Most of the metals used for die casting are iron-free, mainly including zinc, copper, aluminum, magnesium, lead, tin and lead-tin alloys. Although die-casting iron is rare, it is also feasible. The characteristics of various metals during die casting are as follows:
Zinc: Zinc is the easiest metal to die cast. It is great for making small parts. It is easy to coat, has high compressive strength and plasticity, and has a long casting life.
Aluminum: Aluminum is lightweight, has high dimensional stability when manufacturing complex and thin-walled castings through the die casting process, strong corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties, high thermal and electrical conductivity, and high strength at high temperatures.
Magnesium: Magnesium is easy to machine, has a high strength-to-weight ratio, and is the lightest of the commonly used die-casting metals.
Copper: Copper has high hardness and strong corrosion resistance. It has the best mechanical properties among commonly used die-casting metals. It is wear-resistant and its strength can be close to that of steel.
Lead and tin: Lead and tin have high density and extremely high dimensional accuracy, and can be used for special anti-corrosion parts during die casting. But due to public health concerns, this alloy cannot be used in food processing and storage equipment. An alloy of lead, tin, and antimony (sometimes containing a bit of copper) can be used to make hand-type type in letterpress printing and hot stamping.
