Zinc is all around us in everyday life. For example, zinc provides the protective coating that prevents our automobiles from corroding. Zinc die castings are everywhere too. The finished products containing them are diverse but often hide the die castings themselves from sight. That does not mean they are not important to us, however. Zinc die castings provide us with safety, security, convenience and "decoration", they improve our lives even as we go about our daily routines at home and at work.

Zinc component designs are truly impressive in their ability to make our lives safer and more enjoyable. They combine the precision and cost-effectiveness of the die casting process with the exceptional mechanical and physical properties of zinc alloys. We tend to see only the surface of familiar objects: our household appliances, hand tools, telecommunication devices, computers, transportation vehicles. What is below the surface, providing the functionality of these objects, is often a marvel of engineering and design. Today's manufacturers of both sophisticated and commonplace devices are constantly looking at many different materials and manufacturing processes to provide the function, aesthetics and reasonable cost that consumers demand.

Zinc Coatings
For over a century, zinc has enhanced the longevity and performance of steel. Zinc coatings provide the most effective and economical way of protecting steel against corrosion. Zinc-coated (galvanized) steel offers a unique combination of positive features, of which the ones of key interest to residential construction are as follows:

o high strength, determined by the steel substrate
o formability, a key feature for roll forming coated steel sheet
o light weight of steel framing and roofing, as compared to competitive materials
o corrosion resistance, for both long life and the maintenance of esthetic appearance
o recyclabilty, both for the scrap materials of construction and end-of-life demolition
o low cost, competitive with all construction materials of matching quality.

For these reasons, galvanized steel is an ideal material for a multitude of building applications. In the residential construction market, galvanized steel has particular and cost-effective applications in framing, roofing, rainware (gutters and downspouts), ductwork (heating/cooling and venting) and household appliances.

Galvanized steel resists corrosion. Since, for the industrialized nations, at least 4% of GDP is lost to corrosion each year, the trend of at least the past fifteen years has been toward customer and manufacturer demands for increased protection through both higher contents of zinc and additional applications of zinc-coated steel.

Zinc Alloys
Zinc alloy die-cast parts are often components of everyday objects because the strength and fluidity of die-casting alloys, based on high purity zinc, make them ideal for complex applications. Household appliances, precision parts for vehicles, aircraft and communications equipment, even children's toys - all rely on die-cast zinc. Zinc alloys permit a range of casings to be manufactured on short notice, leading to greater customer satisfaction thanks to fast response times, as well as higher production rates and the appreciable economic benefit of faster amortization of tooling investments. Here are examples of how zinc makes possible the manufacture of equipment we often take for granted.

The seats in luxury cars are moved forwards and backwards by motorized reduction gears which must be solid, reliable, accurate and mechanically strong. Zinc alloys satisfy these requirements and they offer the added benefit of noise reduction due to their density. In both residential and commercial construction projects, architects are frequently asked to design large windows and sliding glass doors. Sliding doors must be easy and comfortable to operate from either inside or outside and it must be possible to lock them. Zinc alloy has been used to produce a handle and lock assembly for sliding doors because it can meet the manufacturer's exacting requirement for a strong and durable material.

Moreover, zinc alloy meets the stringent specifications demanded - the latching and rotating cylinder locking mechanism has to provide accuracy of 0.03 to 0.08mm, the assembly has to be reliable and durable to withstand at least 170,000 operating cycles, the material used has to accept paint and other finishes. Zinc alloy was selected because it can meet all these demands.

Brass

Zinc's use as a constituent of brass is one of the metal's most important applications. What is beneficial to brass markets is therefore also very important to zinc. In this article we will take a brief look at one of those markets, architecture and interior decoration, because it has become especially interesting in the past few years.

Brass seems so commonplace in architecture and interior decoration that it is almost taken for granted. The brass doorknobs, hardware, taps and lighting fixtures in our homes and the even more abundant uses in commercial buildings offer ample testimony to the metal's utility.
Brass is not a single unique metal. Rather, the brasses comprise a family of copper-base alloys in which zinc is the principal alloying element. The amount of zinc present in these alloys ranges from 10% to more than 40%. The most popular architectural brasses contain 30% to more than 40% zinc. Thus, almost half of the brass you see is actually zinc in a combined form.

Die-Casting

Zinkteknik AB of Bredaryd, Sweden is specialized in zinc alloy die casting of high precision, thin wall, multi-function parts for the automotive, mobile communications and electronics industries. Zinkteknik believes there is almost no limit to what can be achieved with zinc alloy die castings. The company allies customer demands with precise knowledge of the casting process and close cooperation with tool suppliers, enabling it constantly to extend the possibilities of zinc alloy die casting.