1. Zinc alloys and heat treatments

Zinc is mainly used for galvanizing and as an additive in bronzes and brasses. Zinc alloys are mainly shaped either by foundry processes (70%) or by continuous casting (30%) to produce sheet metal for roofing. The pressure die-casting process (see [M 3 650] ) is the most widely used for casting zinc alloy parts (in France, it accounts for 95% of the tonnage cast).

Due to the near-monopoly of die-casting, parts are of comparable shapes, sizes and, above all, thicknesses (see the article Foundry and casting of zinc alloys