World’s first Full Underbody Gigacasting

This week, Chery Automobile showed off the world's first full underbody gigacasting. This underbody includes the front and rear sections and the whole lower battery tray. They made it using a 13,000 ton Giga Press with a dual injection system.

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.

Volvo, Košice factory, Slovakia

My Slovakian friend Radovan Skokan visited one of the few European factories that will be equipped with Giga Presses in the next few years.

Last week Volvo celebrated the topping out ceremony of the first phase of the Košice plant. The first phase included a foundry for two 9,000 tons Giga Presses, a press shop, a body shop and a paint shop. The second phase, which just began construction, includes a battery production and assembly hall and will play a vital role in making the factory fully operational. More about Volvo here

The photos you see here and in the gallery below were all taken by Radovan Skokan

Human Horizons filed for bankruptcy

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Human Horizons, known for its HiPhi luxury electric brand, has filed for pre-bankruptcy restructuring.

The company, which started in 2019, has been struggling with poor sales and has suspended production since February. Despite targeting Europe for expansion and selling its models in Germany and Norway, the company delivered fewer than 8,000 vehicles in 2023. Human Horizons' situation reflects broader challenges in China's auto industry, where over 100 brands are engaged in a price war amidst a slow economy. The company's restructuring efforts include a court-appointed administrator overseeing the process for six months, with the possibility of extending for three more months.

The HiPhi X has been built using rear underbody gigacastings since 2022 and it’s one of the first and fastest Tesla followers in this adoption trend. Tuopu which ordered six sets of 7,200 tons Giga Presses from LK Machinery was the company contracted by HiPhi for the supply of the rear gigacastings.

Euroguss 365 interviews Richard Oberle

Part 1

Richard Oberle, one of the inventors behind the revolutionary Giga Press technology, has recently been awarded the prestigious European Inventor Award. In an exclusive interview, Oberle, who is currently 82 years old, shared his journey from working at Reis in the tranquil Lower Main region of Germany to becoming a key figure at Idra, the Italian company specialized in die-casting machines.

Oberle's career has been marked by significant achievements, including his role in developing the Giga Press, a machine that has revolutionized the manufacturing process for electric cars. The Giga Press, which boasts a clamping force of over 9,000 tons, is capable of producing large car body parts in a single casting, significantly reducing the number of parts and production time.

Oberle was mainly involved in the development of the hydraulic part. More than doubling the size of the machines “is a huge task for the hydraulics because we didn't want to build a lame duck”, he said.

“Elon Musk said we need short cycle times, even faster than with the smaller machines. That meant we had to come up with a lot of ideas”.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has been a major beneficiary of Oberle's work, with Tesla currently using 16 Giga Presses and a few more medium Idra machines worldwide. Despite not having met Musk personally, Oberle expressed his admiration for the visionary entrepreneur.

Oberle's career trajectory was marked by a persistent curiosity and a willingness to explore new opportunities. Looking ahead, Oberle intends to reduce his full-time involvement but remains dedicated to the industry. His legacy is secure, particularly with the Giga Press technology poised to significantly impact the future of electric car manufacturing.

Part 2

As the trend towards larger die-cast parts and machines continues, Oberle believes there is no limit to the size of machines that can be built if the market demands it. However, he notes that technical problems often arise in the series production of very large die-cast parts, leading to rejects and downtimes.

To address these issues, Oberle developed the "5S" control system, which has been running successfully in a foundry in Italy since 2018, without any downtime.

Oberle also sees potential applications for gigacasting outside of the automotive industry, stating that it could lead to new ways of thinking about manufacturing processes. While he acknowledges the need for decisiveness in the industry, he believes that suppliers will adapt to the changes brought about by gigacasting.

Despite his age, Oberle remains committed to contributing to the die casting world. “Elon Musk believes that machines need to become even faster” but this will require rethinking the control system“I will use the time to materialize this a little. Let's see if we can build a prototype.”

Made in America 6,000 tons Giga Press

Bühler has built yet another 6,000 tons Giga Press in the facility of its Michigan based subsidiary, BühlerPrince. This evidence was extrapolated from a post of BühlerPrince’s CEO, Steve Jacobson, on LinkedIn.

He wrote:

Bühler received 6 orders for 6,000 tons Giga Presses from Honda in Ohio and more from Linamar in Canada. The first Giga Press for Honda was shipped earlier this year and should be already operational. It produces battery tray halves, for more about Honda’s plans, click here

If you like my newsletter, please consider supporting me on my Patreon for only $3/month you can get access to a bunch of useful content.

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

This Week’s Gallery

Die casting shop at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, photos by Joe Tegtmeyer

A special thank to Jaan of the EV Universe, follow him on X and subscribe to evuniverse.io!