Weekly Gigacasting News 13

21/10/2024 - 27/10/2024

Luca Greco
October 27, 2024

Handtmann Becomes the First European T1 Supplier to Produce Gigacastings

On October 25th Handtmann announced to the world that serial production of megacastings has commenced.

Today, 11:02 a.m., marked an important milestone in the history of Handtmann:

As first tier 1 in Europe, we are thrilled to announce the start of operation of our very first megacasting machine at our German headquarter in Biberach.

With the Bühler Group Carat 610 extended with 61,000 kN clamping force and shot weight up to 128 kg of aluminium, we are now able to produce larger structural parts.

This is an investment in our strategy to support our partners in the transformation of the automotive industry.

Handtmann on LinkedIn

Back in February Handtmann received the first 6,200 t die casting machine from Bühler at its plant in Biberach, Germany. Later it was announced that if demand for megacastings keeps increasing, they have the capacity to install two additional Carat 610 machines.

Chery Full Underbody Gigacasting

This week, Chery Automobile officially unveiled the world's first full underbody gigacasting. Let's order the events that led to this achievement.

• In 2022 LK tested out the dual-injection technology on a small-tonnage die casting machine.

• After months of continuous adjustments, in June 2023, they successfully produced the world's first 3:1 scaled integral lower body part on this small-tonnage machine.

• On December 23rd LK Group and Chery Automobile jointly held the global debut of the world's first dual injection die casting process exceeding ten thousand tons. This event officially unveiled the technical principles of the dual-injection process and equipment.

• On August 8th came the announcement regarding this achievement and the first pictures were unveiled.

During the 2024 Chery Global Innovation Conference with the theme of "Technology Driving the Future", Chery, officially presented the world's largest casting made with a high pressure die casting machine.

The world's fist full underbody gigacasting was made with a 13,000 t Giga Press made with a double injection system available for customer trials at LK Machinery technical test center in China.

In a written interview with YZ Weekly, Mr. Xiao Rong, chief engineer of Chery Automobile's die casting process, said;

"Compared with traditional processes, the dual-injection >10,000 t die casting system has a higher dynamic injection force of 2,400 kN, and the filling time is shortened to 40ms , which is much lower than the current industry's 80ms. At the same time, the casting area has also achieved a significant increase of 45%, far exceeding the level of competing products."

"In terms of high performance, Chery Automobile uses new materials with high strength and high fluidity, which increases the yield strength and tensile strength to ≥150MPa and ≥300MPa, respectively, which are 24% and 22% higher than the current industry standards. In addition, the high-dynamic injection system further improves the elongation of the material, reaching a significant increase of 44%."

"The technology also achieves highly integrated design. By optimizing the parts structure, Chery Automobile has integrated a part that originally required more than 150 parts into a whole. This design not only greatly improves the torsional stiffness of the vehicle, but also reduces cost by 22%. At the same time, the weight of the car body is also reduced by 20%, and the precision is improved by 15%."

Chery die casting chief engineer

Interview with Yizumi

On September 25th, Yizumi introduced the NEXT² series, aimed at producing large, high-quality automotive parts, especially for new energy vehicles, with clamping forces from 18,000 to 200,000 kN. Dr. Zhou Jun highlighted the shift towards more efficient two-platen machines, emphasizing Yizumi’s commitment to technological leadership.

The NEXT² series, developed with Sino-European collaboration, incorporates innovative technologies like the Raptor muli cylinder clamping system for precision and Yi-Cast for enhanced injection performance. It features the Dolphin intelligent control system for real-time optimization and is designed for resource efficiency, reducing energy consumption by 50% and space by 10%.

The rise of the new energy vehicle industry has catalyzed the expansion of magnesium alloy applications in automobiles. In China, magnesium offers a lightweight, domestically-controlled option for structural materials. With recent advancements from companies like Baosteel, along with research breakthroughs from universities, the stage is set for magnesium alloy's industrial boom.

Yizumi has been at the forefront since 2009, developing semi-solid magnesium alloy injection molding machines that integrate die casting and injection molding for enhanced safety, quality, and efficiency. These machines feature high-speed operations, advanced control systems, and are environmentally friendly, not requiring furnace or protective gases.

Dr. Zhou Jun from Yizumi sees significant growth potential for magnesium alloys in various high-tech industries, predicting further integration and expansion as new energy and lightweight technologies evolve. Yizumi plans to bolster its R&D to refine this technology, aiming for broader application and collaboration across sectors.

Read the full interview here.

Quick News

Tesla

The relocation of the Gigacastings to the new storage area at Gigafactory Texas has commenced. The old area has been cleared and the new system is now in place.

The first batch of what appears to be Tesla’s 2025 Model Ys produced at Gigafactory Shanghai has been spotted in China.

During the earnings call on Wednesday October 23rd, Elon Musk told investors that he expects Tesla’s unboxed manufacturing process to be at least 5 times faster than a typical vehicle production line.

IDRA

Idra announced on LinkedIn they are producing yet another 9,000 t Giga Press. Watch the video here

🚀 We're in full production of our 9000 ton Giga Press! 🚀

This big machine is set to support the world's leading automotive manufacturers in taking their production capabilities to new heights.

At the same time, we're assembling our compact and efficient #Minigigapresses, offering the same precision and reliability for more specialized applications. ⚙️

From the largest to the most compact, IDRA GROUP is shaping the future of automotive manufacturing! 🌍💡

IDRA GROUP