heat indicator is another premium appliance feature that visually notifies the user if temperature sensors under the cooktop detect heat—during and after cooking on a cooktop. This is a great way to keep the user from accidentally touching a hot surface after cooking on a gas cooktop.

The design of the burner system, includ-ing its valves and the resulting impact on cooking performance, is another key dif-ferentiator in the premium appliance space. Dual-stacked, dual-valve and ring burn-ers offer a broader range of flame control. The power at the high end and the Btu rate of the burner at its lowest setting have become more important with the increase of culinary interest we have seen over the

last decade with the advent of the Food Network and myriad other culinary media. Home chefs and foodies alike have come to realize that the low flame setting might come in handy when preparing those deli-cate sauces. Cooktop burners continue to push the envelope at both the high and low

ends of the Btu spectrum.The built-in gas wall oven has mostly

gone by the wayside, but the good, old-fashioned gas range continues to be a popu-lar choice in the professional kitchen. And, though it may not be easily apparent, tech-nology in these ovens continues to evolve.

Oven technology continues to evolve. This is a 48-inch gas range. Source: Dacor

These are dual stack burners. Source: Dacor

Infrared gas flame broiler technology is a great solution for searing meats to perfection and keeping all the moistness and flavor inside. Source: Dacor


GAS TECHNOLOGY

Premium gas ranges are typically self-cleaning and, though self-cleaning is noth-ing new, cleaning a larger capacity oven in the same kitchen footprint means less room for insulation and cool air flow. Insulation, air flow and burner system design all play an important role in making the complete range system work.

Infrared gas flame broiler technology is a great solution for searing meats to per-fection and keeping all the moistness and flavor inside. This type of broiler provides a large, even gas flame close to the meats, giving the restaurant quality results that less powerful, heat-reflecting tube broil-ers don’t offer.

Also advancing inside gas ovens are ignition technologies, convection perfor-mance, and the development of electronic gas valve technology for the bake burner. Electronic gas oven valves may soon pro-vide the ability to more accurately control the oven temperature, conserve energy and start through an electronic interface instead of the typical knob.

Electronic GasLong considered by some as the “holy

grail” of gas cooktops, new electronic gas valve and controller technology combines the benefits of gas with the convenience, precision and cleaning benefits of a glass cooktop. The integrated touch-controls allow the home chef to preset gas burner cooking times for optimum energy use and prevent overcooking and damaged cookware.

The electronic gas approach gives the home chef precise and incremental control over each burner, along with the ease to reset a flame to the exact previous setting without guesswork. In addition to being an easy-to-clean surface, electronic control of a glass cooktop introduces other added safety benefits, such as a security lock that keeps the top from being used. This is a great ele-ment for homeowners with young children who have wandering hands.

The electronic gas cooktop also offers a timing feature that can be set to automati-cally shut off the gas at a desired time. Plus, a step function can be offered that aids the home chef in selecting the level of heat which is emitted from the burner—all with the touch of a finger.

By continuing down the path of digital interfaces as used in the knobless gas cook-tops, manufacturers keep finding new ways to integrate technology as a way to control all appliances, including those using gas. Recent industry research indicates that 58 percent of Americans also use their smart-phones in the kitchen some or all of the

time (according to NextMarket Insights research: The Connected Kitchen: A Market Analysis, Survey & Forecast of the Smart Kitchen (2014)).

Smartphones and tablets, for example, are already able to control the lighting of a house, air conditioning temperatures or entertainment centers through inno-vative apps.

CLOSINGAs gas cooktops become smarter, safer

and more efficient, they will continue to be the cornerstone of the American kitchen,

now and into the future. <

Source: Burner Systems International.

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D S G G G SU Y

by leah pickett

Leah Pickett is the associate editor of appliance DESIGN. She can be reached at

[email protected].

B dDivision, in conjunction with appliance DESIGN, has released

its Inaugural Design Engineering study to provide detailed information on profession-als involved in design operations, and the results are encouraging.

Conducted by surveying active, qualified subscribers of appliance DESIGN over a 24-day period in May 2015, the study draws from close-ended numerical data tabulated using SPSS, a statistical software package, and open-ended questions that were sum-marized, coded, or included as written by respondents, as appropriate. The key objectives of the study were as follows: to identify the demographic profile of indus-try professions; to ascertain improvements to design operations; to illustrate trends in employees’ compensation, work hours, and job constraints; and to determine overall job satisfaction.

After a brief Study Overview that explains how the data was gathered, tab-

yinto two sections, Company Overview and Employee Overview; and in each of these sections, the percentage of participants with positive responses to the state of their profession is strong.

