YKK's amazing die casting technology

Student: When you look at a slider, it looks like there are a bunch of small parts put together. How do you make it? YKK employee: That's true. If we take apart this slider, for example, you can see that it's made up of these three parts. Body Pull tab Clamper
YKK employee: Many slider parts are die cast, meaning they're made by pouring molten metal into a mold. Student: That sounds complicated.
For die casting, imagine cooking taiyaki. You pour batter between two metal plates that mold it into the fish shape.
YKK employee: In the same way, we have two molds in the shapes of the slider parts, and pour molten metal or plastic between them instead of batter. Student: Oh, I see! The taiyaki example makes it easy to understand!
YKK employee: The difference between taiyaki and zippers is that zippers require accuracy in the details. The molds can't be off by even 1/100th of a millimeter. The molten metal is much hotter than batter, of course, so you need durable and long-lasting molds to ensure the level of precision we need. Student: It must be a lot of work just to make the molds.
YKK employee: There are many people at YKK who work on researching materials every day to make improvements so we can make precise, high-quality zippers. Students: So much goes into making YKK zippers!
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  5. Vol.4 YKK's amazing die casting technology