Key Advantage of Zinc
One of the key advantages of using zinc in manufacturing is its cost-effectiveness. Zinc allows for the consolidation of parts, reducing the number of individual components required for assembly, e.g., a weldment assembly. With a weldment multiple parts have to be fabricated and then joined with a welding process to create a complex shape. Often a casting can create a similar shape with only part and process. This consolidation not only streamlines the production process but also minimizes costs associated with multiple parts and their subsequent assembly. In this way when considering the advantages of zinc in manufacturing, the zinc die casting process excels. It creates precise features in the final product, reducing the need for welding or extra machining. This ensures components meet required specifications, saving time and resources.Advantages of Zinc in Manufacturing with High Fluidity
Another remarkable characteristic of zinc is its high fluidity when in a molten state. This exceptional fluidity enables manufacturers to create complex geometric designs with ease. Unlike plastic, where parts can warp during cooling, zinc solidifies quickly and rigidly to ensure parts shape is not compromised. Also maintaining a constant thin wall can be challenging with plastic, zinc allows for variations in wall thickness throughout the casting without material “sinking” or “shirking” as can happen with plastic parts.
By harnessing the fluidity of zinc, manufacturers can achieve intricate net geometries that align perfectly with the functional requirements of the component—but achieving this in a cost-effective manner.
Zinc Holds Very Tight Tolerances
Tight tolerances are essential in manufacturing, as they ensure the consistency and quality of the final product. Zinc excels in this area by being able to hold very tight tolerances. As standard, +/- 0.005 inches tolerances can be achieved, but also much tighter tolerances, if planned for on the onset of the design. This capability minimizes the need for secondary machining operations, which can be time-consuming and costly. Furthermore, zinc die casting can even achieve finer tolerances on specific features, making it versatile choice for manufacturing intricate components.Conclusion:
Zinc’s cost-effectiveness, precision, fluidity, and tight tolerances align well with the common demands of successful part design objectives. It reduces costs, enhances precision, and facilitates complex designs. From part consolidation to intricate geometries and tight tolerances, zinc delivers advantages that boost manufacturing efficiency and quality.Transcript from Video:
[00:00:00.680] Dave Magner, Director of Sales and Marketing
Zinc is a very cost-effective material. It allows for the consolidation of parts.
It also minimizes any machining done to the part itself because the zinc die casting process allows for very precise features to be produced in that part.
Another characteristic of zinc is that it’s very fluid when it’s melted.
[00:00:34.570] Jim Myers, Senior Engineer
With the high fluidity of zinc, we’re able to get the complex geometry.
We can also do… It’s not quite like plastic either, where you have to have a constant thin wall throughout the casting.
We can vary. We go from thin walls to thick walls back to thin again.
With the zinc and the fluidity, it is pretty flexible in a lot of those areas, allowing us to get to net geometries and fulfill the needs of what the component needs to do.
[00:01:08.770] Mike Murphy, Engineering Manager
One of the other advantages of zinc is that it can hold very tight tolerances. So our rule of thumb is plus or minus five thousandth on most standard tolerances. And certainly we can get lower than that on specific features in the tool and on the part.
The real advantage of that is that we then don’t require secondary machining on a zinc die casting.
Frequently can cast very fine threads for your application and can pull parts right out of the mold and put them into use in your application.