Company Demographics Professionals across a broad range of

industries were surveyed, but “air condi-tioning, refrigeration, and heating equip-ment” is the most common industry at 22 percent, and “other electrical equipment, appliances, components” is the second most common at 15 percent.

The majority of respondents (53 percent) work for OEMs, while 20 percent work for design firm/services/consultancies and another 20 percent work for a components and parts manufacturing.

54 percent of respondents have a com-pany revenue of under $50 million, while 43 percent of respondents have a company

BNP s Design

Engineering study

reveals promising trends

for professionals involved

in design operations.

ENGINEERING SURVEY SHOWS JOB SATISFACTION, EMBRACE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY

appliance DESIGN’s webinars are an easy, convenient way to interact with industry experts and learn about the

latest industry topics.

Sponsorships available, contact your sales representative for details

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View all of our webinars at webinars.applianceDESIGN.com


DESIGN ENGINEERING SURVEY

revenue of $100 million or more. On aver-age, respondents’ companies have an annual median revenue of $42.5 million.

Half of the respondents’ companies have 500 or fewer employees, with the median number of employees being 675. Two-in-five respondents indicated an increase in the number of employees during the past year.

Willingness to Lead The Company Overview section con-

tinues with the companies’ overall goals. 46 percent of respondents companies are willing to be one of the early leaders in embracing new technology, while 28 per-cent describe their companies as willing to be on the leading edge of new technology.

43 percent of respondents’ companies plan to increase resources in 2016, most

commonly in personnel and/or prototyp-ing equipment or software. Meanwhile, 53 percent of respondents expect the amount of resources they currently have to stay the same next year.

Following the United States, China and Mexico are the countries in which respon-dents most commonly have production, at 41 percent and 31 percent, respectively. And out of the 94 percent of the respondents’ companies that have production in the U.S., 40 percent of those companies have pro-duction only in the U.S.

The study also shows that respondents whose companies produce outside of the U.S. are more concerned with outsourcing and privatization as potential obstacles than companies that produce in the U.S. only.

Employee DemographicsThe Employee Overview section focuses

on the professionals as individuals. Most of the respondents live in the Midwest (44 percent), while about one-in-five or few-er live in other regions. 92 percent of the respondents are male, with an average age of 53. Most of the respondents have com-pleted higher levels of education; 71 per-cent have a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree, 11 percent of an Associate’s degree, and 5 percent have a Ph.D.

The majority of respondents work in engineering (52 percent), followed by 20 percent of respondents who work in research and development. Over half of respondents have supervisory responsibili-ties, and of them, nearly 60 percent super-vise less than five people.

68 percent of respondents reported that

they are a member of a committee or team, with the most common being in new prod-uct development.

Nearly all respondents have had a variety of responsibilities in the past 12 months, with “implementing solutions to problems” and “researching new methods and technologies” being the most common responsibilities at 72 percent and 65 per-cent, respectively.

Job SatisfactionIn the category of Overall Job Satisfaction,

59 percent of respondents are highly satis-fied with their current job, while 38 percent are moderately satisfied.

Contributing factors to satisfaction likely include hours worked per week (55 percent

of respondents reported working 40 to 45 hours a week) and career longevity (56 per-cent of respondents have been employed within the industry for at least 16 years), as well as the wide variety of tasks and respon-sibilities that the majority of respondents have in their positions.

In regards to the percentage of time respondents have spent in the appliance industry at their current company, the numbers also look good.

On average, company loyalty stands out, as 65 percent of respondents’ years in the industry are reported as being spent at their current companies.

When asked what they expected to be one of the biggest job barriers over the next 12 months, 63 percent of respondents chose “time constraints,” while “keeping up with state-of-the-art technologies, “making new technology work, and “new and existing standards” are tied at 35 percent.

Interestingly, the respondents who work more than 45 hours in a week are more like-ly to feel that time constraints will impact their job next year than the respondents who work less hours.

And although 75 percent of respondents reported no change in work hours over the past 12 months, one in five of the respon-dents reported that the hours in their work week increased by nine hours on average, which is significant. However, 79 percent of respondents expect that their work hours will remain steady in 2016.

