The Future of Large Castings at Volkswagen

Mirco Wöllenstein, who manages Europe's largest die-casting foundry, shared insights into the scale and future of his operations in Volkswagen's Kassel Foundry in an interview for Euroguss 365 which you can find by clicking here.

Here is my summary;

The foundry processes over 80,000 tonnes of aluminum annually, recycling up to 20 tonnes of aluminum chips daily, and boasts a production capacity of over six million parts per year, including key components for automotive applications.

With the opening of the Large Castings Competence Centre in February 2024, Kassel has become a hub for innovation in producing larger, more complex die-cast components, particularly for electric vehicles across Volkswagen Group brands like Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche.

Wöllenstein emphasized the foundry's focus on technological advancement without the need for larger machines, like for example 9,000 ton Giga Press as he mentioned, instead optimizing existing systems for better efficiency and complexity in parts production. Challenges like heat treatment and stress management in order to avoid cracks and deformation in large parts persist, yet the move towards larger parts is driven by the potential for cost efficiency and reduced assembly complexity in vehicle manufacturing.

Looking towards sustainability, the Kassel plant aims for CO2 neutrality by 2040 through renewable energy use, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced aluminum recycling.

In the next decade, Wöllenstein predicts die casting will become even more pivotal in automotive manufacturing, driven by the demand for lightweight, efficient components in electric vehicles, positioning the Kassel foundry as a central player in this evolution. He also mentions that for machines larger than 4,000 tonnes, production only makes sense directly at the vehicle construction site, basically excluding Kessel from future Giga Presses installations.

New Vehicle built with Gigacastings

The world’s first passenger car skateboard chassis model, the Neta S Shooting Brake, is about to enter mass production.

The platform used on this vehicle is so interesting that it drew more attention than the vehicle itself. This is because it’s the first vehicle to adopt CATL Integrated Intelligent Chassis, or CIIC, an all in one solution which integrates all the most important aspects of a Battery Electric Vehicle in one product.

The CIIC platform features a cell-to-chassis design without intermediate modules, with cells integrated directly into the platform, optimizing space and weight. In addition, this platform integrates motors, suspension, steer by wire and brake by wire, electronics, the battery thermal management system and the inverter.

Initially it was reported that this platform also adopts Front and Rear Gigacastings, as you can see from the picture below. The BIW illustration on their website doesn't show any aluminum casting in the body. A few days after the presentation, some Chinese websites removed the "integrated castings" part from their articles, which is where I got the information originally. This situation is a little bit weird because different prototypes from the CIIC skateboard platforms, including the latest shown by Neta itself, shows the use of large underbody castings as well as official statements from the company.

New TPI Thixomolding Module Delivered

Cristian Bregoli, Sales Manager at Vantage Cast Europe, posted the picture below with the caption:

This TPI SuperPlast module can deliver up to 5 kg of magnesium semi solid slurry in a single shot It can be attached to the side of any die casting machine and with little effort effectively transforming it into a magnesium thixomolding machine.

Vantage Cast Europe is yet another company to adopt this technology, the first one, notably, was 595° Advanced Lightweight Solutions in 2023.

Financials

Shanghai Yongmaotai (Al alloys R&D and Al components supplier)

In the first half of 2024, Yongmaotai achieved operating income of 1.73 billion yuan ($243 million) a year-on-year increase of 14.73%; net profit was 35.47 million yuan ($5 million).

Yongmaotai continues to strengthen its R&D investment in integrated die casting technology, promoting the application of a 7,000 tons Giga Press, and actively carrying out a number of R&D projects such as body parts, chassis parts and thermal management systems. Back in September 2022 Volkswagen and Yongmaotai were collaborating in the development of Gigacastings and a heat treatment-free aluminum alloy in China.

Dongguan Eontec (Al and Mg alloy parts supplier)

In the first half of 2024, Dongguan Eontec achieved revenue of 777 million yuan ($109.5 million) a year-on-year decrease of 1.53%; its net profit was 2.28 million yuan ($321.4 thousand) a year-on-year increase of 199.65%.

The company has introduced Japan Steel Works, or JSW, magnesium thixomolding machines including 280, 650, 1,300 and 3,000 tons machines for the manufacturing of automotive components.

This Week’s Gallery

Volkswagen images related to the new article from Euroguss 365

Tesla Gigafactory Texas by Joe Tegtmeyer

If you like my newsletter, please consider supporting me on my Patreon for only $4.90/month you can get access to insightful data about the Worldwide Gigacasting market.

Your generous support plays a crucial role in enabling me to continue creating content. You are awesome!