Future-Oriented System Concepts for Blasting and Painting Large Components

INTERVIEW WITH ANDRE FLECHNER, HEAD OF SALES DEPARTMENT - PAINT SPRAYING SYSTEMS
SLF Oberflächentechnik, based in Emsdetten, Germany, has been a key player in the surface preparation and coating sector for over 30 years. The company specialises in a wide range of automated and manual systems, offering tailored applications for large and bulky components. Their product portfolio includes automated blast-cleaning machines, paint-spray systems, and customised systems like SLF open-space spray painting systems and flexible telescopic booth designs.
The company’s international footprint extends beyond Europe to Asia, North Africa, South America, and with plans to grow in North America. SLF serves a variety of industries including rail vehicles, wind power, and steel construction, providing individual plant concepts designed to meet specific customer needs. SLF’s unique selling points in the market include their signature products such as the ReCo-Blaster for blasting, the ReCo-Painter for painting, and SLF lifting platforms used in both blasting and painting applications. Innovation, efficiency, and automation drive SLF’s success, with robotised blasting and coating of single components becoming increasingly common in their processes. SLF continues to adapt to rising demands for quality and efficiency in surface preparation while working closely with customers to develop future-oriented, custom systems.
MFN: SLF Oberflächentechnik produces mainly automated blast-cleaning machines and paint-spray systems. However, you offer a whole range of other applications. Could you give us an inside idea of that?
A. F.: In addition to the automated applications you mentioned, we also of course offer system concepts for manual processes. For all applications, the focus is on developing a system concept that is optimised for the customer and tailored to their individual requirements. As we are specialised in system concepts for large and bulky components, our product portfolio covers a wide range from individual blast rooms and pure paint booths to our SLF open-space spray painting systems with long-range nozzle technology and very flexible telescopic and movable booth solutions. I’d like to invite you to inform yourself about the entire SLF product and service range on our homepage. We have a lot to offer!
MFN: While SLF is based in Emsdetten, Germany, you deliver equipment to many different countries. In what geographical areas and in which fields are your main markets?
A. F.: We are internationally oriented! Apart from Germany and Europe, we are very active in Asia, North Africa and South America. We are currently working at full speed on developing the North American market in the future. When it comes to our core markets, we are very versatile and supply individual plant concepts to the rail vehicle market, the Wind Power Industry and the steel construction sector, just to name the most important markets.
MFN: Any company that produces something has often the “one” application or technology which represents the company the most. What would that be in the case of SLF Oberflächentechnik?
A. F.: We are privileged to be able to supply blasting, paint spraying and conveying technology from one single source, which is why there is actually a whole range of technologies that represent us, the SLF company, with unique selling points in the market. The most important products are the ReCo-Blaster for the blasting sector, the ReCo-Painter for the painting segment and certainly also the SLF lifting platforms for use in blasting and/or painting plants.
MFN: You have been successful in the surface preparation business for over 30 years. What would you say has changed the most during that time? And what will be the biggest challenge in future years to come?
A. F.: Of course, this is a very complex question that certainly cannot be summarised in two sentences. However, I think that the requirements that our customers place on their products have the greatest influence on the development process, both in retrospect and in the future. We are partly operating in a price-sensitive market segment, although the quality demands are constantly increasing. These factors by themselves are incentive enough to inspire customers with innovative technology. Processes must become more and more "efficient", and although the term has been used a lot in recent years, in my view, it is very much to the point, especially in the case of industrial surface preparation. There is currently a lot of thought being given to automation, and this is happening in processes where it would have been considered rather unlikely just five years ago. Examples of this are the robotised blasting and coating of components with batch size 1.
At SLF, we’ve the opportunity to work together with our customers to develop future-oriented system concepts tailored to their needs. Thanks to the innovative orientation of our company, our portfolio is very broad. This enables us to find the right solutions for individual requirements, whether for manual or robotised processes.
PARTNERING WITH SMS
Specialist Machinery Sales (SMS) is a complete system and solution provider. SMS proudly offers the complete material handling to meet our client's material flow pain points and challenges; thus, innovating the traditional material flow of a fabricator's workshop- fabrication/assembly and welding out prior to shot blasting and painting. We are proud to be the only partner in Australia and New Zealand who can provide a complete system and integrate these machines from steel processing for all steel profiles and plate. We partner with only the best and superior machine tool builders that have been market leaders of innovation and automation to the steel industry. We strongly believe that the future for our clients and the steel industry is to link the various machines and technologies, software, material handling, and automation together. This is now possible with a mix of new and pre-loved machines that can be integrated into the material handling ecosystem and footprint available when partnering with SMS.

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