The new Mirka® AIROS spearheads the world’s first patent-pending Automated Industrial Programme, launched by Mirka today. AIROS is the first smart electric sander for robotic sanding applications. Integrated with OEMs’ robotic systems or collaborative robots it can carry out intensive, high workload sanding, where precision and minimal maintenance is critical.
The launch of Mirka’s Automated Industrial Programme marks years of development in partnership with major vehicle manufacturers in the automotive and transport industries. Mirka’s specialist expertise was requested to provide a more advanced electric sanding head optimised for robots used in a variety of applications such as the manufacture of vehicles and Tier 1 components. It is currently being piloted by a range of industry sectors.
The Mirka Automated Industrial Programme is a combination of hardware and consumables for a robotic solution for customers, including the dedicated AIROS sanding head and a wide range of abrasives, and it comes with 75 years of Mirka technical knowledge, R&D and experience in the abrasives industry.
Consistent quality
Mats Bystedt, Portfolio Manager at Mirka, says, “We are seeing increasing usage of robots for improving cost-effective production. Our advanced Automated Industrial Programme can be integrated into two different categories of robots - from the simple to programme and growing "cobot" or collaborative robot, to the more industrial robot models - and it can be installed very easily, without requiring special tooling, to provide total control over the RPM and steering. Pneumatic tools that are usually used do not have that level of control, which can lead to ‘over-sanding’ in sensitive areas. Our solution ensures measurement and precision are paramount, providing consistent quality and process optimisation.”
He adds, “AIROS is the only specially designed, most compact, lightweight sanding head available on the market that can cater to virtually all robotic systems. The pilot customers with which we have developed this programme have also said that it requires far less maintenance and replacement parts than previous products they have been using. They are also impressed with the way the Mirka team integrates into the whole process in the factory, from the very early stages of the project setting up the parameters, to problem-solving and final fine-tuning of the sanding process.”
Learn more: mirka.com/airos