Aquastar – the ultimate for wet and dry hand sanding
Mirka has unveiled the new Star generation a platform of high technology flexible film abrasives.
Unveiled at Automechanika this week, Aquastar Wet & Dry is the first product in this new range of innovative patented flexible film abrasives. Aquastar is the ultimate and user-friendly choice with an excellent touch & feel property, for wet hand sanding applications.
Traditionally, paper has been used as a backing material for abrasives developed for wet hand sanding applications. However, dimensional stability and strength of paper in water are always a problem. Moreover, a flexible abrasive that adapts its shape to the object’s surface is important for a smooth and uniform finishing. Furthermore, other parameters have to be taken into consideration for an optimum performance, like a good cutting rate, long life time, and good scratch pattern.
Bearing these aspects in mind, Mirka developed Aquastar. This product has a flexible plastic based backing, and a pattern consisting of multiple abrasive zones surrounded by interconnected channels. Polypropylene (PP) is an excellent backing material due to its flexibility, durability and water tightness avoiding the need of pre-soaking of Aquastar before use.
The channel system of Aquastar has several functionalities:
to impart flexibility to the material
to minimize the amount of water used in the sanding process
to improve flushing of the abrasive
to provide an efficient conveying away of the swarf created during the sanding process, thus minimizing clogging and sucking effects
Moreover, the pattern is designed so that Aquastar can be used in any direction on the surface with the same efficiency giving a consistent sanding result.
Aquastar also comprises an integrated antislip backing on the backside of the material, for ease of use. Aquastar is energy efficiently produced with a new coating technology, with low VOC emissions.
Aquarstar is mainly developed for wet sanding of clear coats and primers used in bodyshops, vehicle manufacturing and other OEM applications. Aquastar can also be used with good result in different dry sanding applications and is available in grits from P400 to P2000 as “perforoll” sheets, packed in a new innovative box.
