MEETINGS AND EVENTS

May 28
AMCA Virtual North America Region Meeting
10 AM - Noon EDT
More information

AMCA Annual Meeting 2020
TBD
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AMCA Spec Check

Have you downloaded AMCA's free mobile app, Spec Check? Available for iPhone and Android devices with automatic updates, Spec Check allows you to:

• Match product type to certification type.
• Obtain guide-specification language for each certification offered through the AMCA Certified Ratings Program (CRP).
• Identify seals, CRP publications, and test standards for each certification type.
• Send guide-specification language and document references via e-mail or text message.
• Search the CRP database.
• Search for AMCA members.
• Download AMCA white papers.

Update Your AMCA Library

Click here to shop for AMCA technical documents, including the revised AMCA Publication 211, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Air Performance, and ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-D, Laboratory Methods of Testing Dampers for Rating.

Click here to learn more about CETIAT's AMCA CRP fan-testing capabilities

AMCA White Papers

Stay abreast of topics that are top of mind for AMCA and its members. Check out AMCA's white-paper library by clicking here.

2020 North America Region Meeting and Annual Meeting Updates

AMCA Network Reception at the 2019 North America Region Meeting.

Though the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused the 2020 AMCA North America Region Meeting and the 2020 AMCA Annual Meeting to be cancelled, it will not stop the business of the meetings from being conducted.

The 2020 AMCA North America Region Meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to noon ET. Details and registration information will be announced via member alert soon.

Meanwhile, AMCA is surveying members concerning three alternatives to holding the 2020 AMCA Annual Meeting, which was scheduled to take place Nov. 16-20 in Dubai:

• Find a new location in the United States and hold the meeting between November and February.
• Hold the meeting in conjunction with the 2021 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) in Chicago in January.
• Conduct the meeting virtually with electronic/paper ballots.

The survey was included in a member alert announcing the cancellation of the meeting that was e-mailed to all AMCA members on April 21. Responses must be received by May 8. If you did not receive or no longer have the member alert and would like to participate in the survey, please contact AMCA Manager of Industry Content Scott Arnold at [email protected].

Free AMCA ‘Pop-up’ Webinar on Fire and Smoke Barriers Tomorrow

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Ten webinars in 10 weeks—that is the ambitious goal of AMCA’s education team as it continues its series of free “pop-up” webinars tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET with “Design Tips for Fire and Smoke Barriers.”

Presented by AMCA consultant William “Bill” Koffel, president of Koffel Associates, the hour-long webinar, like each of the other events in the series, is eligible for one professional-development hour (PDH) through Registered Continuing Education Program.

“AMCA is reaching out to all members and industry professionals during this extended work-from-home situation to ensure they have access to valuable professional education and development opportunities,” AMCA Education Manager Lisa Cherney said. “Many of our presenters come from the AMCA Speakers Network, and they are eager to share their knowledge. AMCA’s goal is to make these opportunities available to as wide an audience as possible.”

The series kicked off April 21 with “System Effects: AMCA Publication 201—Changing the Curve,” presented by AMCA Speakers Network lecturer William “Bill” Howarth, president of Ventilation & Fan Consulting Service International LLC. Four hundred fifteen individuals registered for the event, with 252—or 61 percent (46 percent is the average webinar attendance rate)—viewing the live broadcast. One hundred forty-four PDH were issued.

Upcoming webinars in the series include:

• Wednesday, May 6, noon ET: “Fundamentals of Airflow,” presented by Jason Meinke.
• Thursday, May 14, 1 p.m. ET: “2018 International Building Code (Life Safety Damper Section 717) Overview,” presented by James Carlin.
• Thursday, May 21, 3 p.m. ET: “Basics of Large Diameter Fans,” presented by Christian Taber.
• Wednesday, May 27, noon ET: “FRP (Fibreglass Reinforced Polymer) as an Alternative to Stainless Steel,” presented by Doug Ross.
• Wednesday, June 3, 1 p.m. ET: “Balance and Vibration,” presented by Rad Ganesh.
• Tuesday, June 9, 1 p.m. ET: “Louvers 101,” presented by Jim Smardo.
• Thursday, June 18, noon ET: “Facility and Factory Equipment Noise—Engineered Controls,” presented by John Sofra.
• Wednesday, June 24, 3 p.m. ET: “Severe-Duty Louvers and Their Applications,” presented by Doug Petty.

