Inox as Your Premier Zinc Die Casting Manufacturer

Inox Cast offers zinc die casting solutions and services for a wide range of customized industrial parts. Zinc die casting is a process that is normally used for producing a broad range of components and parts for different industrial applications.

Our zinc dies castings have mechanical properties, especially at normal temperatures higher when applied to aluminum, brass, alloy, iron, etc. It offers excellent impact resistance, high strength and toughness,

In the zinc die casting process, zinc can withstand both cold and hot-chamber casting. In the zinc hot chamber process, it can produce a large number of components per minute. At Inox Cast, zinc dies castings offer a combination of cost-effective efficiency, high-performance, firmness, toughness, and high strength.

Advantages of Zinc Die Castings

• Optimized castability. Zinc castings can produce thinner and more complex components.
• Prolonged die life. Die-cast zinc components are guaranteed to last 10 times longer.
• Shortened cycle time. Zinc die casting can produce a large number of outputs.
• Excellent mechanical qualities. Zinc is tougher than any metal. It does not require secondary processes. Thus, saving cost and money.
• Widely used for electronics, mechanical design, automotive, appliance, etc.

If you need zinc die casting solutions and services for your business, choose Inox Cast. We will cover all your needs. Enquire now!

Inox Zinc Die Casting

Zinc Die Casting: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

Zinc die casting is a manufacturing process that utilizes high pressure to force molten metal into a mold to form accurate high precision parts.

It is an ideal technique for making a wide range of complex zinc parts.

Moreover, this metal processing method yields accurately dimensioned, smooth textured, and sharply defined parts.

This guide will take you through all vital aspects you need to know about zinc die casting.

Let’s dive right in.

What Are The Characteristics Of Zinc Die Casting Parts?

Zinc die cast parts

Technically, zinc die casting is one of the most suitable methods for making high precision and complex parts.

Thus, it means the specific parts derived from this process are quite unique and tend to demonstrate different ideal characteristics.

Some of the key technical specifications of parts made from zinc die casting process include the following;

• Excellent dimensional stability and accuracy
• Great quality finishing
• Highly recyclable
• Outstanding tensile strength and hardness
• Exceptional electrical conductivity
• Perfect thin wall capability
• High thermal conductivity
• Affordable raw material
• Easy to cold form for stress-free joining

Essentially, the exceptional strength and other features of zinc die casting parts make them relatively sought after in different applications.

Which Are The Common Die Cast Zinc Alloy?

Ordinarily, an ideal zinc alloy needs to meet a certain threshold to yield better results during zinc die casting process.

Simply put, they need to portray specific technical parameters to enhance the desired results.

Nevertheless, some of the commonly used zinc alloys include the following;

Zamak 2

In many instances, it is known as Kirksite and is mainly made used for gravity casting.

Kirksite exhibits highest strength and sturdiness of all the available Zamak alloys.

Moreover, it is a perfect bearing material and likely to eliminate bushings and wear inserts often in some die castings.

Zamak 3

It is preferred as first choice zinc alloy for zinc die casting.

Generally, it keeps exceptional balance of ideal technical and mechanical properties.

Moreover, Zamak 3 maintains perfect castability and durable dimensional stability.

Zamak 5

It is a zinc alloy providing enhanced strength and sturdiness compared to Zamak 3 due to additional copper content.

Besides, this zinc alloy also exhibits incredible corrosion resistance.

However, the added copper content reduces its ductility.

Zamak 7

It is a high-purity zinc alloy, which contains relatively low magnesium content.

But it maintains tighter impurity specifications leading to enhanced casting ductility, fluidity, and texture.

Zamak 7 enables you to cast thinner walls within specific parts and allows you to keep producing more complex parts.

ZA-8

It is a zinc-aluminum alloy containing relatively more aluminum content than Zamak alloys.

Technically, ZA-8 contains about 8.4 % aluminum making it the only ZA alloy you can easily die cast in a hot chamber.

ZA-27

This is also a zinc-aluminum alloy that contains comparatively more aluminum content than Zamak alloys.

Ideally, figure 27 is a representation of the estimated aluminum percentage in this alloy.

Other zinc alloys often used in die casting include; zinc creep, EZAC, and ACuZinc5 among others.

What Are The Advantages Of High-Pressure Zinc Die Casting?

