Ordliste
Zamak — zinc alloys — definition
The family of zinc alloys used for die casting, with aluminium, magnesium and sometimes copper as additions.
The name comes from the four elements: zinc, aluminium, magnesium and copper. The alloys differ mainly in copper content, which affects strength, hardness and long-term dimensional stability.
Zinc is cast around 380–390 °C, roughly half the casting temperature of aluminium. That gives three practical advantages: substantially longer tool life, shorter cycle times and sharper reproduction of detail.
Zinc is heavier than aluminium. In most contexts that is a drawback — but in audio equipment, where mass damps vibration, it is precisely the point.
The material also takes threads very well: soft enough for the thread to form cleanly, hard enough for it to hold.