ABB level transmitter wins Red Dot Award for product design

The Red Dot Award is a highly regarded international design prize which began in 1955. More than 15,000 admissions are submitted annually from over 70 countries around the world. This year, ABB’s LST200 ultrasonic level transmitter was awarded best in category for physical and technical design.

Designed for water process applications, the LST200 is said to solve the surface condensation challenges often faced by plant owners, where a build-up of water has historically affected accuracy of essential plant readings. The LST200 uses new-generation, active surface technology known as a ‘Lotus Effect’ whereby the liquid will drop off before it pools into larger drops that could then cause problems, offering an effective and cost-effective solution.

The Red Dot Awards jury said: “This robust level gauge impresses with a simplicity that has been thought through down to the last detail. It presents itself as a proven means of ensuring efficiency and reliability.”

“To win a product design award of this magnitude is an honour,” added Jacques Mulbert, President of ABB Measurement & Analytics. “When developing the LST200 we focused on building in design and technical excellence throughout to create a product that features an intuitive user experience and powerful industrial capabilities with the overall aim of making measurement easy.”

The LST200 can be used in various industrial environments but has been designed especially for water and wastewater treatment applications. Its design focuses on simple operation and reliability. It is modular, which lends itself towards ease of installation, maintenance and upgrading. A built-in interference filter ensures that information obtained from the sensor can be used and analysed easily.

Using an ultrastable algorithm, ABB says the device can detect environmental changes including temperature, disturbance, measuring distance and signal strength. It then automatically compensates the variations to keep the device performing optimally.