What is Kirksite?
Kirksite is an alloy comprised primarily of zinc with aluminum and copper additives. The key advantages of using kirksite to make a die is it’s low melting temperature of 750 degrees. This allow us to make precise casting of the form required, greatly reducing the machining time needed for final design shape.
What is Kirksite material?
The Material Originally developed for sheet metal forming tools in the auto- motive industry, kirksite material is a zinc/aluminum alloy (94 per- cent Zn, 6 percent Al) with a melting point of 725 ºF.
Is ZAMAK stronger than aluminum?
Longer Tool Life: Simply put, zinc is much stronger and more durable than aluminum. Because of this, die cast zinc tools last far longer than those made from aluminum die casts. In fact, these components can last up to five times longer!
What is Mazak metal?
ZAMAK (or Zamac , formerly trademarked as MAZAK) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminium, magnesium, and copper. Zamak alloys are part of the zinc aluminum alloy family; they are distinguished from the other ZA alloys because of their constant 4% aluminium composition.
Can you weld Kirksite?
Royal Kirkrod is the most widely used alloy for welding zinc-based metals, white metal and pot metal. These include carburetors, power mower housings, kirksite dies, power tools, trophies and ornaments, vacuum cleaners, antique car parts, models and patterns.
Is Zamak strong?
zamak 12 offers high tensile strength; zamak 13 offers high impact resistance and corrosion resistance; zamak 15 is a zinc alloy of high quality with many advantages: it is comparable to the zamak 12 as regards the tensile strength and the zamak 13 with respect to the corrosion resistanc and impact strangth.
Is Zamak safe?
Zamak has low toxicity, though inhaling zinc alloy dust is harmful, and proper protection should be worn when doing metalworking. Low quality zamak may contain heavy metals like cadmium or lead, and work should be avoided if possible.
Is zinc denser than aluminum?
Aluminium is lighter than zinc, but zinc has a lower melting point. This means that manufacturing with zinc is quicker, more energy-efficient and has lower production costs. Zinc is therefore the best choice for slightly smaller products, where the weight is less important.
Is zinc alloy heavier than aluminum?
In general, the zinc alloy die casting part is heavier than the aluminum alloy die casting. Zinc alloy material has a low melting point, has good mechanical properties and wear resistance, and can be used for surface treatment.
Where is Mazak made?
Today, Yamazaki Mazak has 5 manufacturing plants in the U.S.A, U.K, Singapore and China.
What is Zama material?
Zama is a high quality zinc alloy which is the most desirable metal when considering zinc for die casting due to its excellent finishing characteristics for plating, painting and chromate treatments.
Can you weld zinc to aluminum?
The aluminum alloy was successfully welded with zinc coated low carbon steel by cold metal transfer welding. The erratic zinc vapor produced during cold metal transfer process interacts with the arc and the molten filler wire, which lead to an instable welding process.
Why choose Kirksite alloys?
Eastern Alloys manufactures mold-base alloys, also known as Kirksite alloys. Kirksite is a moderate strength zinc-base alloy that was developed primarily as a forming tool alloy. Dies cast from Kirksite provide low-cost tooling because the alloy can be accurately cast, requiring a minimum of finishing.
What are the pros and cons of kirksite?
The primary virtue of this metal is its low melting temperature (~725F) and low cost. Durability is less than that of steel, but the overall costs are much lower as well. The melting temperature is low enough that it can be poured into rubber molds. Kirksite has a reputation for accuracy and low porosity.
Can Kirksite be machined?
Kirksite is readily machined and polished. Castings can be successfully plated following procedures used for zinc die-castings. Kirksite can also be cast in rubber tooling as a replacement for slush casting alloy (ZA-5) when higher strengths are required, with a sacrifice in fluidity.
Why choose a Kirksite cast tool?
Dies cast from Kirksite provide low-cost tooling because the alloy can be accurately cast, requiring minimal finishing. In addition, Kirksite has been used as a general purpose casting alloy for non-stressed components.