It offers several advantages making it an ideal option to consider. Some of these advantages of high pressure die casting include the following;

High pressure die casting

High Dimensional Stability And Accuracy

This die casting technique produces durable and dimensionally stable parts and components.

While at it, the process still maintains tight tolerances.

Streamlined Assembly

Most zinc dies castings provide vital fastening elements like studs and bosses.

You can also core holes to ensure they tap drill sizes, or in some cases, external threads can be cast.

Increased Production Speed

It is one of the best mass-production methods for producing parts with complex shapes within tighter tolerances.

Essentially, it requires less or no machining, and you can use it to make thousands of identical castings before the need for additional tooling.

It Offers Several Finishing Techniques

You can produce zinc die casts that have a smooth or textured surface.

Moreover, you can easily plat or finish such parts with little surface preparation.

Enhance Strength And Weight

Zinc die casting process is ideal for relatively thin wall parts, reducing weight as it maintains strength.

Besides, this method incorporates numerous components into a single casting eliminating the essence of joining or fasteners.

Simply put, it implies that the strength is based on the alloy rather than joining process.

Affordability

Zinc die casting is arguably the most affordable method for producing various zinc parts in bulk.

What Is The Minimal Wall Thickness For Typical Zinc Die Casting Part?

Ordinarily, the minimum or maximum cross-sectional wall thickness for any zinc die casting component is based on part size and design.

For instance, you can easily attain a 0.010 wall thickness if it is localized.

On the other hand, it becomes difficult to attain if the thickness runs across the entire length of a 4” long part.

In this sense, it means the maximum wall thickness is 0.04 to 0.12, and it is also related to the parts’ overall size.

Moreover, minimizing the wall thickness also decreases material content and cost of specific zinc die casting components.

What Are The Suitable Surface Coatings For Zinc Die Casting?

They are quite a number, and the most suitable one is largely dependent on the specific application of the part.

Even so, some of the commonly used options include the following;

Anodized Finish

It is an electrochemical process of converting the zinc die casting part surface into a relatively durable, decorative, corrosion-resistant anodic oxide finish.

Chemical Finish

This is a type of surface finish attained by altering the chemical composition of the metal part by using different dedicated chemicals.

Powder-coated Finish

It uses dry powder to a metal surface through an electrostatic process and subsequent curing with heat to attain the necessary finish.

Mechanical Finish

You can find zinc die casting parts with various mechanical surface finishing giving you different textures.

The common methods for attaining this surface finish include sandblasting, grinding, abrasive blasting, polishing, etc.

What Is The Importance Of Applying Surface Coatings On Zinc Die Casting Parts?

Coated zinc die cast part

Surface finishing on zinc die casting parts is integral in many ways as follows;

• Enables great adhesion of almost a different finish to its particular substrate.
• Provides functional and decorative requirements to your part
• Offers excellent characteristics for visual aesthetics, enhanced durability, and high corrosion resistance.
• Increases surface free energy of the part, which is likely to be reduced by passivation or contamination.

What Is High Integrity Zinc Die Casting?

It refers to variations of zinc die casting process usually used for producing zinc castings for specific applications.

Typically, such applications require reduced gas porosity in the casting.

In some instances, it is known as structural zinc die casting.

Examples of high integrity zinc die casting include the following;

a)     Squeeze Die Casting

It entails injection of liquid metal at relatively slow speeds to get rid of turbulence.

As such, high pressure is only used for squeezing the metal into the die to form heat-treatable high-quality castings.

b)     High Vacuum Die Casting

This variant involves sealing and vacuuming the die to remove gas from the die cavity.

While at it, the metal is injected, reducing the amount of gas trapped in the casting.

Parts produced using this method exhibit higher mechanical characteristics and are easily heat-treatable.

High vacuum die casting technique is quite different from vacuum assist.

c)     Semi-solid Die Casting

It uses a semi-solid billet, which is injected into the die.

The semi-solid state of the molten metal reduces the amount of gas picked up during injection.

As such, it creates dense and heats treatable castings.

What Does Zinc Die Casting Process Entail?

The zinc die casting process entails creating at least two die sections to make it easy to remove the cast.

The ideal mold used in this case should be capable of producing thousands of castings in quick succession.

Thus, these two sections are clamped tightly by the die casting press.

They are arranged to ensure one is stationary (fixed die half), and the other is moveable (injector die half).

The next phase after clamping the two sections is injecting molten zinc alloy into the die cavity.

