As mentioned in the previous newsletter, a large number of customers asked us about the kind of materials used by our main Chinese suppliers in the manufacture of Hardware
With this article we finish our analysis on raw materials used in China on the production of hardware , we help our international customers to directy import from the manufacturers without any intermediaries.
ALUMINIUM
Our series of aluminium furniture fittings are characterised for their innovation, functionality and design. Architects and designers alike find in aluminium hardware the ideal product to work with when in need of quality design, originality and functionality. Aluminium is resistant, durable and implies low cost maintenance.
Anodized or Anodizing is a technique used to modify the surface of brass. Anodizing is the artificial protective layer put over aluminium by means of its own oxide shield, known as alumina. This layer is generated by an electrochemical method in order to achieve greater strength and durability of aluminium.
By use of this process, the aluminium surface becomes oxidized, creating a protective alumina layer for the rest of the piece. The protection of aluminium will largely depend on the thickness of this layer (in microns).
Anodized aluminium has several advantages:
No maintenance is required.
Increases protection against rain, sun and moisture.
Increases surface hardness.
Decorative finishing: you can obtain different tones.
Resistance to wear and tear.
Resistance to corrosion.
Our aluminium hardware needs no special care, as dirt can be easily removed by simply using a soft cloth and water.
ZAMAK
Zamak is an alloy of zinc and aluminium, magnesium and copper. Its main properties are hardness, tensile strength, 6.6 g/cm³ density and melting temperature of 386 ° C
This material can be injected (in a hot or cold chamber, or centrifuged). Another possible process is insulation shell foundry. It is a cheap material with good mechanical strength, plastic deformation and of easy filtering. It can be chromed, painted and mechanised. Zamak can be used for structural parts. During the pressure injection process, proper injection generates a homogeneous distribution of fine pores, which promotes the toughness of moulded pieces by avoiding the appearance of cracks thanks to the fine pores’ properties.
Its use is widespread in the hardware sector, largely due to the rise in costs of the most common materials, such as brass. The manufacture of zamak hardware has a number of advantages over the manufacture of aluminium injection hardware. Some of these advantages are time saving, lower costs and better finishing.
– Zamak requires less energy consumption for its processing. It melts at 400-420 º.
– Pressurised injection Zamak allows the manufacture of parts in large volumes with high accuracy.
– The manufacture of Zamak hardware facilitates the reproduction of every single detail, avoiding further machining processes and reducing costs.
– Faster injection cycles.
– Savings in machining.
– Hardware manufactured with Zamak allows better finishing and better surface treatment (paint, chrome and zinc).
ABS
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene or ABS is a shock resistant plastic that is largely used in the manufacture of various lines of hardware at our company.
It is usually called engineering plastic, because it is a plastic whose production and processing is more complex than common plastics, such as polyethylene or polypropylene.
The most important feature of ABS is its toughness, even at low temperatures (still tough at -40 °C). It is also hard and rigid, of acceptable chemical resistance, low water absorption and therefore, good dimensional stability. It has high abrasion resistance and can easily be covered with a metallic layer.
ABS can, in one of its many forms, be chromed by electrolysis, after which it can be covered with layers of other complimentary metals. Butadiene, which is an elastomer, provides toughness at any temperature. This is especially useful in cold environments where other plastics become brittle. Styrene adds mechanical strength and rigidity.
