One of the things that has gone and made Tesla one of the biggest car innovators in the world
(in regards to them leading and dominating the electric car market) is that they're always
willing to go and use new technology or push innovation to get the results they want and
need. Take a look at their Giga Factories or their very advanced batteries for their
cars as proof of that. But now they're pushing things even further with a machine known as
the Giga Press. This device will go and help them make cars even more easily. Allow us
to show you Tesla's Giga Press How Does it Work?
7. The Giga Press The Giga Press is the largest die casting
machine in the world to date. It can weigh up to 430 tonnes and have a clamping force
of up to 61,000 KN. Additionally, these gigantic die casting machines are as big as a house
and capable of casting extremely large components. Tesla happens to be the first company ever
to order the Giga Press. Since then, people associated with the die casting industry are
eager to see the ‘world’s largest die casting machine’ in action.
The name ‘Giga Press’ was first coined by Riccardo Ferrario, the IDRA Group’s general
manager. The IDRA group introduced the Giga Press in late 2018. It has been in their catalog
since then. It was only until late 2020 that Tesla had started using a customized OL 6100
CS Giga Press for production. However, IDRA had already announced on their
website that they had got the first order for a 5,500-tonne High Pressure Die Casting
(HPDC) machine. In 2019, Jerome Guillen, the President of Automotive at Tesla, also stated
that they are working on a “giant, giant, giant machine” to “make full-size cars
in the same way that toy cars are made.” Later on, in April 2020, Elon Musk mentioned
that Tesla had bought two huge die casting machines to manufacture chassis parts for
the Tesla Model Y. In August 2020, he made a tweet claiming it to be the “Biggest casting
machine ever made.” In January 2021, Elon Musk also announced
that the rear chassis of the Tesla Cybertruck will be cast using a Giga Press with over
8,000-tonne clamping force. Moreover, Tesla has successfully installed three Giga Press
in Shanghai and two Giga Press at the Fremont factory. And likely has installed more in
recent times. 6. What Makes It Work
The Giga Press is more like a die casting setup than a machine. It is equipped with
all sorts of devices and systems required in a die casting process. The components in
Tesla’s Giga Press include the following. The Giga Press uses two sets of ovens for
handling the aluminum alloy. One functions as a melting oven powered by natural gas and
operates at 850°C temperature. Another oven stores the liquid metal heated by electrical
power and operates at 750 to 850°C temperature. It is the core of the whole setup or the die
casting mechanism. It has a similar construction to any regular high-pressure die casting equipment
and functions like one, except that it is enormous in size.
The Giga Press uses a 4,000-liter tank for creating a vacuum inside the mold. It is made
by Fondarex, A Swiss company that first invented the vacuum technology for High-Pressure Die
Casting. The quenching tank rapidly decreases the temperature
of casting to a desirable limit. It is allowing one to achieve some specific properties for
a metal casting. There are mechanical trimming press and laser
trim for rapidly cutting of excess metal attached to the casting.
There is a recycling system to utilize the scrap metals. The scrap aluminum is shredded,
and offcuts are utilized for the next casting cycles.
Using various inspection devices to check the finish casting such as CMM, X-Ray machines.
5. How It Works The working principle of the Giga Press can
be divided into the following steps. First of all, we have to melt the aluminum
ingots and cutoffs from the previous casting cycle in an oven at 850 °C temperature. Then,
remove any impurities from the surface, and convey the liquid metal into another enclosed
oven using heated pipes. That oven maintains about 750 to 850 °C temperature.
Fill empty space inside the storage oven with nitrogen gas prevents the formation of oxides
in the molten aluminum. It also helps to maintain an even temperature. Additionally, operators
use Argon gas, Rotary de-gasser, and a Silicon carbide filter to further remove impurities.
Before commencing each cycle, lubricate the die surfaces. A robot sprays about 35 milliliters
of Soybean oil in a thin layer to enable easier separation of the casting. Then, the vacuum
system creates about 50 millibars of vacuum pressure inside the mold cavity.
