Mass Finishing Inc. (MFI)
For achieving high-polished finishes on additive components significantly faster than traditional manual methods, Mass Finishing Inc. (MFI) will unveil its new HZ-6 compact centrifugal barrel tumbler finishing machine at the RAPID + TCT 2026 event April 14-16 at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts. In booth #2033, visitors will learn how this new system reduces labor costs, decreases production times, and frees up valuable floorspace. The compact finishing machine efficiently removes surface roughness and scale simultaneously to consistently generate mirror-like finishes on 3D printed metal parts.
The HZ-6 is touted as the smallest industrial high-energy finishing machine on the market. A footprint of only 3ft x 2ft allows the machine to easily fit into most production operations without sacrificing finishing speed or quality. An optional stand with large caster wheels provides easy maneuvering across shop floors, and multiple available barrel styles give the machine flexibility to work in nearly any industry.
For the simultaneous finishing of multiple parts, the machine uses the pressure and friction created through centrifugal force to quickly remove excess material and burrs, polish part surfaces and create a uniform finish. The system is quieter than vibratory tumblers and achieves finishes that are isotropic, meaning parts are polished uniformly and evenly in all directions. Such results are typically unachievable with hand finishing.
The machine’s barrel tumbler features two cradle positions, a standard full-size latched-end barrel (8.375" in length), and two half-size latched-end barrels (3.625" in length). When using the full-size barrel, the HZ-6 accommodates parts up to 8" long and 4.5" in outside diameter, while the half-size barrels are best suited for processing small, micro-precision parts. The barrels require only a small amount of media, which makes for easy iterative testing with different material types and processing diameters.
Centrifugal barrel finishing, also known as centrifugal barrel tumbling, operates on the “Ferris Wheel” principle with a one-to-one ratio of barrel rotation to turret rotation. The process involves loading one or all four chambers with a mixture of parts, water, compound and media, which are filled to around 50-80% capacity. As the machine rotates, the barrels spin around the turret in a planetary motion, creating a highly effective sliding force inside the barrel.
The machine is well-suited for common part materials such as titanium, aluminum, Inconel, nitinol, printable plastics, carbon steel, gold and silver. For the best finishing results, it uses ceramic, plastic and porcelain media in a variety of 3D shapes and size variations.
MFI is part of the Innovance Inc. family of five 100% employee-owned industrial manufacturing companies (MFI, Lou-Rich, ALMCO, Jorgensen Conveyors, and Filtration Solutions and Panels Plus).