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Switching from zinc diecastings to aluminium

What is the difference between the finished products using the two materials? e.g., current toy racing car is using zinc die casting technique, what if we use aluminium instead of zinc?

Weifang Lou
student - Melbourne, Australia
2005

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First of two simultaneous responses --

That would depend on the firms doing the castings and the alloys used. Aluminum might be a tiny bit lighter and might be a tiny bit stronger. Cast aluminum is not easy to plate and have it look good. Painting should not be a problem if properly prepped and properly painted.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2005

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Hello, Weifang. Put a search term like "advantages of zinc over aluminum" into a search engine and find a page (such as one from the International Zinc Association) that unabashedly advocates zinc. Then try a search term like "advantages of aluminum over zinc" and find a page (such as one from the Aluminum Association) that can be expected to advocate aluminum.

Now you will have the strongest ammunition from both sides and will be well prepared to be able to strip out exaggerations and compare the two materials for your project. But you may find that an alloy of the two metals is a better choice than either in purer form :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005