The fact that zinc is being used as a design material almost certainly indicates that it is being cast in a die. Consequently, it indicates a high-volume component requiring good material characteristics.
Zinc's benefits are numerous.
Compared to other cast metals and injection moulded plastics, zinc offers a number of distinct advantages. Thin wall sections can be accurately manufactured from this material because zinc die casting is strong and tough, andzinc castings has excellent thermal and electrical conductivity properties. A high quality feel is provided by its density, which makeszinc alloy die casting suitable for post-processing such as plating. In addition, it is low in cost and completely reusable. zinc is a chemical element that has a wide range of applications.
For all of its advantages as a production material, zinc is rarely found as a mainstream prototyping material, and product developers are frequently forced to rely on an unrepresentative alternative when evaluating a product design. Depending on how accurately the weight needs to be represented, this is usually made of aluminum or brass.
Using zinc as a prototyping material, Plunkett Associates can now provide one or a batch of parts in a material that is the same or a subset of the same family that is used in production.(The majority of the work done so far has been ZA3 or ZA4 in nature. Small and intricate in nature, these parts are typically delivered within standard machining tolerances.
The economics of part sizes change as they grow.
Once a part's size increases, economics dictate that it be cast rather than machined, and if the quantity justifies{anchor}, prototype die casting tooling be used instead. Plunkett Associates is able to provide all of these services and more.
Zinc provides the following benefits to those who are unfamiliar with them:
A good conductor of heat, zinc is comparable to brass but not quite as good as aluminum in terms of thermal conductivity
In comparison to aluminum, zinc has a low melting point, melting at 380 degrees Celsius rather than 600 degrees Celsius. The use of hot chamber casting, rather than the slower cold chamber casting method required for aluminum, makes{anchor} possible to process the material faster.
Casting with zinc has a longer tool life than casting with aluminium or magnesium because of the lower melting point and greater fluidity of zinc.
In terms of durability, zinc alloys are strong and capable of withstanding impact forces.
Because of Zamak's flexibility during processing, thinner wall sections and, consequently, smaller products are possible.
The cooler processing results in a better surface finish, which is a better starting point for cosmetic finishing, such as chrome plating, as a result of the cooler processing.