What is the Difference Between Aluminum Alloy and Zinc Alloy in the Hardware Products Industry?

Depending on the field and the production process, zinc and aluminum alloys have different advantages. This article analyzes the differences between the two materials and gives you a better understanding of their differences in Feiyu companies.

Main characteristics of aluminum and zinc alloys.

Main characteristics of aluminum and zinc alloys.

How aluminum is processed and molded？

• Aluminum rod casting: Processing plants generally heat and melt aluminum ingots, add alloying elements (magnesium, silicon) according to the proportion, and make aluminum rods of different diameters by casting machines.
• Profile extrusion: The aluminum rods are first heated to a certain temperature to reach the critical point of aluminum liquefaction, then cut, hot sheared, extruded through the mold to the desired shape, and then quenched.
• Processing treatment after profile extrusion: The traction machine leads the aluminum profile to reach the required length by the hot cutting saw, and the profile is moved to the straightening machine by the mobile cold bed to straighten the profile. It is then cut by using the fixed-edge saw.
• Artificial aging: Put the cut profile into the aging furnace and heat it to a certain temperature and keep it warm for 2-3 hours, which can significantly improve the performance and hardness of the aluminum profile.

The 5 common processing methods of aluminum alloy

• Aluminum alloy parts stamping process: According to the shape and size of the required parts, through the press and die external force is applied to the plate, pipe, profile, etc. It is done so the plastic deformation or separation of the workpiece forms the processing method. (generally used for unimportant parts stamping processing)
• Aluminum alloy parts machining: Mainly with turning, milling, planing, drilling, grinding, and other general-purpose machine tools to process mold parts, assembled into a variety of molds. Aluminum alloy parts mechanical processing can also be called CNC precision machining or automatic lathe processing, CNC lathe processing, etc. It is also one of the most common aluminum alloy processing methods of the feiyu company.
• Aluminum alloy parts precision casting: The parts obtained by this method generally do not need to be machined again. Precision casting is higher than the shape and casting accuracy obtained by traditional processing methods.
• Aluminum alloy parts powder metallurgy: Powder metallurgy is to use metal powder as raw materials, after mixing, molding, and sintering, manufacturing materials or products of technology. (Generally used in hardware gear manufacturing).
• Aluminum alloy parts injection molding: The solid powder and organic binder are evenly mixed, after granulation and then heated in a plasticized state injection molding machine into the mold cavity curing molding, chemical or thermal decomposition of the binder in the forming blank removed, sintered densification to get the final product. (Cost is lower than that of CNC).

The 7 common surface treatments for aluminum alloys

• Sandblasting treatment: The main role is surface cleaning. Sandblasting (paint or plastic spraying) before painting can improve surface roughness.
• Passivation treatment: Passivation is a method of transforming the metal surface into non-oxidation, delaying the corrosion rate of the metal.
• Coloring treatment: Aluminum has two main processes: one is aluminum oxidation in the color process, and the other is aluminum electrophoresis in the color process. The oxide film forms a variety of colors to meet certain use requirements, for example, optical instrument parts are usually used for black. Commemorative chapters are golden yellow, etc.
• Chemical polishing treatment: Chemical polishing is the selective autolytic dissolution of aluminum and aluminum alloy in acid or aluminum alloy to reduce its surface roughness and pH chemical processing method. This polishing method has the advantages of simple equipment, no power, no external size limitation, high inflow speed, and low processing cost. The purity of aluminum and aluminum alloy has a great influence on the quality of chemical polishing, the higher the purity, the better the polishing quality.
• Chemical oxide film treatment: Thin film, a thickness of about 0.5-4 microns, porous, soft, and with good adsorption, can be used as a substrate for organic coatings. Aluminum and aluminum alloy chemical oxidation methods can be divided into alkaline oxidation and acid oxidation methods, according to their solution properties.
• Spraying treatment: External protection, and decoration, usually carried out based on oxidation. Aluminum components should be pretreated before painting to make the coating and workpiece firmly combined, and there are three methods: phosphating (phosphate), chromatin (chromium-free chromatin), and chemical oxidation.
• Electrochemical oxidation treatment: Aluminum and aluminum alloy chemical oxidation treatment equipment are simple, efficient to operate, have high productivity, a wide range of applications and parts, and shape limitations. The thickness of the oxide film is about 5 to 20 microns (hard anodic oxide film thickness can reach 60 to 200 microns), with high hardness, good heat resistance, insulation, resistance to chemical oxides, porosity, and very good adsorption capacity. Electrochemical oxidation treatment is one of the more common surface treatments for aluminum alloys used by Feiyu.

