Hannover, Germany. Back when TWISTER first spun its way onto the scene, Ronny Bernstein was successfully using it to solve his own company's surface finishing problems. But it soon became apparent to the managing director of BMF GmbH that his newly developed blasting unit would also be of interest to others in view of the real need for a technology that is efficient, delivers consistent quality, and fills the gap in the market between large-scale plant from big-name manufacturers and hand-held blasters. In 2014 Bernstein could still describe his TWISTER as a world first. Since then a lot has happened. And in the meantime, TWISTER has won many awards. Trade fairs such as O&S, the International Trade Fair for Surface Treatments and Coatings in Stuttgart, play an important part in the ongoing success story of the engineering firm based in Chemnitz-Grüna, in the German state of Saxony. At O&S 2016, BMF is now getting ready to unveil TWISTER's big brother: TORNADO.

At O&S in June 2014 in Stuttgart, BMF sold three TWISTER units. Sales after the show rose by a factor of 1.5. And an end is still not in sight: Within the first few weeks of 2016, sales figures had already reached the same level as for the entire previous year.

In parallel with this sales growth, TWISTER has continued to win awards. These include the 2015 Federal Prize for outstandingly innovative work in the skilled trades, the 2015 IQ Innovations Prize (Central Germany), and the 2015 Saxon State Prize for Innovation.

"O&S has played a big part in helping us to win customers and publicize our new product", says Bernstein. This year BMF is planning to launch a new blasting unit - the big brother of the little TWISTER, so to speak - at O&S 2016, which runs from 31 May to 2 June. The new unit is called TORNADO, and is designed to handle bigger components or larger quantities.

But to start at the beginning: It was back in 2013 that BMF first unveiled its new blasting unit for the mechanical cleaning of metal surfaces to a broad trade public. The advantages of the new TWISTER were immediately apparent. It uses little energy, requires only small amounts of blasting medium, yet manages to produce a consistently fine finish on all exposed surfaces of the workpiece. The innovative design of the multiple workpiece holder enables the operator to position several workpieces at once on each of the 10 rotating carrier tables. All 10 carrier tables rotate around their own centers while simultaneously being driven round in a circular orbit inside a large, internally toothed gear ring - effectively rotating in three dimensions, therefore.

Initially BMF developed the TWISTER for its own needs. Established in 2007, the company manufactures mainly prototypes, one-off parts or small batches of parts in plastics and metals. The team of engineers around managing director Bernstein are constantly developing machines based on their own designs. They are often produced as one-offs, and frequently for niche applications that are difficult for large companies to realize.

BMF developed TWISTER so that it could keep the surface-finishing process in-house. Only gradually did Bernstein realize that with his medium-sized blasting unit he had developed a technology that was new to the market, and for which there was a big demand.

It's a slightly different story with the new TORNADO blasting unit. BMF analyzed the market thoroughly and incorporated all the lessons it had learned with TWISTER. "We are looking forward to O&S 2016", explains Bernstein. "We are sure that with our new product we will again be able to meet the needs of our customers."

The added bonus: several shows at one venue

Taking place in parallel with O&S from 31 May to 2 June 2016 in Stuttgart are a number of other related trade fairs. One of these is parts2clean, the Leading International Trade Fair for Industrial Parts and Surface Cleaning. This show focuses on the complex cleaning processes that are an essential prerequisite for the application of industrial coatings. Then there is LASYS, the International Trade Fair for Laser Materials Processing, which showcases laser applications across all sectors of industry and for all types of materials. And finally, many users of surface treatment and finishing technology will also be on site for AUTOMOTIVE Expo, an amalgamation of five trade shows covering different aspects of the automotive industry.