When it comes to zinc, a metal that is abundant in our planet's crust, we may run out of supplies by the year 2100 if we do not start changing our consumption habits now. When Collini Holding AG investigates zinc die cast parts and the methods of surface finishing them in a more environmentally friendly manner, it takes a significant step forward in identifying and addressing the root causes of common plating failures on zinc die cast parts.

Increasing demand for natural resources will inevitably increase as the world's population grows to more than 7 billion people – theoretically starting today – increasing pressure on the world's limited resources. A number of vital natural resources, such as natural gas, oil, and coal, are at risk of being depleted in the near future, if current trends continue. We have a variety of resources available to us on our planet; however, some of these resources, while essential to our daily lives, are on the verge of extinction, unless we take steps to change the way we use them.

Because of their respective properties, such as castability and performance, zinc and its alloys are required in manufacturing processes, and their use results in significant energy and money savings. Zinc and its alloys are also required in manufacturing processes because of their respective properties, such as castability and performance. This metallic element, however, is a striking example of a rapidly depleting natural resource in the modern era because the supply of this metallic element from our planet's crust is only expected to last until 2100 according to current predictions. As a result, Collini Holding AG, the world's largest group of companies specializing in the coating of metals and plastics in Europe, has spent decades researching and developing surface solutions to make zinc alloys more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Collini, which began as a grinding shop more than 120 years ago, has evolved into a surface treatment company that creates surfaces for fittings, the electrical and automotive industries, machine and plant construction, as well as medicine and a wide range of consumer products, among other applications. Its thirteen manufacturing facilities are located across the globe in places such as Austria; Germany; Italy; Russia; Mexico; and Switzerland. The company is also a leader in a wide range of surface technology processes, such as electroplating; hot-dip galvanizing; anodizing; organic coating; and other processes.

Zinc aluminum die casting parts is a type of metal casting that is used for zinc alloys.

A wide range of consumer parts are manufactured using the zinc die casting process. These parts include everything from toy cars for children to metal components for actual automobiles. The manufacturing process known as die casting mould has been around for more than 180 years, and it was originally developed to allow for the development of small portable typewriters, as previously mentioned. In its most basic form, this procedure consists of heating metal alloys until they become molten, after which they are pressed between steel molds until they cool and solidify into the shape desired. Due to the fact that zinc alloys are easier to cast and solidify at a lower temperature than alternatives such as aluminum, they are one of the most popular alloys to use in the zinc alloy die casting factory process. As a result, the  process is both cheaper and more efficient than alternatives such as steel, making it a popular choice.

Among its many characteristics are its hardness, ductility, and self-lubricating nature, as well as its excellent thermal conductivity and dimensional stability. Additionally, it is corrosion resistant. Unlike alloy zinc, which is brittle and weak, unalloyed zinc has a higher susceptibility to corrosion when exposed to acidic and/or strong alkaline environments than alloy zinc. As a result, certain elements such as aluminium or copper are added to zinc alloys in order to produce alloys with superior properties over their base metal. The addition of those dissimilar elements, on the other hand, opens the door to corrosion, which is a process of metal deterioration that takes place over time. When it comes to altering surface properties, electroplating coatings are required. With the help of an electric current, electroplating coatings reduce metal cations in a solution, resulting in the formation of a protective metallic layer. More importantly, even though electroplating has been used as a surface treatment for zinc die casting for a long time, zinc die casting continues to present a number of difficulties for plating, particularly when it comes to decorative applications (Reveko and Mller, 2018). A variety of challenges associated with zinc die casting have resulted as a result of this, and one such challenge has recently been the subject of primary research conducted by the Austrian surface treatment company Collini Holding AG in collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). They were successful in bringing scientist Valeriia Reveko of Collini to the completion of a series of studies that she had begun earlier.

Zinc plating can have a variety of color variations.

Dr. Valeriia Reveko, a PhD candidate at DTU's Department of Mechanical Engineering, has published a number of peer-reviewed research studies that highlight specific issues that arise during the electroplating of zinc die-casted parts. Valeriia is currently engaged in the completion of her dissertation. To be more specific, Reveko has conducted extensive morphological and compositional tests and analyses in order to verify the performance and safety of zinc galvanic coatings on zinc die-cast items in order to improve the plating quality of the zinc die-cast items. The authors of Reveko et al. (2018) report that one of the most common issues with electroplated zinc coatings over zinc die-cast components is a distinct blue discoloration, which appears as blue areas on the surface of the electroplated zinc coatings. This is one of the most common issues with electroplated zinc coatings over zinc die-cast components, according to the authors. This study discovered that aluminium from the substrates will gradually diffuse through the coating, causing these blue areas to manifest more quickly as a result of oxidation under the influence of ambient moisture and potential contaminants in the coating, according to the findings. More importantly, the environment in which zinc plating takes place – whether it is from an alkaline or an acidic solution – has a direct impact on the rate of aluminum diffusion: alkaline zinc, due to the nature of its morphology, has higher rates of aluminum diffusion than acidic zinc. The Collini team proposes a feasible and visually appealing solution in the form of a double-layered zinc coating, with the inner layer being mildly acid zinc and the outer layer being alkaline zinc, as shown in the illustration below.