Different Aluminum Alloys for Die Casting

It is commonly believed that die casting with Aluminum is a cost-effective and sustainable way to make metal parts. When processing, you’ll ought to select which aluminum casting alloys to use. For further understanding your alloy options and why we choose the alloys we prefer, the following are some crucial information on aluminum alloys.

A380 Aluminum Alloy

A380 Aluminum Alloy is the most popular alloy for die casting. It has many features. For example, it’s lightweight, remain strong at high temperatures and corrosion resistant. Even with complex shapes and thin walls, A380 is also does well in retaining dimensional stability. What’s more, it also offers high electrical and thermal conductivity.

A360 Aluminum Alloy

Comparing to A380, A360 is more difficult to cast, and that is the reason why is less used in die casting. It contains higher strength at high temperatures and higher corrosion resistance. According to your casting abilities and needs, you may want to select this alloy.

A383 Aluminum Alloy

Next is A383 Aluminum Alloy. This type of Alloy is used for forming complicated components and require very specific die-filling characteristics. It offers higher strength at high temperatures with less chance of cracking under heat.

Compare with A360, A380 and A383

Among the three alloys, A360 has the best pressure tightness, high-temperature strength and corrosion resistance.

A380 is easier to work with than A360. It’s more cost-effective but little highly corrosion-resistant. This is the one you would use most frequently
if you don’t need to consider the budget.

A383 is a modified A380 alloy. You would only use if you would like to precise die filling that you are not getting from your A380 alloy, because it is not as durable as A380.

In summary, the differences between the three types of casting alloys are showed above.

ZA Alloys

Some applications may be required ZA, or zinc aluminum alloys for your die casting. The three alloys that divide

into this category are ZA-8, ZA-12, and ZA-27. Alloys that combine zinc and aluminum can offer higher strength, lower density, better creep resistance and better wear resistance than other zinc alloys.

ZA-8

Among the three alloys, ZA-8 is the only hot chamber alloy. It is the zinc-aluminum alloy one uses in die casting with the lowest possible aluminum content. It features an aluminum content of 8.4 percent with one percent copper.

ZA-8 has a lower melting point and higher density than other zinc-aluminum alloys because of the minimal aluminum content. This makes it ideal for hot-chamber die casting. Usually, It used for higher strength requirements that need plating.

ZA-12

ZA-12 has greater aluminum content than ZA-8 but less than ZA-27, so it offers a ideal mediation of zinc alloy properties. It has about one percent copper and 11 percent aluminum content. ZA-12 has the best combination of cast ability and strength of the ZA alloys. If you are using ZA-12 for casting, cold-chamber method is needed to be used since it has higher melting point and lower density.

ZA-27

ZA-27 is difficult to cast, but it’s the strongest among the three ZA alloys. It has the highest aluminum content of all the zinc-aluminum alloys we use for die casting. It has 27 percent aluminum content and 2.2 percent copper content. So it is a material with the highest melting point, highest strength, and lowest density.

Different from other zinc-aluminum alloy parts, parts made with ZA-27 are usually
not ideal for chrome plating. Because of high melting point of ZA-12, you cannot use this alloy with hot-chamber casting. Cooling rates need to be looked at carefully.

Make a right choice for Your Metal Parts

Sometimes, It’s quiet hard to know what the right alloy is for your particular metal parts.

When you get to work with us, we can determine the ideal materials and die casting designs for your particular metal part needs.