The three most important job attributes to respondents were “technical challenge” (54 percent), “feeling of accomplishment” (50 percent), and “salary” (46 percent). Meanwhile “economic conditions,” external

Embracing New Technology

Willing to be on the leading edge 28%

Willing to be one of the early leaders 46%

Wait until others successfully use it 20%

Likely to be one of the last to use it 6%

Job Responsibilities

Implement solutions to problems 72%

Research new methods and technologies 65%

Interacting with suppliers 57%

Interfacing with management 55%

Implementing design/manufacturing methodologies

50%

Interacting with customers 50%

Evaluate proposals from suppliers 48%

Continuing education/Training 37%

Increase productivity/utilization 37%

Document adherence to formal market standards

29%

Supervise day-to-day operations 29%

Prepare/Review budgets 24%

None of the above 2%

Overall Job Satisfaction

Not at all satisfied (1-3) 3%

(4-7) 38%

Extremely satisfied (8-10) 59%

54 percent of respondents have a company

revenue of under $50 million, while 43 percent of

respondents have a company revenue of $100 million

or more. On average, respondents’ companies have an

annual median revenue of $42.5 million.

with appliance DESIGN, wherever you are!Now it’s easier than ever to stay connected to the BEST source of the latest news and information.

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DESIGN ENGINEERING SURVEY

to the company’s control, was ranked as the top concern.

Salary and BenefitsThe average annual salary among respon-

dents is nearly $90,000, and one-third of respondents are making six figures. Half of the respondents receive an annual bonus, and of them, the average bonus is nearly $11,000.

57 percent of respondents reported a sal-ary increase during the past year, and 58 per-cent expect that their salary will increase at the next performance review. Respondents also reported “economic conditions” as the most likely cause for a respondent’s salary for this year to be consistent with last year.

Most respondents’ companies provide health insurance and/or paid vacation, but on the downside, few provide pensions (16 percent) or childcare (7 percent). Also unfor-tunate is that more than two-thirds of respon-dents expect that they will be paying more for healthcare insurance premiums in 2016.

Training and Skills64 percent of respondents have taken

training in the past 12 months, with meth-odology training (24 percent) followed by

certification training (21 percent) being the most common types taken. Additionally, two-thirds of respondents would like to develop technical skills in the next year, while a quarter would like to gain certifications and/or develop their problem-solving skills.

By far, it is the technical skills that respon-

dents are looking to develop further. And since most of the respondents fall into an older age bracket, and also report that one of their company’s central aims is to embrace new technology, this desire makes sense.

“Keeping up with state-of-the-art tech-nologies” is ranked as one if the highest job concerns, “technical challenge” is ranked as the most important job attribute, and almost three-quarters of the respondents reported that their company is willing to be on the leading edge or one of the early

leaders. Thus, it is clear that the majority of respondents not only see technological change as an important aspect of their jobs, but also as a challenge that they are willing

to meet. <

Contributing factors to satisfaction likely

include hours worked per week (55 percent

of respondents reported working 40 to 45

hours a week) and career longevity (56 percent

of respondents have been employed within the industry

for at least 16 years), as well as the wide variety of

tasks and responsibilities that the majority of

respondents have in their positions.


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In today’s busy world, it’s easy to for-get. People forget to turn off the lights at night, unplug the curling iron or even shut the garage door when leaving for vacation. But, instead of worrying about what we may have overlooked at home, wouldn’t it be nice if our homes remem-bered for us? With the NuTone® Smart Home Series, integrated home automa-tion and management, whether from the living room couch or across the globe, is now just a click away.

The NuTone Smart Home Series pro-vides the ultimate home automation so-lution, placing security, energy savings, convenience and control at one’s finger-tips. While some other brands lock you into their system, NuTone Smart Home Series devices work with your favorite Home Automation hub* and app.

With a Z-Wave hub* and a smart-phone, homeowners are able to monitor, dim, turn on/off, open/close, schedule or automate their NuTone Smart Home Se-ries devices, which include the Smart Ga-rage Door Controller, Smart Outlets and Smart Lighting products..

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Sensirion presents two new versions of the SGM70xx mass flow meter modules for G4 and G6 gas meters. These microther-mal gas meter modules enable realtime gas flow monitoring and come with the additional advan-tages of high-level reliability and long-term stability.

Onboard software in the mass flow meters guarantees precise gas quality com-pensation. As a result, the Swiss company Sensirion has further consolidated its expertise in the smart energy sector. Until now, microthermal gas flow modules from Sensirion were available for G1.6 and G2.5 gas meters. Like the other ver-sions of the SGM70xx series, the latest modules for the G4 and G6 gas meters stand out with high-level reliability, longterm stability and resistance to dust and dirt. Apart from this, they feature a standard connection and an I2C interface. The compact design permits easy integration into gas meters. The mass flow meters are digital, temperature compensated, pressure corrected and completely calibrated for gas and natural gas. Finally, the SGM70xx comes with software and hardware approved by the GWI (Gas and Heating Institute) to compensate for different types of gas mix. If required, the gas meter module is also supplied with European NMI component certification.

