Featuring self-sharpening technology, a clog resistant coating and excellent dust extraction, Galaxy is the tough, durable new abrasives range that lasts and lasts.
When it comes to spreading the word about MIRKA’s all new Galaxy range of abrasives, Peter Sadler (MIRKA Business Development Manager ANZ) has a simple solution – give it to users and let them decide.
“There is a real ‘wow’ factor with Galaxy. When we do a demonstration, there are no tag lines or sales pitches – we prefer to just put Galaxy in the technician’s hands and ask them to tell us what they think. When they keep on sanding and sanding and sanding and realise that it’s still cutting, they are amazed. Galaxy has a film-style backing material which is well suited to the automotive repair segment. The latex film construction means it’s flexible but with an impressive robustness, particularly on the edge of the disc. When it comes to common collision repair tasks, such as sanding around sharp edges of panels, profiles, contours, etc. a paper backed abrasive is going to suffer but Galaxy is much better able to handle the punishment and just keep going and going.”
Self-sharpening technology
Where the cutting performance of most abrasives drops of as they wear down, MIRKA has designed Galaxy with its own special party trick – each of the ceramic grains are actually self-sharpening. During the sanding process, every time an edge of an abrasive grain is broken off, the grains underneath simply form a new cutting edge. This unique MIRKA technology means Galaxy continues to have that sharp feel for longer which significantly extends the life of the abrasive.
Clog resistant coating
Dust is a natural by-product of sanding so efficiently removing it was a key factor in taking advantage of Galaxy’s longer cutting lifespan. As part of this, MIRKA’s R&D team chose a special clog resistant for the abrasive surface. As a result, dust doesn’t tend to stick to the abrasive so it can be more easily guided to the on-tool extraction system and this helps avoid frustrating and time-consuming surface defects, such as pigtails.
MIRKA Multifit – one fits all
The second step in achieving outstanding dust extraction also has the added bonus of making Galaxy super easy to fit to any tool. The ground-breaking Multifit design consists of 50 carefully spaced and sized dust extraction holes that take up only six percent of the abrasive disc surface area. This optimised layout gives Galaxy superb edge wear resistance and a perfect balance between long life and dust extraction.
Easy replacement
To ensure Galaxy performs superbly, whether it’s on a MIRKA tool or not, the R&D team has designed Multifit to provide an excellent ‘one fits all’ solution, says Peter Sadler. “From an old sander with just six dust extraction holes right through to the very latest models, Galaxy’s Multifit hole pattern is designed to suit any machine. Best of all, when replacing discs there is no need to line up holes on the backing pad – simply place the new disc on and the hole pattern is always correctly positioned for any machine. This makes Galaxy abrasives quick and easy to replace, leaving you to get on with the job knowing you will get excellent dust extraction.
Net Interface
Although Galaxy works exceptionally well when used directly against the sanding tool’s backing pad, MIRKA’s Net Interface pad gives it an extra performance boost, particularly on finer grits from P320 upwards. The 4mm thick spacer features an open weave net construction which allows dust to easily flow through while, at the same time, providing a cushioning effect that helps the abrasive ride over surface contours and improve cut.
Wide bandwidth performance
To ensure there is a high performance Galaxy solution from the panel shop to the paint shop, the new range is available from P40 right through to P2000. As well as the popular 150mm discs there is also a selection of rolls and sheets to suit a variety of applications. Thanks to its impressive real-world performance, Galaxy actually offers the ability to remove whole steps from the sanding process. It headlines an exciting time for MIRKA, according to Peter Sadler. “Galaxy is about giving users excellent performance at a really good price and the message to everyone is simple – give Galaxy a try. To provide that opportunity, there will be Galaxy sample packs handed out. We are confident that, once people feel the Galaxy ‘wow’ factor, the product will sell itself.”