ZAMAK Alloys

[Peyman 16,150]

Overview

 

Eastern Alloys manufactures the complete range of zinc die casting alloys. ZAMAK alloys were first developed during the 1920's by The New Jersey Zinc Company. The name ZAMAK draws upon the basic metallurgy of the alloy group: Z-Zinc, A-Aluminum, MA-Magnesium, and K-Kopper (e.g., German). In the United States, ZAMAK 3 is the most common alloy for hot chamber die casting. With a combination of superior mechanical properties and low melting/manufacturing costs, it fulfills the needs for most die casting applications. Other ZAMAK alloys include ZAMAK 2, ZAMAK 5, and ZAMAK 7. Common to each alloy is a consistent Aluminum content range, however, the alloys differ in specification by varying amounts of copper, magnesium, and nickel - resulting in different mechanical and physical properties.

 

Eastern Alloys is the global leader in ZA alloy manufacturing and process technology. High strength ZA alloys were originally engineered for gravity casting, but now own an increasing percentage of the die casting market. Today, there are three ZA alloys: ZA8, ZA12, ZA27. ZA8 is the only ZA alloy that can be HOT chamber die cast due to the relatively low melting temperature (708-759 F). ZA12 and ZA27 can be COLD chamber die cast at higher melting temperatures (875-1050 F).

 

The ACuZinc is another zinc die casting alloy-, developed by General Motors Research and Development engineers. At the outset ACuZinc alloys were limited to production of GM-specific parts. More recently, however, the GM licensing agreement allows for a broader scope of applications. With the addition of high percentages of copper, ACuZinc alloys were developed to improve the wear resistance and creep properties in the zinc alloy family. Today there are two ACuZinc alloys: ACuZinc 5 (5% Copper), and ACuZinc 10 (10% Copper), and are used in a variety of automotive applications. ACuZinc 5 is HOT chamber die cast due to its lower melting temperature, whereas ACuZinc 10 is COLD chamber die cast.

 

The process of casting these zinc die casting alloys utilize an hydraulic press that allows metal to be injected into a cavity at extremely high pressures. The term "HOT" (as in HOT chamber) refers to the fact the metal pump (gooseneck) is immersed in the hot metal. In COLD chamber die casting, the metal is ladled into a holding sleeve until a plunger forces the metal into the cavity. These processes are designed for high volume applications, and are cast at "net-shaped" precision.

 

Zamak is an alloy based on Zinc and Aluminium mainly. The addition of Copper and Magnesium will give to this alloys diverse properties allowing it to be used to cast parts in industries such as Automobile, Building, Electrical, Electronics, Telephony, Toys, Cloth & Sports, Decoration... Used in continuous casting process, this alloys has great commercial advantages as it is cheaper than Al and Mg, easy to cast (behave like virtual water) and has many similar properties to the both other non ferrous alloys.