Zinc Die Casting

Zinc - The easiest alloy to cast, it offers high ductility, high impact strength and is easily plated. Zinc is economical to cast and has a low melting point and promotes long die life.

A zinc alloy die casting made from Zamak #3 or #5, or a zinc-aluminum alloy casting made from ZA-8 is made in the same general manner as an aluminum die casting. Molten metal is injected into a casting die under high pressure and at a controlled temperature. The metal is rapidly cooled until the solidified part is sufficiently rigid to permit ejection from the mold. The mold has two sections, the "cover" half and the "ejector" half. The die may also have additional moveable segments called slides or pulls, which are used to create features such as undercuts or holes, which are parallel to the parting line.

Zinc die castings dies are run in hot chamber die casting machines. These machines are operated at the required temperatures and pressures to produce a quality part to net-shape or near net-shape specifications. Zinc die castings can be readily machined, plated, painted, powder coated and chrome plated.

Some of the more typical applications for zinc and ZA alloy die castings are: the electronics industry, hardware, plumbing fixtures, automotive products, motorcycle hardware, parts for the lighting industry, hand and power tools, and sporting goods.

Zinc die casting alloys offer a broad range of excellent physical and mechanical properties. Thinner sections and walls can be die cast in zinc alloy than in any of the commonly used die casting alloys.
Zinc alloy generally allows for greater variation in section design and can achieve tighter dimensional tolerances.

Zinc die castings are versatile and can be found in many of the things that we use every day.