High volume
metal finishing.Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mechanical Finishers Inc. is a metal finishing and zinc plating plant in Cincinnati, running passivation, deburring, parts washing and shot blasting for industrial customers.
From incoming inspection to final pack
Parts arrive from your production line and MFI changes the surface. Below is the process order used on the floor, in the order a lot actually moves through it.
Parts arrive carrying oil from stamping, scale from heat treatment and burrs from the die. Every lot is checked in and identified against your specification before any processing begins.
Forming residues have to come off before plating will adhere or passivation will work. MFI selects vapor degreasing, ultrasonic, agitated bath or continuous belt washing according to the soil and the volume.
Abrasive strips scale, sand and residue and leaves a controlled profile for the coating to bond to. Heavy work runs on the spinner hanger at up to 2,000 lb per hook. Small geometry is tumbled. Stainless takes glass bead.
Vibratory, barrel or centrifugal disc finishing, matched to the geometry. Burrs are removed, corners are radiused, and the surface is burnished to the agreed finish standard.
Electroplated in barrel or on rack, covering small fasteners through to 24 by 36 inch stampings. Hardened parts are plated mechanically instead, using impact energy rather than electrolytic current, so no hydrogen enters the steel.
Free iron is removed and a chromium oxide layer a few nanometres thick is left behind. The part looks the same as it did before the process and measures the same as when it arrived. Its corrosion resistance is restored. The lot is then counted, inspected and packed.
Electro and mechanical zinc plating
The two processes deposit zinc by different mechanisms. On hardened parts that choice determines whether the part is exposed to hydrogen embrittlement.
Which process suits the part, decided against the drawing
Deposited by electrolytic current
- Best for
- General corrosion protection on production hardware and stampings
- Methods
- Barrel for bulk, rack for larger or non-tumbleable parts
- Finish
- Bright, even, cosmetically consistent
- Hardened parts
- Carries a hydrogen embrittlement risk
Cold-welded by impact energy
- Best for
- High-strength fasteners, particularly above about Rockwell C40
- Methods
- Glass bead impact media in a rotating oblique barrel
- Finish
- Uniform, slightly porous, matte
- Hardened parts
- No hydrogen embrittlement, because no electrolytic current is involved
Not sure which your part needs? Tell us the material and the hardness and we will specify it.
Six finishing processes under one quality system
Protecting, preparing and improving parts, with one point of contact for the whole routing.
Electro Zinc Plating
Protective zinc coating for corrosion resistance and dependable performance.
Learn more
Mechanical Zinc Plating
Uniform zinc coverage for durable, cost-effective corrosion protection.
Learn more
Passivation
Enhances corrosion resistance and helps preserve stainless steel performance.
Learn more
Deburring and Mechanical Polishing
Improves surface finish, smoothness, and part appearance.
Learn more
Parts Washing
Thorough cleaning to remove contaminants and prepare parts for next-step processing.
Learn more
Shot Blasting
Surface preparation for improved adhesion, cleanliness, and finish quality.
Learn moreWhy customers choose MFI
Quality Assured
ISO 9001 registered since 2002. Every lot is checked in and identified against your specification before processing begins.
Production Capacity
Spinner hanger blasting to 2,000 lb per hook. Stampings up to 24 by 36 inches run through zinc plating.
Reliable Delivery
One point of contact carries the job from incoming inspection through to final pack, whatever the routing.
Surface Finishing Expertise
Six processes on one site: electro and mechanical zinc plating, passivation, deburring, parts washing and shot blasting.
Custom Support
Send the material, the volume and the finish specification. MFI confirms the process, the lead time and the price.
Partner You Can Trust
Finishing parts for Ohio Valley manufacturers since 1992, much of it repeat production work.
Checked against the specification before it ships
About Mechanical Finishers
Mechanical Finishers Inc. is a high volume metal finishing and plating facility delivering dependable finishing solutions for industrial customers. We help protect, prepare, and improve parts through quality-focused processes backed by responsive service and reliable performance.
- High volume processing
- Quality driven results
- Responsive customer support
- Commitment to continuous improvement
Production lots, finished to one standard
Industries served
Production hardware, finished to schedule
Common questions
Lead time depends on the process and the lot size, so MFI quotes it per job rather than publishing one figure. Rush and hot orders are accommodated. Give us the date you need and we will confirm whether we can meet it.
Zinc plating covers very small fasteners through to large stampings, and parts around 24 inches by 36 inches are well within range. Blasting handles bulk small geometry on tumble equipment through to heavy work hung at up to 2,000 lb per hook. Send the largest and smallest parts in the family and we will confirm both.
Yes. Mechanical Finishers Inc. has held ISO 9001 registration since 2002 and advanced to ISO 9001:2015. Certificates are available on request.
Mechanical plating removes the main charging mechanism. It cold-welds the coating using impact energy instead of electrolytic current, so there is no plating current and no cathodic hydrogen, which is the position ASTM B695 X3.1 supports. It does not make a part immune, because acidic cleaning or pickling ahead of the process can still charge hydrogen, so the cleaning route matters as much as the deposition route. For high-strength fasteners above about Rockwell C40 it is usually the appropriate choice, and our bake advisor at /tools/hydrogen-embrittlement-advisor/ shows what ASTM F1941, ISO 4042 and ASTM B633 each require for a given hardness.
Yes. MFI cleans returnable dunnage while cleaning the parts delivered in it. Oily parts and oily dunnage are cleaned separately, and parts are repacked into your containers.
That is the usual arrangement. Most work runs through several MFI processes on a single routing, washed, blasted, deburred, plated and passivated, quoted and scheduled as one job.
Request a quote on your part
Send the material, the volume and the finish specification. MFI will confirm the process, the lead time and the price.