SGM70xx mass flow meters from Sensirion have been used for several years in gas meters for industrial and residential environments. Over 100,000 such mi-crothermal mass flow meters have already been installed in Italy and Germany. Thanks to its many years of experience in sensor technology, Sensirion is currently the only company able to offer its customers a complete design-in solution. This means that everything comes from a single source. In addition to calibrated gas meter modules, Sensirion also delivers an electronic reference design that simpli-fies integration of the necessary hardware and software and also makes NMI part certification available.

The SGM70xx mass flow meter allows users to monitor the flow and consump-tion of gas reliably and in real time. For endusers, it boosts transparency and con-venience and allows them to optimize their energy consumption.

Sensirion AG+41 44 306 40 00, [email protected], www.sensirion.com

Choose from the Smart Wall Switch, Smart Dimmer Wall Switch, and Smart 3-Way Wall Dimmer Switch. With one tap on your smartphone, you can group your lights to create the right mood, light an outdoor pathway, or dim lights to watch a movie.

Smart Wall Outlet: Make anything plugged into the outlet a smart device. The Smart Wall Outlet lets homeown-ers automatically turn on/off appliances plugged into the outlet or schedule them.

Smart Plug-In Dimmer Module: Make anything plugged into the module a smart device. The Smart Plug-In Dimmer

Module is ideal for table and floor lamps.Smart Plug-In Appliance Module: Making

your appliances smart is as easy as plug-ging in an outlet. The Smart Plug-In Appliance Module is ideal for any light-duty appliance like a coffee pot.

With the number of product options

available in the NuTone Smart Home

Series and their home automation hub,

homeowners are able to group various

devices to create a scene, fully integrat-

ing control of their home. When return-

ing home from work, the opening of the


NEW PRODUCTS

garage door signals the lights to turn on and the thermostat to adjust to a prede-termined setting. When waking up in the morning, the touch of a button turns on the kitchen lights, sets the coffee pot into brewing mode and switches on the tele-vision to a morning news program. The options for creating a scene are unlimited, and homeowners are able to tailor their scenes to meet their specific needs.

The NuTone Smart Home Series was created in coordination with Nortek Se-curity & Control Group, the No. 1 manu-facturer of Z-Wave® products worldwide. The Z-Wave wireless communication standard was designed from the ground up for home control with power, range and bandwidth all optimized for the home. Certified Z-Wave devices offer secure communication by the same in-dustry standard encryption used in on-line banking. These devices are scalable by working with other Z-wave devices in your home to ensure full coverage, reducing and eliminating dead spots in even the largest homes. All NuTone Smart Home Series devices are guaranteed to work with most certified Z-Wave hubs.

NuTonewww.nutone.com/HomeAutomation

Wireless Switch ControllerHarwil Wireless switch controller elim-

inates the cost of the wire, installation (conduit or trenching) and maintenance that would normally be needed for a switch to control a device. The range can cover distances of 1000 feet. The Wireless Switch System includes a switch – sending

unit that can be attached to two separate switches and a relay - receiving unit that has 10 and 15 amp relays. Use to control water levels in a tank, detect moisture in-trusion or line breaks, remote control on/off status of equipment during installa-tion or service. This system is ideal for temporary and portable applications. The two switch unit allows forward / re-verse or up / down remote control. The switch unit is powered by 9-24 VDC or 3 batteries “C” cells and relays are powered by 12-24 VDC, 120 or 220 VAC.

Harwil Corporation(805) 988-6800www.harwil.com

PumpPfeiffer Vacuum has introduced the

compact and powerful HiPace 30 tur-bopump. It is currently the only tur-bopump on the market in its size class offering pumping speeds of 32 liters per second. Its small installation footprint and low level of vibration make this pump particularly suitable for integra-tion into compact analytical systems such as benchtop mass spectrometers, small electron microscopes and leak detectors. Weighing as little as 2 kilograms and mea-suring less than 12 cm in length makes the HiPace 30 ideally suited for mobile appli-cations.

The sophisticated rotor design of the HiPace 30 achieves high gas throughputs

and a very good compression of light gases. This ensures the low residual gas background that is desirable for mass spectrometry applications.

The HiPace 30 is designed with proven hybrid bearings that are a combination of ceramic ball bearings on the backing vacuum side and permanently magnetic radial bearings on the high vacuum side. The reliable turbopump has a long life cycle with a maintenance interval of ap-proximately 4 years.

