page M-1
Merloni Special Section:Cooking - Albacina
Where It All Began
by Lisa Bonnema, Editor
APPLIANCE traveled to Albacina, Italy to report on Merloni’s cooking appliance factory.

page M-1
Merloni Special Section Overview: A Step Ahead
Jumping Ahead
Lisa Bonnema, Editor
APPLIANCE traveled to Fabriano, Italy to interview key executives at Merloni Elettrodomestici headquarters.

page M-19
Merloni Special Section:Refrigeration
Staying Fresh: The Quality Leap
by Linda Abu-Shalback, Associate Editor, APPLIANCE Magazine
APPLIANCE traveled to Melano, Italy to report on Merloni's second oldest plant.

page M-23
Merloni Special Section:Refrigerators
Merloni and GDA:Finding Synergy
by Paul Roggema, European Correspondent, APPLIANCE Magazine
APPLIANCE magazine traveled to Peterborough, England to report on Merloni’s refrigerator appliance factory.

page M-25
Merloni Special Section: Recognizing Turkey
Recognizing Opportunity
by Paul Roggema, European Correspondent, APPLIANCE Magazine
APPLIANCE traveled to Manisa, Turkey to report on Merloni's refrigerator plant.

page M-27
Merloni Special Section: Washing Machines
Cleaning With Class
by Linda Abu-Shalback, Associate Editor, APPLIANCE Magazine
APPLIANCE magazine traveled to Comunanza, Italy to report on Merloni's clothes washing facility.

page M-4
Merloni Special Section
A Digital Vision in Dishwashers
By Lisa Bonnema, Editor

page 29
HVAC: Our 39th Annual Report
The Energy Times
by Diane Ritchey, Editor
Energy efficiency in HVAC products made headlines this past year, mostly due to the ongoing global phaseout of CFCs and subsequently, HCFCs, used as the refrigerant in most systems, and government efficiency standards, such as the U.S. DOE's SEER standards for central air-conditioners and heat pumps.

page 38
Smart Sensing
Smart Sensing Is Revolutionizing the Appliance Industry
Two types of sensors are used in the appliance industry: acceleration and pressure sensors, which have been highly demanded in home appliances such as washing and drying machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and dishwashers. The advent of intelligent sensor systems, especially highly advanced process technology such as Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), is projected to have a strong impact on the growth of sensors in the home appliance industry.

page 98
APPLIANCE New Product Digest
Emphasis: Plastics Materials and Equipment

page 83
From the Top
The Cost of Corrosion
by Dick Topping, director of Appliance Research, TIAX, LLC
Jane noticed that the temperature in her refrigerator seemed to be rising. Since it was still under warranty, she called and asked for a manufacturer's service representative to investigate. By the time he arrived 2 days later, she had moved the majority of perishable foods into a cooler and emptied the freezer of half-thawed food. The refrigerator had clearly lost its ability to cool.

page 84
Engineering: HFC-245fa
Tailor Made HFC-245fa Foam for Appliance Applications
by Jeff King, Phillip Irwin, Ike Latham, and Stan Moore, The Dow Chemical Company
Eight years ago, the use of CFC-11 in rigid foam applications was terminated in the U.S. due to environmental concerns arising from its ozone depletion potential. Since that time, rigid foam manufacturers have used the second-generation blowing agents with more and more confidence. In general, the predominant blowing agent for the U.S. market over this period has been HCFC-141b.

page 92
Engineering: Motor Technology
Mixed Flow D.C. Cooling Fan
Said to be ideal for telecommunications applications and for cooling computer cabinets and racks, Comair Rotron says its new 7.9-in Mixed Flow d.c. fan is able to generate a higher pressure than any other fan in its product line.

page 93
Engineering: Electronics
Relative Humidity Sensor Module
The Humicor S6000 relative humidity (RH) sensor/converter from Gefran Coreci (Lyon, France) uses a microprocessor to ensure accurate, linearized, and temperature-compensated humidity measurement in HVAC applications.

page 11
APPLIANCE Line
Fighting Over DTV
Editorial from Diane Ritchey, Editor, APPLIANCE Magazine
If you have shopped for a new television recently, you may have heard this sales pitch: "Buy HDTV now, as any other television will be obsolete in a few years."