Silver cloth with pressure sensitive adhesive backing used to protect platen pads. The 3M platen pad cover comes in roll form and is 53 in long by 10-1/2 in wide. This cover protects the surface of the platen pad and acts like a backup pad for the abrasive media. An orbital platen sander uses abrasive sheets in an oscillating pattern to sand or polish raw or finished wood products. The intent of an orbital platen is to reduce the amount of random orbital hand sanding by operators that is typically done after wide belt sanding. Most orbital platen sanders use fine grade abrasives (usually grades - 220 or similar) to provide a smooth, consistent finish before heading to the staining or finishing operation.