It will solidify and in the die cavity rapidly.

Once the die halves draw apart, casting is ejected.

Essentially, you can obtain simple or complex zinc die casting depending on the simplicity or complexity of the casting.

The nature of castings also determines whether the parts will have slides, moveable cores, or different sections.

Many zinc die casting machines use mechanisms activated by hydraulic cylinders to obtain the locking.

On the other hand, some machines use direct-acting hydraulic pressure to attain the desired locking.

Nevertheless, die casting machines are essential in injecting molten zinc material into the die, irrespective of the size.

Complete cycle of zinc die casting process is thus far the quickest in producing accurate on-ferrous parts.

Zinc die casting process

Is There Recommended Tolerance For Zinc Die Cast Parts?

Not necessarily.

It depends on a wide range of factors.

During zinc die casting process, it is important for the design engineer to comprehend the specific required precisions for each feature of a part.

In essence, precision tolerances must be stated in agreed-upon crucial areas.

Even so, depending on the feature and size of the part, the tolerance in zinc should be +/-.0005″

Which Machines Will You Use During Zinc Die Casting Process?

Ordinarily, the types of machines used in zinc die casting process are classified as either hot or cold chamber die casting machines.

However, these machines tend to vary significantly, specifically on the technique used for injecting molten zinc material into the die.

Nevertheless, irrespective of die casting machine to ensure the die halves and other movable sections are tightly locked in place during casting cycle.

The clamping force of these machines is governed by casting’s projected surface area and metal injection pressure into the die.

Safety interlocks systems used in these machines are designed to prevent the die from opening during casting cycles.

 Why Die Cast Zinc Alloys?

Zinc casting alloys offer a wide range of benefits in different applications making the investment worthwhile.

Such benefits include the following;

• Requires less material since zinc offers superior fluidity, stiffness, and strength, facilitating designing of thin wall sections.
• Reduces assembly operations since they all can be cast into a single unit, which eliminates need for costly manual assembly operations.
• Provides durable tool life, which is beneficial since it reduces costs related to replacements.
• Reduces machining operations since it offers superior net-shape casting capability eliminating or mitigating machining.
• Provides unique surface finishing making it easy to attain desired aesthetic properties and coating resilience.
• Gives varied alternatives to choose from for low, medium, and high production.
• You can attain faster production when using zinc casting alloys, which is fundamental in enhancing business turnover.
• Zinc casting alloys are 100% recyclable; thus, you can re-melt and re-cast them, and they won’t exhibit any form of degradation.

Zinc die cast components

What Ways Do You Use To Mitigate Porosity In Zinc Die Casting Parts?

Technically, porosity is inherent to zinc die casting process.

However, there are several interventions you can undertake to minimize it from occurring in zinc die casting parts.

Proper and early planning when die-casting part is a vital step towards achieving reduced porosity in these parts.

Besides, it is important to communicate effectively with the design engineer during the part designing process.

As such, it becomes easy to establish a framework of whether the porosity in some sections of the part can be damaging to product functionality.

Another intervention you can undertake to reduce porosity in this part is suggesting reasonable modifications in part designs.

Once the ideal feasible modification is accepted, it becomes easier to use mold flow simulation.

Modification can also maximize gating, overflow design, and controlling and monitoring complex processes.

All these elements restrict porosity to non-essential spots of the part.

What Are The Application Of Zinc Die Casting Parts?

Parts produced as a result of zinc die casting can be used in a wide range of applications across different industries.

However, the commonly used applications of these parts include the following;

• Consumer electronic devices
• Automotive parts
• Brackets
• Heatsinks
• Lighting fixture
• Aircraft components
• Builder’s hardware
• Power and hand tools
• Telecommunication equipment

Can You Make Thin-Walled Zinc Die Cast Parts?

Yes. It is quite possible.

The melting and freezing temperatures of zinc casting alloys are relatively moderate.

Furthermore, the material is somewhat easiest to cast into thin walls since it is ductile and easy to plat.

Zinc parts also exhibit close tolerances, which is vital when making thin-walled parts in die casting process.

Thus, as long as you have the suitable machines and use the correct procedures, you can easily make thin-walled zinc die casting parts.

What Are The Types Of Dies Used In Zinc Die Casting?

Mould for die casting

Typically, dies are often classified into four main types, including single cavity, multiple cavities, combination die, and unit die.

