Abranet ACE abrasive pads from Mirka are the industry-standard sanding pads for use with 125mm or 150mm round dual-action/random orbital power sanders; please choose the correct disc size for your sander from the options at the top of the page.
Unlike the standard Abranet range which are aimed at woodworking, Abranet 'ACE' is a special version of Abranet which has been specifically developed for use on hard materials like solid surfaces and plastics such as polyester, vinylester and epoxy, making them the better option for flatting and finishing of most composite materials.
Abranet ACE abrasive pads are made from a special mesh material which greatly reduces clogging of the pad and also allows dust to be extracted at source and vacuumed through the pad itself, resulting in a sanding action with almost no dust generation when connected to a suitable dust extractor.
How to Fit
The sanding discs feature a looped (Velcro) backing which is designed to attach easily and securely to the velcro interface on most power sanders.
Grit Selection
The pads listed on this page have a P180 grit mesh which is one of the coarser pads we carry and is the correct next stage following a P120 grit in a composites flatting operation.
Whatever your starting grit, it is important to work up through each grit without skipping any steps. Our experience has taught us that the most effective grit sequence for finishing composite materials such as resins and gelcoats using a power sander is:
Soft Interface Pads for Contoured Surfaces
For flat surfaces, Abranet ACE sanding discs should be fitted directly to the Velcro pad on your sanding machine. However, when using the discs on curved or compound surfaces, it is highly recommended to use an interface pad between the sanding disc and the sander.
Use of a 10mm Mirka interface pad will allow the sanding disc to follow curves and contours of a surface whilst maintaining an even pressure across the pad, eliminating marks usually caused by the edges of the disc on concave surfaces or flat spots from the centre of the disc on convex surfaces.
