The Rise of Abrasive Automation: 3M's Strategy to Solve Labor Gaps

Carl, tell me about your current and future state of automated abrasive processing.

Yeah, this is one of our big things at 3M. In July, we had the Grinding and Finishing Conference in Minneapolis—a huge success. We couldn’t have done it without A3, and we’re bringing it back by popular demand. It will now be on an every-other-year cycle, and we’re really looking forward to the next event in 2025.

That event focuses on what we call a “last mile” application. A lot of our industrial customers, especially in metalworking, aren’t even aware that automation is possible in these areas. People tend to think of grinding, polishing, finishing, and deburring as dark arts—tasks that only highly skilled operators can handle. That’s been true historically, but with advancements in sensor technology, force control, robot capabilities, and computing bandwidth, we can do so much more now.

This has been the genesis of 3M’s real entry into automation. If you think about 3M, we’re tape, glue, film, grinding, and polishing media—all typically applied by human operators. But our customers are telling us they can’t find people who want to do this work anymore. Grinding especially is a classic “dirty, dull, dangerous” job. That’s why we’re really excited about automating it. It’s an incredible step forward for industry.

We’re also working closely with A3—Jeff, Dana, Alex, Robert, and the team—to raise awareness that applications like grinding and finishing can and should become mainstream, just like arc welding, assembly, and dispensing. We’re using the A3 platform to help make that happen.

Can you give me an example of how you work with partners to help solve an end-user challenge?

Absolutely. We work with many different partners, and we call it the ecosystem. 3M makes excellent consumables, but our real value is in domain expertise and technical knowledge around applications.

One standout partnership is with Fanuc, along with the major integrator Acme Manufacturing. We also frequently collaborate with PushCorp out of Dallas, Texas. That’s four companies coming together to solve a customer problem—whether it’s grinding a weld or bringing a medical implant in Warsaw, Indiana, to a mirror finish for surgical use. These partners are incredibly important to us.

What makes those relationships work so well?

Trust—plain and simple. That trust has been built over years of working together. With PushCorp, Fanuc, and Acme Manufacturing, we’ve had 30+ years of collaboration. Now, as robotic applications grow rapidly, we’re able to accelerate together because of that deep foundation. You can’t just look people up on the internet and expect the same results. I can call the key people at those companies directly, and they know who I am. That trust makes for a very productive environment.

Tomorrow, my boss Adi is speaking on a panel and will highlight that we can’t do this alone—we need partners. Some of them are the longtime partners I mentioned, but we also have new ones. Jeff from A3 introduced us to a startup called Grey Matter Robotics. They’re here too, and while the relationship is different, it’s equally important to our future.

Well, thanks to great members like 3M and your leadership over the years. Carl, thank you so much for being here today. Really enjoyed it.