Pfeiffer Vacuumwww.pfeiffer-vacuum.com

Position Sensor SystemMicronor introduces its commercially

available MRI Safe linear position sensor system for OEM motion control applica-tions. With 100µm resolution and 50µm accuracy, MR303 Linear Sensor is the ideal solution for medical, MRI, robotic and industrial applications where posi-tion and speed must be precisely moni-tored, and electromagnetic immunity and invisibility is required. The sensor works in conjunction with the MR302-2 OEM Controller which enables the sensor to in-

AdaptersMencom announces Plastic

Port Adapters in a low profile black plastic shell with a M25 mounting thread. They are rated IP65, which means they provide total protection against dust and jets of water from all directions. These plastic port adapters offer

a substantial savings compared to the metal versions.These port adapters have a RJ45, USB Type A, or USB Type B connector potted

inside the plastic shell, and can easily be mounted to a cabinet through a 1” diam-eter hole. They are supplied with a cap tethered to the connector via a TPE gasket that not only clutches the cap, but also works as a waterproof washer.

Mencom Corporationwww.mencom.com


NEW PRODUCTS

tegrate with conventional PLC controllers and servo drives.

The position sensor is immune to any electromagnetic interference, such as magnetic fields, lightning, high voltage and radiation. Being fabricated from non-ferrous and non-metallic materials, the sensor is also completely transpar-ent to electromagnetic fields. The sen-sor’s magnetic invisibility also makes it the ideal position sensor for use in Super Paramagnetic Relaxation Measurements in which extremely small magnetic fields are measured. These attributes allow the MR303 sensor to be safely used in and around the MRI bore and does not pro-duce any imaging artifacts.

This high precision linear encoder provides the means for performance en-hancements of existing MRI systems as well as enabling new MRI applications and medical devices. Applications include MRI cradle position monitoring, MRI ro-bots and MRI phantom training organs.

The fiber optic linear incremental en-coder system is based on an innovative optical technique embodied in Micronor’s U.S. Patent 7,196,720 in which an electri-cally passive, all-optical sensor and remote controller are interconnected via a duplex fiber optic link. The system uses a coarse wavelength division multiplexing tech-nique incorporating two lasers represent-ing the A and B quadrature signals. An en-coder film strip passes through the MR303 optical read head, modulating the A and B optical signals. The remote MR302-2 Controller provides both the optical input to the MR303 Sensor and processes the modulated optical return signal.

The MR302-2 Controller features both A/B quadrature outputs and Mod-bus RTU serial interface for transparent integration into the user’s application. A discrete HOMING Input is used for in-ternally presetting the absolute position while a discrete STATUS Output provides the direct means of monitoring the en-coder’s system health. The controller con-tains a feature-rich Modbus communica-tions protocol for ease of integration into the user’s control system.

Micronor Inc. (805) 499-0114www.micronor.com

Geomembrane MaterialRaven Industries’ Engineered Films Divi-

sion has announced the launch of a new flex-ible geomembrane product line designed to provide effective containment solutions for the energy and environmental sectors.

HydraFlex(TM) Containment Solutions is the newest addition to the Raven prod-uct line and includes several targeted geo-membranes designed for specific project attributes. All HydraFlex(TM) products are available in master rolls or large prefabri-cated one-piece panels, manufactured in a factory-controlled environment up to 8,000 lbs per panel with a wide sealing-window for ease of field installation.

HydraFlex(TM) Ultra: HU-Series geo-membranes are produced with very flex-ible linear-low density polyethylene resin to provide exceptional elongation, tensile and impact strengths. HydraFlex(TM) Ultra is formulated to meet or exceed the comprehen-sive requirements of GRI-GM17 Standard Specification for (LLDPE) geomembranes. HydraFlex(TM) Ultra is recommended for use in containment applications requiring ex-cellent outdoor longevity, chemical resistance, and extraordinary durability, including use

in cold weather environments. Designed for exceptional flexibility, HydraFlex(TM) Ultra easily conforms to uneven surfaces, and per-forms well in critical applications, including fish-safe requirements for aquaculture and coal ash impoundments capping for the solid waste sector.

HydraFlex(TM) Pro: HP-Series geo-membranes are co-extruded linear-low density polyethylene developed for applica-tions requiring enhanced flexibility along with a combination of high tensile strength and impact resistance. HydraFlex(TM) Pro is engineered with ultra-low modulus char-acteristics to resist pinholes and flex-cracks during installation. These elements are critical for the pliability necessary in reli-able above ground tank lining systems, as well as in earthen pit and pond linings. The additive package in HydraFlex(TM) Pro in-cludes fine partial carbon black on one side for outstanding protection from UV ra-diation and thermal degradation. The gray color on the opposite side minimizes ther-mal expansion while providing cooler sur-face characteristics. Contrasting colors also provide a vital function for ease of damage detection during the installation process.

HydraFlex(TM): H-Series materials are

Laser DiodesOSI Laser Diode, Inc.