The molten aluminum is transported from the holding oven to the shot chamber of the Giga
Press. There the molten metal is forced inside the cavity using a high-speed plunger. The
plunger is also lubricated using 8 milliliters of oil before each shot.
Once injected, the casting is left inside until it solidifies. Then, the casting is
ejected from the dies at 400°C. The raw casting is then placed in a quenching tank to reduce
the temperature from 400 to 50°C rapidly. It helps tackle some defects and increase
some material properties. Cool the open die to 185°C and thoroughly
clean it with robots to prepare it for the next cycle. The next casting cycle will begin
1-2 minutes after the current one finishes. Now, cut each of the raw castings into approximate
dimensions using a mechanical trim press. The scrap aluminum is recycled with a scrap
metal shredder and added back to the oven. Then, the main casting is checked with an
X-Ray to examine whether it has any internal defects.
The verified casting is further perfected using a laser trim and drilled using a CNC
machine for fittings. Finally, check the finished casting’s accuracy with a Coordinate Measuring
Machine. 4. Advantages
We are hoping for new possibilities with the Giga Press technology taking shape. While
still not fully implemented, we can already perceive the potential this technology can
offer. Below we have discussed some advantages of the Giga Press.
The Giga Press will greatly improve the production efficiency of large and complex products.
The Giga Press will allow manufacturers to cast large a single component as opposed to
numerous smaller parts. Therefore, it will virtually eliminate the assembly operations
involved. Thus, there will be great savings in time,
labor, and eventually the cost of production. Casting a larger single piece will allow the
manufacturer to produce a lightweight structure and impart additional strength to the casting.
Casting a single component would also eliminate the possibility of having alignment issues
of parts while assembling. So, it will simplify quality control and allow manufacturers to
provide high-quality castings. Moreover, it will minimize the need for robots
in production and significantly reduce the body shop’s size. So, there will be savings
in land use as well. 3. Current Uses
Currently, the major field of application of the Giga Press seems to be automotive castings.
Automobiles have complex structures and built using numerous smaller parts. Trimming down
the number to a few castings would surprisingly boost production efficiency.
Tesla is working on casting the rear body structure of the Model Y using the Giga Press.
It will replace 70 pieces of castings into a single piece. They are planning to cast
the front chassis component using the Giga press as well. It definitely changes our view
on the current production techniques. Since this is a relatively new technology,
it may take some time before seeing more applications of this technology. But given how Elon Musk
likes to think? It's not hard to see him go and figure out how to make his cars even faster
with them. 2. Disadvantages?
The concept of mega casting is sure interesting. But the sustainability of the technique is
still questionable to many. Since this is a new technology, there is still a lot of
research people need to do on the Giga Press’s efficiency, cost, stability, and reliability.
The industry has always been skeptical when it comes to embracing a new concept. So, it
might take some time for other manufacturers to follow the mega casting trend.
Tesla has been successfully producing trial runs of the Model Y rear chassis. Although,
it is certain that it required them numerous iterations to get there. But, the design process
for mega casting should become easier as manufacturers gain more insight into the technology.
1. Pushing Forward Regardless of what happens next with the Giga
Press, it's clear that Tesla is on board with it and Elon Musk wants to use it however he
can. Which goes to show you the mindset of the
eccentric engineer and billionaire. Because he knows the more efficiently he can make
these rides, the more he can crank out, and the cheaper he can make it for consumers.
So stay on the lookout for things like the Giga Press to also come to Tesla to help speed
things along. So what do you think? What do you think of
this look at the Tesla Giga Press, what it does, how it works, and how it might help
Tesla with its car making? Do you think that with more innovations like these that Tesla
will continue to push the bounds of what they can make? What do you think their next creative
idea will be to make better electric cars? Let us know in the comments below, be sure
to subscribe and we'll see you next time on the channel!