Zinc Die Casting
Zinc die casting supports thinner walls, finer detail, and tighter as-cast tolerances than aluminum, along with excellent castability for complex geometries — a common choice for small, detailed components and parts requiring a premium finish.
Typical applications
- Small components requiring fine detail or thin walls
- Parts requiring a premium plated or polished finish
- Components benefiting from zinc's higher as-cast dimensional accuracy
Process overview
- 1
Alloy confirmation
You specify the zinc alloy; we confirm castability for your part geometry and required finish.
- 2
Tool design & build
Tooling is designed for zinc's fill characteristics, which allow thinner walls and finer detail than aluminum.
- 3
Casting & trimming
Parts are cast, trimmed, and inspected against the print.
- 4
Machining & finishing
Parts are machined and finished (including plating-ready surface prep where applicable).
Part design considerations
- Wall thickness can generally run thinner than aluminum for the same feature
- Zinc's higher density adds part weight versus aluminum — a consideration for weight-sensitive designs
- As-cast surface finish is typically smoother, useful where plating or polishing is required
DFM guidance
- Take advantage of zinc's detail capability for thin ribs and fine features, but confirm draft is still adequate for the finish specified
- If the part will be plated, tell us during quoting — surface prep and alloy grade selection are affected
Quality controls
- First-article inspection against the customer print
- In-process dimensional checks
- Dimensional and visual inspection only — no X-ray, pressure, or leak testing
Secondary operations available
- CNC machining
- Powder coating and plating-ready finishing
- Deburring and trim
- Assembly
Frequently asked questions
Do you use remelted zinc?
Yes, as standard practice — runners, biscuits, and excess from prior runs of the same alloy are remelted and reused. If your part requires virgin alloy only, tell us before casting begins so it can be quoted and planned.
When should I choose zinc over aluminum?
Zinc typically wins for finer detail, thinner walls, tighter as-cast tolerance, and premium finishes; aluminum typically wins for strength-to-weight and thermal applications. See our blog article Aluminum vs. Zinc Die Casting for a fuller comparison.
Ready to talk about your project?
Send your drawings or describe your part — an engineer will follow up, not a sales queue.