The Differences Between Deburring and Mass Finishing

When it comes to smoothing out pieces of metal, people often look at the processes of deburring and finishing as the same thing. However, there are quite a few subtle differences between them. That’s why we’ve created this guide detailing the differences between deburring and mass finishing. That way, you won’t accidentally confuse the two while working in the field.

The Goal of Each One

One of the key differentiators between the two is what they are made to do. Deburring focuses more on removing burrs or other jagged edges that appear on metal as it is formed and cut. On the other hand, the purpose of finishing is to smooth out any final irregularities and polish them, making the product look the best that it can for prospective buyers. There is certainly some overlap here, but you need to complete both processes in order to have a clean, finished product.

The Various Methods

Even though both processes tend to use either rotary or vibratory deburring machines like the one found on our site, they each utilize different methods to achieve their desired results. On top of standard mechanical procedures, the deburring process can also use electrochemical, thermal, and cryogenic techniques to take out tougher burrs or ones that are in hard-to-reach places.

The finishing process is much more straightforward, but there are some unique methods for it as well. Burnishing procedures get used to enhance the brightness of the metal, especially for certain colors, while cleaning-based ones use soaps and acids any unwanted residue from the creation process.

The Media That’s Used

The final key difference between deburring and mass finishing is the media used for the process. While the media types are generally the same between the two methods, the overall roughness isn’t. Since deburring is more focused on removing bits of metal that shouldn’t be there, its media needs to be more abrasive. However, the finishing media has to be gentler since it’s trying to smooth the metal out. Finishing machines also tend to use water in order to keep the media soft and refined.