Ethernet switch wins design award.

Westermo has received the 2020 Red Dot product design award for its ultra-compact and robust Lynx 5512 industrial Ethernet Switch, designed by Kim Törmänen. The Red Dot award is an international competition, that recognises the best designed products of the year. The selection was made by a jury of significant engineering- and design professionals who assess thousands of new products on the basis of good design and innovation.

Kim Törmänen

Product design at Westermo is about finding the perfect balance between robustness, performance and ease of use. Their products, such as the Lynx 5512, are used to create data networks for mission-critical systems, such as railway signalling systems and control systems for power generation and distribution. The operating conditions for electronic devices supporting these systems are often very harsh. Devices may be installation in unprotected spaces outdoors and have to cope with extreme temperature fluctuations and high electromagnetic interference.

“When designing the new generation Lynx, a critical factor was to keep the size down, ensuring that it was not much larger than its predecessor, so that it could be offered as a form, fit and function complement," explained Kim Törmänen, mechanical design engineer at Westermo. “However, the biggest challenge was to then develop a housing that would maximise heat dissipation while maintaining the compact form factor. This requirement contributed to us creating a unique mechanical design for maximum cooling, and the most compact 12-port industrial gigabit switch on the market.


“We also wanted all ports to be placed on the front for easy access. This made things more difficult, but was important because the product becomes easier to install and maintain. We also designed a sliding DIN-clip with snap lock that allows for easy installation. The RJ45 sockets were integrated into the casing, which makes them more durable than conventional sockets and contributes to the product's ability to cope with electromagnetic interference.”

The Lynx 5512 features the Westermo Operating System, which maximises the potential of the hardware by enabling easy configuration and maintenance, robust interoperability and multi-media support. Critically, the software helps to provide greater network resilience and cybersecurity. This creates the most reliable networks, offering the lowest total cost of ownership, designed and approved for use in more industries and with the most advanced capabilities.

“I am extremely proud to have been involved in developing a product that has received the Red Dot product design award. The Lynx 5512 is a fantastic product with a truly robust design. Westermo has 45 years of experience in developing industrial data communications technology, and much of that know-how has been built into this product,” said Törmänen.

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