Gigacasting's Impact on Automotive Manufacturing

author: FutureCar Staff    

Gigacasting technology is gaining traction in the automotive industry, with companies like Toyota, Tesla, Volvo, Hyundai, Ford, and Aisin adopting the process. Toyota recently unveiled a prototype of its gigacasting equipment, which can produce a third of a vehicle chassis in just three minutes. This technology promises to significantly reduce manufacturing lead time and costs, bringing Toyota closer to its goal of producing 3.5 million electric vehicles per year by 2030. Tesla is also reportedly working on an innovation that would allow it to die cast the entire complex underbody of an electric vehicle in one piece.

According to GlobalData's analytics, mentions of casting technologies in automotive company filings are on the rise. Volvo Car Corp, for example, has announced investments of €855m into its Torslanda plant for the development of megacasting technologies. Volvo has chosen Swiss supplier Bühler to provide its die-casting cells for the plant, which will be used to produce the floor structure of its electric vehicles starting in 2025. Hyundai, Ford, and Aisin have also partnered with Italian Giga Press manufacturer and Tesla supplier Idra to produce gigacasting technologies.

Experts in the field, such as Professor Shouxun Ji from Brunel University London, believe that the shift from traditional car manufacturing approaches to integrated casting structures is inevitable. Gigacasting offers advantages like improved car body stiffness, reduced manufacturing cost, and reduced assembly time and cost. High-pressure die-casting machines have seen rapid innovation, with clamping forces increasing from 2,400 tonnes in 2019 to nearly 16,000 tonnes at present. However, the thin wall structure in high-pressure die casting presents challenges for control processes and machine manufacturing.

Professor Wolfram Volk from the Technical University of Munich has raised concerns about the complexity of aluminium die casting and its scrap rates. He notes that die casting is not necessarily a lightweight solution and that gigacasting requires a rethinking of car body construction, especially for electric vehicles. While die casting may not outpace traditional metal sheet fabrication, there is a growing interest among EV-makers to streamline production, minimize lead times, and reach sales targets.

Overall, gigacasting developments in the automotive industry have the potential to revolutionize manufacturing processes and contribute to the growth of electric vehicle production.

FutureCar Staff