Tesla's Gigacasting 2.0 transforms car production

author: FutureCar Staff    

Tesla has made a technological breakthrough that could revolutionize the way it produces electric vehicles and help Elon Musk achieve his goal of cutting production costs in half, according to five sources familiar with the matter. The company has pioneered the use of huge presses to mold the front and rear structures of its Model Y, a process known as "gigacasting," which has significantly reduced production costs and put competitors on the backfoot.

In order to further solidify its lead, Tesla is now working on an innovation that would allow it to die cast nearly the entire complex underbody of an electric vehicle in one piece, as opposed to the conventional method of using around 400 parts. This know-how is crucial to Tesla's manufacturing strategy and its plan to produce millions of cheaper EVs in the next decade while remaining profitable. However, the specific details of the modular blocks that make up the underbody are still uncertain.

Terry Woychowski, the president of US engineering company Caresoft Global, believes that if Tesla is successful in gigacasting most of the underbody, it would disrupt the traditional car design and manufacturing process. He describes it as an "enabler on steroids" with significant implications for the industry. Two of the sources mentioned that Tesla's new design and manufacturing techniques could allow the company to develop a car from scratch in just 18 to 24 months, compared to the three to four years it takes most competitors.

According to the sources, Tesla is considering using a single large frame for its upcoming small EV, which would combine the front and rear sections with the middle underbody where the battery is housed. This approach could help Tesla achieve its goal of launching a $25,000 EV by the mid-2020s. The decision on whether to die cast the platform in one piece is expected to be made soon, but the final product may still undergo changes during the design validation process. Tesla and Elon Musk have not responded to requests for comment.

The breakthrough made by Tesla revolves around the design and testing of molds for mass production, as well as the incorporation of hollow subframes with internal ribs to reduce weight and improve crashworthiness. These innovations involve the use of 3D printing and industrial sand, with contributions from specialists in the UK, Germany, Japan, and the US. The use of sand casting and 3D printing significantly reduces costs compared to traditional metal prototypes.

Automakers have been hesitant to cast larger structures due to the challenges and costs involved. However, Tesla has been determined to find a way to cast the underbody in one piece. To overcome these obstacles, Tesla has collaborated with firms that use 3D printers to create test molds using industrial sand. This allows for more flexibility in the design process and reduces the cost of prototyping. The use of sand casting also shortens the design validation cycle compared to metal molds.

The subframes in a car's underbody are typically hollow to save weight and improve crashworthiness. Tesla plans to cast these subframes with hollows as part of the gigacasting process by using solid sand cores printed by the binder jets within the overall mold. Once the part is cast, the sand cores are removed, leaving the desired voids. The casting specialists have also developed special alloys and optimized the cooling process to ensure the castings meet Tesla's criteria for crashworthiness. Once the prototype mold is approved, Tesla can invest in a final metal mold for mass production.

Tesla's upcoming small cars, designed for personal use and as robotaxis, have a simpler underbody design with fewer overhangs at the front and back. This makes it feasible to cast the underbody in one piece. However, Tesla still needs to decide on the type of gigapress to use, as this will determine the complexity of the car frame. To produce such large body parts quickly, Tesla would require larger gigapresses with clamping power of 16,000 tons or more, which may necessitate larger factory buildings. One potential challenge is that high clamping power presses cannot accommodate the 3D printed sand cores, but Tesla may be able to overcome this by using a different type of press that allows for slow injection of molten alloy.

FutureCar Staff