In an age when robots can paint cars, pack food, and assemble microprocessors, it is surprising how many companies still rely on manual sanding and polishing of surfaces.
This is where a duo that has the potential to change the game comes in. ABB is joining forces with Mirka, known for its professional sanding and polishing tools. Their common goal is something that sounds simple in theory: to make robotic grinding and polishing accessible, effective, and, most importantly, a truly useful solution for a wide range of companies.
The partnership is not just a marketing handshake. It is a concrete response to the woes of an industry that has been struggling for years with a shortage of skilled workers and the rising costs of manual processes. According to Stefan Sjöberg, CEO of Mirka, companies in various sectors have enormous, untapped potential in surface finishing automation. And Mirka already knows that it works because it has seen the results in factories around the world.
However, it is impossible not to notice that there is a long list of challenges between theory and practice: resistance to change, investment caution, and distrust of technical innovations. Both companies are therefore undertaking not only a technological but also an educational task to convince the industry that a robot with a sanding disc can be just as precise as an experienced operator, and does not need a coffee break.
Photo credit: Mirka
ABB Robotics Ecosystem is a project that from the very beginning was intended to be more than just another partner platform. It is a space where engineers, integrators, and manufacturers meet to jointly devise ways to simplify automation in companies that do not have R&D departments the size of a small factory. Simply put, ABB decided to step down from its pedestal “for the big guys” and offer plug-and-play solutions that can actually be implemented without a PhD in robot programming.
The result of this collaboration between companies is not another gadget with the label “smart,” but a real work tool that can find its place in diverse production conditions, from small workshops to larger industrial lines. The companies are not trying to reinvent automation: rather, they are refining it so that it finally works as promised in marketing brochures, flexibly, efficiently, and without integration headaches.
In a world where every manufacturer promises simplicity of implementation and then leaves the user with a hundred-page manual, this approach can be considered a small “revolution.” And while it is difficult to say whether a robot will actually replace a sander with thirty years of experience, one thing is certain: both companies have taken on the topic with a momentum that may make sanding not only precise but also automated in the near future.
Evald Lassus, Business Sector Manager at Mirka, commented:
“Mirka has been developing surface finishing solutions for over eighty years, and ABB – and its predecessor ASEA Brown Boveri – has been a pioneer in automation since the 1970s. Together, we bring a wealth of experience to the table. This new collaboration expands our capabilities to create and deliver leading solutions in automated surface finishing to both current and future customers.”
