[en] Highlights: • KoBo extrusion significantly increases the strength of pure zinc. • The improvement in the strength is related to a much lower deformation temperature. • The increase in properties is higher for the ingot batch than the hot extruded batch. The microstructure and properties of cast and hot extruded zinc subjected to plastic deformation by conventional extrusion and by extrusion with a forward-backward rotating die (KoBo) were studied. KoBo significantly increased the mechanical properties of both initial materials compared with conventional extrusion. The improvement of the mechanical properties is related to the lower temperature at which the KoBo process can be carried out. Extrusion with a forward-backward rotating die leads to grain refinement and promotes the formation of a composite-like microstructure with a hard matrix, forming an interconnected network of boundaries filled with a softer phase. New areas of application for zinc obtained by the KoBo method are opened.