(LDI), an OSI Systems Company, premiered the SCW 1430 laser diode module series. The new 1490 nm Al RWG F/P laser diode series is specifically designed for optical test ap-plications such as optical time-domain reflectom-eters (OTDRs) and optical spectrum analyzers (OSAs).

LDI’s new SCW 1430 product series features excellent pulse drift performance and high stability. The modules come in four convenient packages to choose from: 14-pin DIL; 14-pin butterfly; 3-pin coaxial; or 3-pin TO56 housings. RoHS compliant, the high-peak pulsed laser diode modules operate typically at a center wavelength of 1490 nm (1470 nm, min. to 1510 nm, max.). They deliver no less than 100 mW optical power (fiber) and a minimum of 300 mW (TO56).

Easy to integrate into new or existing systems, LDI’s new products are intended for optical testing applications where high-peak pulsed optical power is required. The higher power offers greater dynamic range capability to OTDR manufacturers.

OSI Laser Diode, Inc.www.laserdiode.com


NEW PRODUCTS

co-extruded geomembranes consisting of outer layers of virgin grade linear-low density polyethylene with an inner core of virgin and select reprocessed resins. HydraFlex(TM) H-Series membranes are stabilized with carbon black and antioxi-dants designed as an economical solution for near-to mid-term applications. The pre-mium quality LLDPE contained in the H-Series product line offers exceptional proj-ect value by providing for ease of welding along with high impact strength and tear resistance.

Raven Industries, Incwww.RavenInd.com

Air-Operated ConveyorEXAIR’s new aluminum 3/8 NPT and

1/2 NPT Threaded Line Vac™ Air Oper-ated Conveyors convert ordinary pipe into a powerful conveying system for parts, scrap, trim and other bulk materials. Their small size makes them perfect for fitting in the cramped spaces and tight confines of many production lines. The Threaded Line Vac is designed to attach to plumbing pipe couplers, making it easy to build a complete system using ordinary pipe and fittings available from any home center, hardware store or plumbers supply. These new sizes of Threaded Line Vac air operated convey-ors make it easy to move small parts, a small quantity of material or gases and transport scrap or product out of small spaces.

Threaded Line Vac Conveyors eject a small amount of compressed air to produce a vac-uum on one end with high output flows on the other. Response is instantaneous. Regu-lating the compressed air pressure provides infinite control of the conveying rate. Appli-cations include scrap trim removal, material conveying, part transfer, fiber tensioning, fill-

ing operations and sampling. Aluminum threaded Line Vacs are CE

compliant and are suited to a wide variety of conveying applications. Larger sizes up to 2 NPT and smooth end models for hose up to 5 in. are also available.

EXAIR Corporation(800) [email protected]/smtlv.htm

Rotary EncoderHeidenhain is expand-

ing its range of absolute rotary encoders by intro-ducing new devices with the SSI interface into its current 1000 series. With the introduction of the ECN 1013, EQN 1025, ROC 1013 and ROQ 1025 encoders with SSI interface, Heidenhain completes its portfolio of abso-lute rotary encoders with a standard diam-eter of 35 mm.

Due to their ability to measure absolute position in different machines and devices with limited installation space, these 1000 series encoders are well suited for a variety of different applications including antenna

technology, driverless transport systems

(DTS), logistics applications, machine

building, medical technology, and packag-

ing machines.

In addition to an SSI standard resolution

of 13 bits singleturn and 12 bits multiturn,

these new 1000 series absolute rotary en-

coders distinguish themselves by providing

high-resolution position value through ex-

ternal interpolation of the 1 Vpp output

signals. These encoders also offer

512 signal periods per revolution,

an extended power-supply range

from 4.75 V to 30 V, and inputs for

programming the direction of rota-

tion and setting the zero position of the

absolute position value.

These new 1000 series encoders are avail-

able in 6 mm blind hollow shaft versions

which include a stator coupling for plane

surfaces or in a 4 mm solid shaft version with

a synchro flange. Currently there are also

several versions of this series with the EnDat

interface already introduced in the market.

Heidenhain

(847) 519-4702

www.heidenhain.us

Thermoplastic ElastomerTwo new grades in the 8000 Series

of general purpose series of ther-moplastic elastomers (TPEs) – 8088N (colorable) and 8088BL (black lubricated) – have passed FMVSS302 specifications for flamma-bility, according to officials at Elastocon TPE Technologies, Inc.

With both new grades supplied as ready to use pellets in 1,000 lb. quantities and capable of being overmolded onto polypropylene (PP), they are formulated for different applications: 8088N is a Shore A 88, colorable TPE for applications that call for rubber-like proper-

ties and a good surface finish ideally suited for consumer goods (FDA compliant too, for food applications) and industrial applications requiring U.V. stability. This grade is shear dependent and is formulated to process on conventional thermoplastic equip-ment for injection molding, extrusion or blow molding.

