What is Die Casting?
Die casting is a metal casting process which is characterized by pressing molten metal into the mold cavity. The mold cavity is made using two hardened tool steel molds that are worked on during processing and work similarly to injection molds. Most die-casting is made from non-ferrous metals, especially zinc, copper, aluminum, magnesium, tin, lead, and tin-based alloys. Depending on the type of metal being thrown, a thermal or cold engine is used.
Zinc die casting
The zinc die casting process is very popular for making parts in building and industrial fields, but the most common application is in the automotive industry. In fact, cars have different parts that can be made through die casting, in such a way that the modern process of die casting was originally started for the automotive industry.
With the casting process often no further machining is needed after casting: not only is the accuracy up to 99.8%, but the casted products can also be used raw because they have a pleasant finish. The use of zinc die casting is almost 28% in the automotive industry, followed by the building and hardware sector.
Zinc has become one of the most important metals in the auto parts industry, especially for products such as door lock housing, pawl, gears and retractor pulleys in seat belt systems, but also for camshaft and sensor components. By using this metal and its alloys, it is possible to achieve strength, ductility, and flexibility that would not be possible with other materials.
In addition, zinc can be the right choice to get high-quality aesthetic components, with tight tolerances that are not possible with other materials, and to get embossing and grooves for mechanical components or gears.
Zinc Die Casting Mechanisms in Automotive
As said before, the automotive industry is the most common die casting application: using zinc and its alloys makes it possible to produce components that are able to achieve high aesthetic quality, with tight and narrow tolerance for shape morphology. Zinc alloys are also used for coatings because of its many benefits, such as improving the anti-corrosion properties of zinc which are already impressive.
Below you can find a number of possible examples of zinc plating:
- Interior aesthetic section
- Sunroofs Section
- Mechanical parts
- Engine and other underhood components
- Power steering system
- Parts and brake system
- Air conditioning components and systems
- Chassis hardware
- Parts in the seat belt system
- Components of climate control
- Fuel system
Advantages for Zinc Die Casting:
- An efficient & economical process offering various forms & forms possible.
- High-Speed Production
- Dimension Accuracy & Stability
- Strength & weight
- Several finishing techniques are available
- Simple Assembly
The Die Casting process began with the use of lead and lead alloys, magnesium and copper alloys which were quickly followed, and in the 1930s, many modern alloys still in use today are available. This process evolved from casting low-pressure injection to modern high-pressure injection of 4,500 pounds per square inch. The modern process is capable of producing high integrity, clean casting forms with excellent surface finishes.
Zinc casting alloy is a strong, durable and cost-effective engineering material. Their mechanical properties are competitive and are usually higher than cast aluminum, magnesium, bronze, plastic and most cast iron.
