Snapshot of Zinc
Zinc Description
Zinc is the world’s fourth most widely consumed metal after iron, aluminium and copper. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal and zinc has a bluish white surface appearance. It is brittle by nature, but exhibits good malleability and ductility at higher temperatures and easy to machine. Zinc is primarily used in order to galvanise steel because of its useful anti-corrosive properties and ability to bond well to other metals. Zinc metal is employed to form numerous alloys with other metals such as Brass, bronze, nickel silver are common examples.
Advantages of Zinc parts
Alloys of zinc with base metal as zinc and small amounts of aluminium, copper and magnesium (also known as Zamak) are useful in die casting of automotive, hardware and electrical industries. The boiling point of zinc is among the lowest of the engineering metals. Zinc is a fair conductor of electricity and has a relatively low melting point. Zinc coating can be applied to steel components as a protective coating to provide as barrier and sacrificial protection. Zinc is an environmentally friendly metal due to its infinite recyclability. The semiconductor properties of zinc oxide make it useful in photocopying products. In modern days zinc is widely used as an alloy metal such as brass alloys are more corrosion resistant than copper and more workable than zinc alone.
Zinc Uses
Zinc is extensively used to produce die casting components for automotive, hardware and electrical industries. Architectural and building products like roofing and facade applications. Zinc oxide is widely used in manufacturing of cosmetics, paints, rubber parts, pharmaceuticals. Zinc is used as an anode material for batteries.
Finishing examples of Zinc prototypes
- Machine finish
- Polished finish
- Bead blast finish (to give satin texture)
- Painted finish
Zinc material Spec
| Property | Data |
|---|---|
Density
|
7.14 g/cm3 |
Tensile Strength (Mpa)
|
37 Mpa |
Modulus of Elasticity (GPa)
|
96 GPa |
Thermal Conductivity (k)
|
112 W/m-K |
Melting Point (℃)
|
420℃ |
Note: This Data is indicative only
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Further considerations
Zinc metal is stable in both air and water, but it will react readily with diluted acids. Zinc is not combustible and does not spark when struck by steel tools, makes it valuable for use in environments where explosives and combustibles are present.
Limitations
Poor mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, poor corrosion resistance in corrosive acidic and alkaline media.