Elastocon 8088BL, on the other hand, is a Shore A 90 black, lubricated TPE for appli-cations that call for high impact resistance and a reduced COF (coefficient of fric-tion).

As noted for both new grades, they have passed flammability standards, making them suited for automotive interior applications.

Elastocon TPEs(888) 644-8732, [email protected], www.elastocontpe.com

If you’re looking for engineering apps, we’ve got you covered! appliance DESIGN has compiled a collection of

the latest and greatest industry apps to keep you informed, organized and educated – all at your fingertips. Visit

appliancedesign.com/apps to check out a listing of our featured apps and begin downloading to your device today!

Google Search Appby Google

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LightSmartby Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

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Your App Hereby Your Company Name

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by listing it on appliancedesign.com/apps!

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Contact your sales representative for details.

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

applianceDESIGN’s


The appliance DESIGN MUST SEE Gallery provides a glimpse at the latest innovations entering into the market. Please visit the company’s website or email them for more information.

FlowGrid – Less noise, more quality of life.

The engineer’s choice

For more information: http://flowgrid.ebmpapst.us.

Toughened Epoxy Paste Features Fast Cures

Master Bond epoxy Supreme 10HTF-1 combines very fast curing and simple handling

properties with a superior performance profile. This true one part system is not premixed and frozen and has an unlimited working life at room temperature. Supreme 10HTF-1 features excellent dimensional stability and physical strength properties.

www.masterbond.com

High airflow motorized impeller from Orion Fans & Digi-Key

The 400mm OAB400 Series motorized impeller/blower provides a high airflow of 1900 CFM and maximum static pressure of 5.4” H20. The motorized impeller is designed for electronic cabinet, telecom, networking, air filtration and ventilation systems.

www.digikey.com/orion-impellers


WANT EYES ON YOUR NEW PRODUCT?applianceDESIGN’s 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 Pozzoat (847) 405-4044 or [email protected] for more information. *AM Editorial Readership Study, August 2004

MUST SEE PRODUCTS & SERVICES

New 4” x 4” Lightguide Provides Economical Design Versatility GLT’s LED-based 4” x 4” lightguide is a reference format demonstrating a superior solution for applications considering similar-size OLED panels or point source LED arrays. At only 3.5 mm thick, with an efficiency of 115 lumens/watt and >80% uniformity, it is an economical design option unique in the marketplace. GLT will custom design to meet your needs, including display backlighting, UI graphics and projected area lighting.

Global Lighting Technologies (GLT), Inc.(440) [email protected] www.glthome.com/oled

EPCOS CAPACITORS FOR SUPERIOR DEPENDABILITY

EPCOS Aluminum Electrolytic and Film Capacitors from TDK Corporation offer long-term stability and reliability for inverter-driven appliances. Features include high ripple current capability, high CV, low ESR, long life, good peak

voltages, AC voltage capability, compact design, and sizes for each capacitance value. Specify your EPCOS capacitors today!

www.epcos.com

POWER TRIPLE LOCK A GAME CHANGER FOR APPLIANCESAs appliance makers strive to provide more efficient and more easily controlled machines, the need for improving reliability, especially in appliances with electrical connections, has become a high priority for designers. Introducing the Power Triple Lock from TE Connectivity. In stock and ready to ship from TTI.

TTI, [email protected]/PTL


ASSOCIATION REPORT: SPI

By Kimberly CoghillSPI: The Plastics Industry

Trade Association Director of

Communications

Everyone knows that plastics are an integral part

of daily life. However, most people probably

don’t appreciate that without these innovative,

transformative materials, the world’s environmental

footprint would be magnified through wasted food,

energy and various other natural resources.

As advocates of the plastics manufacturing indus-

try, SPI and the American Chemistry Council (ACC)

work together to conduct positive, educational cam-

paigns aimed at highlighting the many ways that plas-

tics make things possible.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that the primary vehicle

for reaching consumers operates under the ban-

ner of Plastics Make it Possible®, an initiative spon-

sored by America’s Plastics Makers™ through ACC

with support from SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade

Association. This national, consumer-focused cam-

paign highlights the multiple ways plastics inspire

innovations that improve lives, solve big problems and

help design a safer, more promising future.

The history of plastic dates back 150 years when the

first manmade plastic was unveiled by Alexander Parkes

at the Great International Exhibition in London. Parkes’

plastic, dubbed Parkesine, was a bio-based material

derived from cellulose that could be molded when heat-

ed, and retained its shape when cooled.