AMCA is looking at extending the series beyond 10 weeks. Details will be announced soon.

Individuals need to register only once to view all of the pop-up webinars. To register, click here.

Limited sponsorship opportunities are available for each webinar. For more information, contact AMCA Associate Director, Business Development Josh Parent at +1 847-394-0150 or [email protected].

AMCA insite^TM Webinar Series Rolls On

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Following the highly successful “Specifying Fans for Industrial Environments,” which had a whopping 65-percent attendance rate (46 percent is average), the AMCA insite^TM webinar series will continue with “New Fan Efficiency Requirements in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019” May 20 at 2 p.m. ET.

Presented in partnership with ASHRAE Journal, the hour-long event will see Jeff Boldt, PE, FASHRAE, managing principal, IMEG Corp.; AMCA Senior Director, Global Affairs Michael Ivanovich; and AMCA Principal Engineer Tim Mathson:

• Discuss why fan energy index (FEI) replaced fan efficiency grade as the metric for efficiency provisions for commercial and industrial fans and blowers in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
• Summarize other changes in the fan-efficiency section of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019.
• Describe how FEI can be applied in the sizing and selection of fans for constant-speed and variable-air-volume systems.
• Explain how to find FEI ratings from manufacturers.

“With this webinar, AMCA is looking to break the record for ASHRAE supplier webinars with more than 2,000 registrants,” Ivanovich said. “We encourage AMCA members not only to attend, but to share the registration information with their customers. The webinar is free to attend and worth one professional-development hour through Registered Continuing Education Program.”

“New Fan Efficiency Requirements in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019” is sponsored by Greenheck Fan Corp., Loren Cook Co., Mars Air Systems, and Ventilation & Fan Consulting Service International. To register, click here.

Held April 7, “Specifying Fans for Industrial Environments” was viewed live by 323 of its 497 registrants. The event saw Dan Hormann, PE; Marcel Kamutzki, P.Eng.; and Aaron Saldanha, all of the AMCA Fan Committee, discuss aerodynamics; applications; guidance offered in AMCA Publication 801, Industrial Process/Power Generation Fans: Specification Guidelines; and more.

To view “Specifying Fans for Industrial Environments” and previous AMCA insite^TM webinars “Air Curtains: Energy Codes & Standards,” “Update on Codes, Standards, and Certifications for Severe-Duty Louvers and Fire/Smoke Dampers,” and “Fan Energy Index (FEI)—Changing Our Industry” on demand, visit www.amca.org/educate/#webinar.

More Diverse Interests Sought for Standard 250 Jet-Tunnel-Fan Committee

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Although the “balance of interests” required of an American National Standards Institute- (ANSI-) accredited American National Standard (ANS) consensus body recently was achieved for the committee responsible for reviewing and revising ANSI/AMCA Standard 250, Laboratory Methods of Testing Jet Tunnel Fans for Performance, AMCA still is seeking “participants from diverse interest categories” to serve.

Specifically, AMCA is seeking greater participation from:

• Representatives of a federal, state, or local governmental agency with an interest in material related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.
• Representatives of a professional society with an interest in material related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.
• Representatives of a trade association with an interest in material related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.
• Laboratory employees who test material related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.
• Individuals who specify, buy, place, or maintain equipment related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.
• Individuals who have an academic degree related to the material covered in ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.
• Authorities in the field who have an interest in material related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.
• Individuals with an interest in material related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250 who do not fall into one of the above categories.

