Entertainment appliances

The consumer goods sector is the third largest market for thermoplastics. (This sector is somewhat ill-defined and in later sections is divided between the household, office and entertainment appliances and sports leisure sectors.)... 

Most household and entertainment appliances are mass-production goods that are sold by the million. Production of business or office appliances varies from small series (shredders, for example) to medium or high series (PCs and other computers). Prices are very varied from a few tens of euros up to thousands of euros and more. Table 2.35 provides an idea of the economic importance of some typical devices. 

Entertainment appliances Radios, televisions, audio systems, video systems, VCRs, electronic video games.. . Aesthetics Mar and scratch resistance Heat resistance Electrical insulation Durability Ease of cleaning Cost... 

There are a surprising number of computer-con-trolled systems in homes today, all acting independently to control heating, cooling, security, lighting, appliances, entertainment equipment and even coffee makers. Houses of the future will integrate all of these computerized functions into centralized home automation systems that will help optimize energy... 

All appliances and modules consisting mainly of electronic components fall under the category of electronic waste appliances. This group comprises the following categories entertainment electronics, office, information, and communication appliances, and electronic components of appliances. 

Technically the household, entertainment office appliance market appears heterogeneous, including a variety of functionalities, shapes, forms and properties. Table 2.34 proposes a classification method based on the lifetime and the main function but many other classifications are possible. 

The household, entertainment office appliance market consumes an estimated 3% up to 6% of the thermoplastics total, according to the region, making it the fifth outlet for these materials. 

The household, entertainment office appliance industry is subject to many constraints ... 

The household, entertainment office appliance market is subjected to some specific regulations for specific parts, notably large ones. Moreover, standards and regulations depend on the country. Among them a typical example is the UL requirements related to the longterm service temperature and the fire rating. 

To progress in the household, entertainment office appliance industry, thermoplastics must improve their performance characteristics, ease of processing, productivity and recycling, for example ... 

Thermoplastics are predominant among the plastics used for the household, entertainment office appliance industry with styrenics pre-eminent, including polystyrene, high-impact polystyrene, EPS, ABS, SAN, ASA. .. followed by PP. Several engineering thermoplastics such as PA, PC, PBT, PPO and POM are also used. 

Figure 2.34. Thermoplastic shares in the household, entertainment office appliance market...

Nowadays the electronic appliances used for entertainment, telecommunications and data processing are widespread in daily life. Typical examples include televisions, video recorders, hi-fi systems and fax machines, not to mention computers with their peripherals such as monitors and printers, scanners and copiers. These devices are predominantly made of polymeric components and materials which might contain additives, such as flame retardants and plasticizers (Wensing, Uhde and Salthammer, 2005) to obtain specific desired properties. In addition, there will also be chemical residues from production and processing aids, such as residual monomers and solvents. Especially under operating conditions these compounds can be released from electronic equipment into indoor air due to the heating-up of the device interior. In many cases, such emissions can be monitored via simple odor tests (Walpot, 1996). 

Appliances may be classified into three major types white goods, brown goods, and traffic appliances. White goods are primarily those products associated with laundry and refrigeration such as washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, refrigerators, and freezers. The name was due to the primary use of white for these products. Brown goods Include radios, television sets, furnaces, air conditioners, and home entertainment products, while traffic appliances include toasters, mixers, electric knives, fans, blenders, and other more portable items. 

The term mechanical unit relates to any units that contain parts placed in assemblies and, where applicable, allow movements between pairs of parts with a given degree of freedom. Mechanical units are required in all machines, instruments, cars, domestic appliances, home entertainment devices, etc. The modeling of mechanical units is applied in the engineering and production of most industrial products and production equipment as well as in devices for the manufacture of other products. For example, the same geometry is applied to describe curves in car bodies and in tools for making shoes. 

Textiles are not only to protect/cover or skin but show self-expression, taste, and personality of the wearer. They can also demonstrate socioeconomic status and cultural movements. Moreover, in the modem fashion world, textiles are highly relied on for their beauty and aesthetic appeal. Recent advancements in wearable devices have extended the functionality of textile materials to smart textiles. Now the term smart textiles is referred to as active or passive depending on the placement of actuators. If the actuator is embedded in the textile, then it is active otherwise is passive. Smart textiles play a key role in our day-to-day life, including the fields of health monitoring, personal trackers, military use, education, home appliances, transportation, gaming, entertainment, and music. Table 9.3 shows the applications of smart/inteUigent textiles to various areas. 

Electrical and electronic products domestic appliances (refrigerators, microwave ovens, coffee makers, kettles, etc.), office equipment (telecommunications, computers, fax machines, etc.) and entertainment (televisions, hi-fi, personal stereos, computer games, etc.). 

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