What is the difference between the CNC process and the die-cast of aluminum?

• The processing method is different: CNC processing is an index-controlled processing, which is under the digital control of the computer precision mechanical processing. Aluminum shells in this process can achieve some extremely special or complex surface treatment, such as bevel cutting, non-penetrating pattern, or texture engraving. Aluminum shell bending at the perforation treatment, non-flat plane surface treatment, etc.

• The processing difficulty is different: CNC processing can be said to be even more demanding and difficult to handle. Cost is the main issue.
• The die-casting process can only do some simple punching and pattern-forming work, and the cost is lower compared with CNC processing, but it can’t do a very complicated surface treatment.

So if we want to use aluminum alloy and save the purchase cost, die-casting aluminum is a good choice.

Manufacturing technology of zinc alloy die-casting process

Zinc alloy dies casting is actually under the action of high pressure. The liquid or semi-solid metal material is very fast to fill these objects into the die-casting mold cavity, and also under relatively high pressure, molding and cooling solidification can be obtained after the molded products.

Characteristics of the zinc alloy die-casting process

• Zinc alloy die-casting manufacturing products are heavier than aluminum alloy, and have a better texture. Process strength is much stronger than plastic injection molding.
• The zinc alloy die-casting process has very good casting performance, in addition, the die-casting process can produce the traditional process can not be manufactured in more complex very thin products, and the product surface is smooth and not rough.
• The zinc alloy die-casting process can also be made out of mold surface processing, such as electroplating or painting, etc.
• The zinc alloy die-casting process to manufacture the mold has high production efficiency, and mold life is very long, up to a million times die casting.
• The zinc alloy die-casting process has a good product manufacturing effect. The products produced by using this technology have very good room temperature and mechanical properties. That is, in long-term use, they will not appear at high temperatures. In addition, it also has very good wear resistance, and will not easily wear.

The zinc alloy die-casting process has a higher mold price than plastic or die-casting aluminum. Mold is much cheaper so it will save a lot of production costs.

The common surface treatments for zinc alloys

• Plating: Plating is good for improving the beauty, density, and corrosion resistance of zinc alloy products. The most commonly used plating metals include chrome, nickel, gold, silver, copper, etc. Before plating, you need to check if the surface is of good quality and if there are cracks, bubbles, and other defects that can not be plated.
• Spray paint: Spray paint can hide the surface defects of zinc alloy die casting so that the product is more textured, but needs to meet the standard and can not have a bad spraying phenomenon.

Summary from Feiyu mainly applied to feiyu products

The advantages of choosing aluminum CNC.

• The CNC process can quickly get the product and does not need any mold input. (No cost for the initial investment)
• The process is complex. High cost of construction
• The product positioning is very high, suitable for the high-end consumer market
• The product is very light, and will not cause any discomfort in the process of use.
• The surface oxidation treatment or spray paint effect is perfect
• The design can not be too complex, will directly increase the cost, labor costs will be more expensive than material costs
• There is no clear MOQ limit.
• A large number of products will extend the production processing time.

The advantages of choosing die-cast aluminum.

• The mold manufacturing time is long and expensive (high cost of pre-investment)
• The process is simple, and the unit cost is a lot lower than CNC.
• The product positioning is high and suitable for the high-end consumer market.
• The product is very light, and will not cause any discomfort in the process of use.
• Surface painting treatment
• Can be designed complexly without any particularly obvious cost increase
• There is a clear MOQ limit
• Controllable production processing time. Fast speed

The advantages of choosing die-cast zinc alloy.

• Mold manufacturing time is short, and low cost (low cost of initial investment)
• Similar unit price with die-casting aluminum.
• High product positioning, suitable for the mass consumption market
• The product is heavier than the aluminum alloy but very textured
• Surface treatment is general electroplating
• Can be designed as complex, and there will be no obvious cost increase.
• There is a clear MOQ limit, the more orders, the more controllable the cost.
• Fast controllable production and processing time.

Feiyu company was established in 2014, and we have a professional product design team and a structural design team. We are 100% looking for the most suitable solution to solve your product problems. You are welcome to contact us.

Email：service@iyoufo.com