AMCA is not accepting applications from technical managers—individuals who oversee others with an interest in material related to ANSI/AMCA Standard 250—at this time.

Committee members are expected to participate in online conference calls pertaining to the review and revision of the standard. The calls may vary in frequency, but typically will be held about once a month. A committee member may be assigned to, or volunteer for, additional tasks related to the review and revision of the standard. An individual can choose to be a voting member or a non-voting member. Voting members are expected to cast their vote by letter ballot during document approval.

To volunteer to serve on the ANSI/AMCA Standard 250 committee, click here and complete the online form by the close of business on May 8, 2020. If you know someone belonging to one of the above groups of interest who may want to serve, please share this message.

ConstructConnect Offering Free Updates on Construction-Project Delays

Concerned about construction-project delays and cancellations amid the coronavirus pandemic? ConstructConnect, provider of construction-management software and tools, is offering subscription-free daily updates on projects across the United States and Canada.

To access the updates, go to www.constructconnect.com/delayed-projects-report and click the state or province of interest on the maps. The reports include project name, location, type, value, and stage; revised-bid, prebid-meeting, and start dates; and delay status and timeline.

According to ConstructConnect, on April 28, 5,838 construction projects across the United States and Canada were delayed, 2.5 percent more than the day before.

AMCA is a paid subscriber of ConstructConnect.

Engineers Sought for Fan 2021 Scientific Advisory Committee

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Chief- and senior-level engineers from fan-manufacturing companies are sought to serve on the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) for Fan 2021: International Conference on Fan Noise, Aerodynamics, Applications and Systems .

SAC members are tasked with reviewing technical papers for the conference, which, in 2021, will be held April 14-16 in Senlis, France.

Fan 2021 is expected to include approximately 90 technical papers divided into three broad subject areas: fan applications and systems, fan noise, and fan aerodynamics. Each will require a reviewer with expertise in the subject area.

A typical technical paper for the conference is six to 12 pages, including figures. Reviewers will be expected to advise the Fan 2021 organizing committee as to whether papers are original, contain technical information that would be of interest to those attending Fan 2021, and are free of commercialism. Further, reviewers will be expected to make recommendations to improve papers. Specifically with regard to less-experienced authors, it is considered desirable for reviewers to be willing to review and provide comments on more than one draft.

SAC members are not required to attend Fan 2021. Those who plan to attend, however, can be considered for a session-chairman role.

Draft papers for Fan 2021 are due Dec. 7, 2020. Reviews are to be completed by Jan. 11, 2021. Final papers will be due March 8, 2021.

Fan 2021 is chaired by Geoff Sheard, AMCA’s 2014-2015 chairman and 2013-2014 president. If interested in serving on the SAC, please contact him at [email protected].

Meet the New Guy: Laboratory Engineer Greg McKinnon

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On March 30, Greg McKinnon joined the staff of AMCA International in the role of laboratory engineer.

Reporting to Technical Director Nazme Mohsina, Greg is responsible for developing and renovating test rigs, visiting and evaluating the capabilities of manufacturers’ laboratories and offering advice to help the laboratories get accredited, reviewing catalogs/submittals for compliance with AMCA publications, ensuring the integrity of AMCA members’ technical marketing information, and participating in the development of AMCA test standards.

A native of Boston, Greg attended college-preparatory school in Pomfret, Conn., for two years and Newport, R.I., for three years before going on to Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he went to work as a mechanical engineer for COPAN Diagnostics in Boston, overseeing installations, repairs, and other service-related activities for the largest autonomous biomedical robotics laboratory in the country, before being relocated to the greater Chicago area.

In his spare time, Greg designs and builds replica props—lightsabers, mainly—from the “Star Wars” films, a side business he started in college. Additionally, he enjoys listening to music—rock and metal in particular—and attending concerts.

“I try to be hands-on as much as I can, so, when possible, I work on my car, my father’s boat, and 3D printing,” Greg said.

Greg can be contacted at +1 847-704-6310 or [email protected].

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