10th Zinc Die Casting Prize - the winners have been announced

Once again, there had been a large number of submissions in the categories of mobility, sanitary engineering, lifestyle, electrical engineering & mechanical engineering, medical technology, security and locking technology - the response to the competition was remarkable, with more than 10% of German zinc die-casting companies submitting castings and submissions from Austria and Switzerland. The final decision will be made by a jury of recognised experts from the industry. They come from the fields of alloy production, the manufacture of casting machines, scientific and materials research institutes and trade associations. The assessment criteria include the design of the component and its complexity, the degree of difficulty and realisation during production as well as the degree of innovation and a possible degree of substitution with a sustainable effect in equal measure.

The aim of the Initiative Zink competition is to present the potential and diversity as well as the outstanding properties of zinc die-cast products and the efficiency of the foundries. The competition's tried-and-tested concept and the great response are constantly generating new products and enabling the diverse and sustainable use of zinc to be showcased.

In the mobility category, the company HDO Druckguss- und Oberflächentechnik GmbH from Paderborn won with its gearshift paddles on the steering wheel of a Porsche sports car. This casting provides a haptic experience with its excellent surface quality. A zinc die-cast application in the absolute premium range is tangible and turns acceleration into an experience.

Today, bathrooms are no longer just places to take a shower, wash your hands or freshen up. Today, bathrooms are high-quality, well-equipped experience rooms and oases of well-being. Good products with perfect surfaces are important here. In the sanitary technology category, the company HDO Druckguss- und Oberflächentechnik GmbH from Paderborn won with a panel for a Hansgrohe 4-consumer sanitary shower system that leaves nothing to be desired. The technical realisation as a zinc die-cast part also involved many challenges. Above all, however, the flatness and straightness of the component with a length of over 600 mm is impressive.

The key safe from Sudhaus GmbH in Iserlohn, Germany, was safe and robust and won in the Lifestyle category thanks to its production technology that offers no alternative. The key safe is a secure place to store keys and other valuables. The die-cast zinc housing combines stability with the patented function of the combination lock. The jury was impressed by the fact that the sprue was positioned during the realisation of the casting tool in such a way that a uniform tool filling is achieved in the casting process with optimum surface quality on the cast part.

In the electrical and mechanical engineering category, we encounter an absolute borderline experience in zinc die casting: microcasting. With the award-winning shield housing from Hippold GmbH Metallwarenherstellung in Kraftisried, true microcasting has been realised - the complex internal geometry resembles watchmaking quality and precision mechanics. Excellent in terms of precision and manufacturability in mould making. With tolerances of +/- 0.03 mm and minimal wall thicknesses of only 0.16 mm in the inner shield cross, this casting is an admirable precision piece.

The winner in the security and locking technology category is Roto Frank Austria GmbH from Kalsdorf near Graz. The automatic power wedge casting impressed the jury with its intelligent design realisation and the synergy of the strengths of two materials. The special feature: a cast part in a material composite between an insert made of carbonitrided steel and die-cast zinc. The often uneconomical mechanical processing of steel is compensated for by enclosing it in die-cast zinc. This creates a perfect synergy of the strengths of steel and die-cast zinc, which ensures increased safety.

A particular innovation in control cabinet technology is the castings from Dipl. Ing. Siegfried Müller Druckguß GmbH & Co. KG from Velbert. With this modular concept, various plug-in, cast housing components can be installed in the system as required. The concept realises a new, complex and resource-saving control cabinet technology. This innovative, comprehensive concept was only possible thanks to the close co-operation between the foundry and the designer. Zinc was chosen as the material for many reasons: electromagnetic shielding properties, passive cooling through heat dissipation, surface design resistant to oil and cleaning agents, compliance with the tightest tolerances, surface quality especially in the connector contour area, realisability of the connector and seal contour, dismantlability, recycling properties - subsequent machining can be largely dispensed with.

Further information about the competition and its winners can be found at www.zinkdruckguss-preis.de. The winners of all zinc die-casting competitions since the beginning in 2005 are shown here  - here you can see what zinc die-casting can do and where we encounter zinc die-casting in everyday life.