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A
Universe of Technical Products |
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The
history of technology has been a history of dramatic
and unexpected consequences . . . The arch, the pulley,
the compass, eyeglasses, moveable type, the steam engine,
the cotton gin, asphalt, the Model T, elevators, structural
steel, the atomic bomb; these are inventions whose impact
has extended far beyond the activities for which their
creators built them. Ultimately, the havoc they visited
on social, political, and economic systems has outweighed
the impact of their intended usage.
(Larry
Downes, Chunka Mui, “Unleashing the Killer App”)
A
Universe of Technical Products
As civilization becomes more complex, there will always
be a greater demand for instruments, tools, machinery
and other products that serve its increasingly specialized
functions. Technical products encompass a wide range of goods including machines,
electronics, industrial equipment, tools, scientific
instruments, household appliances, and the individual
parts and micro-components they consist of.
Technical products are designed for nearly every
industry imaginable from air pollution control equipment
to engines and construction equipment.
Most consumers are unaware of the enormous universe
of technical products.
You can get a good idea of how vital they are to
the economy just by examining the industries tracked by
U.S. Census Bureau. The
following table reveals categories and subcategories for
seven technical industry categorizations:
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Technical Product
Category
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Subcategories
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Industrial Air
Pollution Control Equipment
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Selected subcategories include
electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, mechanical
collectors, wet scrubbers, catalytic oxidation
systems, gas absorbers, wet flue gas desulferization
systems, and nitro oxide control systems. (see
table for more information and economic performance
data)
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Communications
Equipment
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Subcategories include telephone
switching and switchboard equipment; ultrasonic
equipment; broadcast, studio and electronic equipment;
vehicular and pedestrian traffic control equipment
and electric railway signals and attachments,
telephone and telegraph equipment components;
and electronic teaching machines, teaching aids
and simulators. (see
table for more information and economic performance
data)
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Industrial Electronics
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Subcategories include robotics,
accessories and components; nuclear electronic
equipment; testing and measuring equipment; and
controlling and processing equipment. (see
table – under industrial electronics for more
information and economic performance data)
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Construction
Machinery
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Subcategories include tractor
shovel loaders; powercranes, draglines and shovels;
motor graders and light maintainers; self-propelled
continuous ditchers and trenchers; equipment for
mounting on tractors; and rough terrain forklifts.
(see
table for more information and economic performance
data)
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Engines, Refrigeration,
and Heating Equipment and Pumps and Compressors
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Subcategories include internal
combustion engines (gasoline, automotive diesel,
non-automotive diesel, and natural gas); air-conditioing
and heating equipment (i.e. heat transfer equipment,
compressors, air source heat pumps, furnaces,
and dehumidifiers); and pumps and compressors
(i.e., industrial pumps, domestic water systems,
and air and gas compressors).
(see
table for more information and economic performance
data)
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Instruments
and Related Products
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Subcategories include automatic
regulating control valves; aeronautical, nautical
and navigational instruments, physical properties
and kinematic testing equipment; commercial, geophysical,
meteorlogical and general purpose instruments;
process control instruments; surveying and drafting
instruments; and solenoid operated valves.
(see
table for more information and economic performance
data).
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Household Appliances
(includes some technical products
as appliances or parts thereof)
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Technical subcategories include
electric and non-electric water heaters; parts
and attachments for household refrigerators and
freezers; and gas and electric household ranges,
parts and accessories. (see
table for more information and economic performance
data).
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