Singe cavity die, as the name suggests, has one cavity.

Multiple cavities die, on the other hand, is one with numerous identical cavities.

Combination die refers to a type of die, which has cavities of different shapes and often comes in handy in producing several assembly parts.

Unit die is used for producing relatively simple parts, especially when affecting tooling and production economies.

You can also use unit dies to cast various parts for assembly or for different customers simultaneously.

Why Use Thin-Walled Zinc Die Casting Parts?

Thin-walled zinc die casting parts are essential in different applications.

Some of the reasons you should consider it include the following;

• Provides unmatched versatility given that you can use it conveniently in a wide range of applications where surface thickness is a concern.
• Thin-walled parts are generally lightweight, and this is an essential element in tooling. It allows you to handle the part effectively in a wide range of applications.
• Such parts retain excellent and accurate dimensional stability, which is essentially necessary for numerous applications.
• You can easily create different surface finishing options for zinc die casting parts when using thin-walled parts.

What Methods Are Suitable For Prototyping Zinc Die Casting Designs?

The commonly used techniques include the following;

• Gravity cast – It is a prototyping technique, which requires relatively thick-walled zinc die casting parts and reasonably large tolerances.
• Three-dimensional printing – You can use this prototyping method for designing rapid prototypes in strong ABS plastics.
• Die cast prototype – This is an ideal design prototype if you intend to attain precise geometry and specifications of the part.
• Machined prototype – It is a type, which produces almost exact parts as far as weight and casting tolerances are concerned.

How Do You Reduce Cost Of Zinc Die Casting Process?

Zinc die casting is generally a cost-friendly process for mass parts production.

However, it can be costly depending on different circumstances surrounding the exact process you are using.

Nonetheless, you can use several tips to mitigate costs of zinc die casting process, which includes the following;

• Ensure you do diligent design planning elements as early as you can since it makes the tooling process relatively cost-effective.
• Conduct a complete mold flow analysis meticulously during the designing phases.
• Scrutinize all the fundamental cost-benefits regarding selecting post-casting machining or forming to specifications with awful core slides.
• Ensure you determine opportunities specifically for part assembly consolidations.
• Determine the maximum placement for parting line and make sure you carry it out timely.
• Fully take advantage of zinc die casting capabilities as far as new or converted designs are concerned.
• Print a note with vital details, including part specifications for casting process. This is fundamental in attaining production repeatability and saving ample inspection time.
• Determine the suitable wall thickness for your components and make it as thin as possible, which is relatively inexpensive to attain.

Which Post-Casting Operations Can You Apply On Zinc Die Casting Process?

You can use two main types of post-casting operations on zinc die casting process, which includes the following;

CNC Machining

This is a precision machining operation commonly used when the unit machining trade-off seems to be cheaper than investing in complex die casting slides.

Even so, this requires a relatively high-level experience in carrying out and executing CNC pre-planning and machining for best results.

Surface Finishing

Ordinarily, you can use various surface treatments and finish on different parts of zinc die casting.

Surface treatment offers a cosmetic finish and helps to improve corrosion resistance and attain pressure tightness.

Is Die Cast Zinc Strong?

Yes.

Cast zinc is exceptionally strong and durable.

It can endure different unfavorable mechanical conditions without wearing out.

The alloys used for making cast zinc combine different features such as toughness, strength, bearing performance, and rigidity.

Thus, it is the reason most cast zinc parts are used in different high-demanding industrial applications.

Does Die Cast Zinc Rust?

No.

Die cast zinc is made from zinc alloys that exhibit excellent corrosion-resistant properties.

Moreover, different surface coating methods enhance the corrosion resistance of this material.

All these make a typical die cast zinc difficult to rust even when exposed to harsh corrosive surroundings.

Which Is Better Between Aluminum Die Casting And Zinc Die Casting?

Both aluminum and zinc die casting are quite popular for producing parts used in different applications.

However, determining the specific better option between these two is entirely dependent on the specific design applications.

Simply put, aluminum die casting produces parts that are suited for particular applications, often light applications.

On the other hand, zinc die casting produces parts suitable mainly for relatively heavy applications such as machinery.

Thus, it is necessary to figure out your specific application to determine the better option between zinc die casting, and aluminum die casting.

At Inox, we offer perfect solution for all your zinc die casting needs.

Contact us today for all your zinc die casting needs.