The industry has advanced since Parkes’ 1862 inven-

tion, and to date, the plastics manufacturing industry

is investing in outreach and communications plans to

help consumers understand the ways that plastics con-

tribute to sustainability. Anyone who spends time on

plasticsmakeitpossible.com will quickly learn the val-

ue of plastics from industry insiders and experts from

other fields like fashion, food, medicine and transpor-

tation. Here’s some interesting information readers

will learn on the website.

Role of Plastics in Health and SafetyPlastics help save lives in the doctor’s office and

the hospital emergency room. Jay Cude, SPI’s former

board chair who works as the global director of sales

and marketing for ITW Medical Products, once said,

“The disposable medical products industry wouldn’t

exist without the plastics industry.”

And whether it’s IV bags, syringes, sterile wrap-

pers, incubators or dialysis machines, a quick inven-

tory of a medical facility would prove Cude’s point.

For example, PMIP posted a piece on an innovative

hearing aid called the Solar Ear. While the advanced

product looks like an ordinary hearing aid—a cashew-

shaped piece of plastic that tucks behind the ear—it’s

less expensive because it is powered by batteries that

are recharged in a plastic solar battery charger. Thus,

the tiny piece of plastic has enhanced the lives of many

hearing impaired patients who were unable to afford

costly, traditional hearing aids.

In another form of healthcare, researchers devel-

oped plastic-based nets treated with insecticides to

ward off malaria-carrying mosquitoes used by resi-

dents of some African countries. Insecticide treated

nets (ITNs) were developed in the 1980s, and are

believed to be up to 50 percent more effective than

non-treated nets.

Other plastic safety gear gives consumers the chance

to avoid medical emergencies. Air bags, seatbelts, child

safety seats, bicycle helmets and modern building

products made with plastics provide a few examples

of how advancements in the industry have benefited

people worldwide.

Lessons from Professor PlasticFuturistic technologies like 3-D printing are

described in detail along with photographs and videos

on Professor Plastics’ popular PMIP page. Professor

Plastic is an interactive feature in which the teacher

answers questions about how plastics are made, why

there are so many different types of plastics and

whether a product can be recycled.

But just as important, the professor provides infor-

mation about cutting-edge technology like 3-D print-

ing, or additive manufacturing. Unlike typical manu-

facturing that whittles away at a piece of material to

make a product, 3-D printing adds layer upon layer to

create a product, resulting in very little waste.

In one post, Professor Plastic is asked whether 3-D

printing would be better for the environment. She

responds by stating that 3-D printing remains in its

infancy and additional data and production is needed

to accurately answer the question, but nevertheless,

the new technology is generating plenty of buzz, as

noted elsewhere on PMIP’s website. An article repost-

ed from Wired magazine reveals a novel process that

allows a 3-D printed dress to move and sway like real

fabric. Experts are also using 3-D printing technology

to create medical devices like prosthetic legs, arms,

hands and feet. Indeed, PMIP’s recent “Innovation of

the Week” was a 3-D plastic prosthetic leg created for

a dog named Derby.

Follow PMIP on Twitter @plasticpossible and

Professor Plastic on Google+. Visit the homepage for

the “Innovation of the Week,” join the conversation or

enter contests by following the campaign on Facebook,

Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+. <

Plastics Make it Possible


AD INDEXSALES TEAMcompany name page number web site

Bokers Inc 38 www.bokers.com/ad

Digi-Key Corporation 38 www.digikey.com/orion-impellers

Design 2 Part Shows 32 www.d2p.com

ebm papst 38 http://flowgrid.ebmpapst.us

EPCOS TDK 39 www.epcos.com

Foam Supplies 21 www.ecomatesystems.com

Global Lighting Technologies 39 www.glthome.com/oled

Honeywell BC www.honeywell-blowingagents.com

MasterBond 38 www.masterbond.com

Proto Labs, Inc. 3 www.protolabs.com

RealMatch 7 www.appliancedesign.com/jobs

TE Connectivity 39 www.ttiinc.com/PTL

Tower Manufacturing Corporation 39 www.towermfg.com

Quality Show 17 www.qualityshow.com

Underwriters Laboratories 1 www.ul.com/weknowproducts

This index is for the convenience of our readers. Every care is taken to make it accurate. appliance DESIGN assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

sales teamDarrell Dal Pozzo - Group [email protected] Phone: (847) 405-4044

Dawn LeRoux - Associate [email protected]: (248) 633-4818 Fax: (248) 283-6558 AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, ND, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, Western Canada and International (Europe & U.K.)

Brad [email protected]: (216) 233-6943 Fax: (216) 803-6151 AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV, Eastern Canada

reprintsRenee [email protected] Phone: (248) 786-1661Fax: (248) 283-6588

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