Zamak

ZAMAK Lingotes

Zamak is an alloy of zinc with aluminum, magnesium and copper. The pieces manufactured in Zamak are used in automobile components, construction, electricity, electronics, clothing, bags, jewelry, telephones, toys, sporting goods, and decoration.

History

The Zamak alloy was created by the New Jersey Zinc Company in the 1920s, its name is a German acronym for the materials that make up the alloy: Zink (Zinc), A aluminium (Aluminum), Magnesium (Magnesium) and Kupfer (copper).

Features

The alloy has hardness, high tensile strength, a density of 6.6 g/cm³ and a melting temperature of 386 °C. This material can be injected (by cold or hot chamber and by centrifugation), another possible process is casting in chilled earth. It is a cheap material, has good mechanical resistance and plastic deformability, and good castability. It can be chromed, painted and machined. It can be used for structural parts. During pressure injection, the appearance of internal pores or bubbles in the injection or casting process is possible, which can lead to a decrease in the mechanical resistance of the parts. However, a correct injection will generate a homogeneous distribution of fine pores, which will favor the toughness of the injected piece, as the growth of cracks due to said fine pores is slowed down.

Its use is widespread in the hardware sector, largely due to the increase in the cost of more common materials, such as brass. Lately, the use of leather and fur accessories in metal parts has spread, due to their high aesthetic capacity with cheaper manufacturing costs. Likewise, the automotive sector is also a clear consumer of Zamak in the form of safety parts, casings, connecting rods, etc.

The most commonly used ZAMAK alloy in Europe is ZAMAK-5, in the US and China it is ZAMAK-3, but ZAMAK-2 and ZAMAK-8 are also manufactured and are in fairly extensive use. The Spanish standard that regulates the chemical composition of Zamak is UNE-EN 1774. The standard that specifies the properties of Zamak castings is UNE-EN 12844.

Lately it has become very fashionable as part of jewelry items; Although it does not look like steel, it is quite strong and does not tarnish like silver. It is common to see it as part of leather bracelets. Only noticeable loss of gloss over time.

Advantages of Zamak

The manufacture of cast Zamak parts presents a series of advantages compared to the manufacture of parts by aluminum injection. These advantages translate above all into savings in time, costs and better part finishes.

• The zamak requires less energy consumption for its transformation, as it melts to 400 - 420 °C.
• Zamak pressure injection allows to manufacture large volume parts with high precision.
• The manufacture of Zamak injection parts allows you to easily reproduce all the details of the parts, avoiding the machine process, reducing costs.
• Fastest injection cycles.
• Saving machining and energy.
• The pieces manufactured with Zamak allow better finishes and superficial treatments.

Disadvantages of Zamak

• It does not support high degrees of tension and torsion.
• It does not support working temperatures of more than 80 °C, which causes aging.
• Loss of mechanical properties (traction, impact resistance) with the passage of time to ambient temperature.
• Loss of mechanical properties by exposure to wet environments.