Giga Press

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Giga Press
ClassificationHigh-pressure die-casting (HPDC)
IndustryMetal casting
ApplicationCar chassis production
Dimensions19.5 m × 5.9 m × 5.3 m
64 by 19 by 17 feet
Weight410–430 tonnes
900,000–950,000 lb
Fuel sourceElectric
Powered
  • 2 × 132kW motors[1]
  • 4 × 90kW motors[2]
Invented~2018
Examples2 (Tesla, Inc.)

Giga Press are a series of aluminium die casting machines manufactured by Idra Group in Italy. They are notable for being the largest high-pressure die casting machines in the world, with a clamping force of 5,600 to 6,200 tonnes-force (55,000 to 61,000 kN).[2][3] Initial usage of a customised OL 6100 CS Giga Press is planned by Tesla, Inc. for production of the Tesla Model Y electric car chassis,[4] at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California.[5]

Base specification OL 5500 CS and OL 6200 CS Giga Press machines had been included in Idra's catalogue since 2018.[6] Each machine weighs 410–430 tonnes (900,000–950,000 lb).[2][3]

Shots of molten aluminium weighing 80 kilograms (180 lb) are injected into the cold-chamber casting mold with a velocity of 10 metres per second (22 mph; 36 km/h).[7]

In July 2019, during the GIFA 2019 industry trade-show in Dusseldorf, contracts for a second Giga Press were signed—destined for an important Chinese-located customer.[8]

Tesla

As of 2015 Idra was one of the ten most important strategic suppliers to Tesla Motors,[9] with Tesla using purely die-casting machines made by Idra for use at the factories in California.[10][11] In 2016 Tesla ordered a 3,000-tonne-force (30,000 kN; 7,000,000 lbf) press from Idra for making major car chassis components.[12]

In May 2019, the first order for an over-5,500-tonne-force (54,000 kN) Giga Press was placed by Tesla, and scheduled for acceptance testing by February 2020.[8][13] The "big casting machine" would cast the Tesla Model Y rear chassis as a single component.[14] The OL 5500 CS machine was upgraded to OL 6100 CS specification for Tesla prior to delivery.[4][15]

In 2018 a patent application assigned to Tesla showed four Giga Press casting machines arranged at right angles for whole-vehicle unibody chassis casting.[16] In 2019 Jerome Guillen stated that Tesla Grohmann Automation were working on a "giant, giant, giant machine" using modular construction.[17]

In April 2020 Elon Musk stated that the two biggest casting machines in the world had been purchased to enable casting the Tesla Model Y rear chassis and crash rails as a single component:[15][18]

Deployment

As of June 2020 Tesla planned additional machinery to support each 6,100-tonne-force (60,000 kN) Giga Press operation:[19]:83‒86

  1. Melt oven (850 °C, 1,560 °F)
  2. Holding oven (~750–850 °C, 1,380–1,560 °F)
  3. Giga Press ("DCM"‒Die-casting Machine)
  4. Quench Tank
  5. Mechanical Trim Press
  6. X-Ray machine (porosity check)
  7. Laser Trim
  8. Drill and Tap (machining)
  9. Laser Scanning (coordinate-measuring machine, CMM)
  10. Fasteners insertion
  11. Scrap metal shredder (immediate closed loop recycling of aluminium offcuts)

Fremont

Preparation work for installation of the first Giga Press machine ("DCM1")[f 5] was planned to begin in California during May 2020.[15] In May 2020, Tesla requested building permits from the City of Fremont for demolishing a car wash at the Tesla Factory, and installing an arch-shaped metal building for casting machinery.[f 1][f 2][f 11] During May/June 2020 Tesla advertised a "Castings Tooling & Process Engineer" job, based at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, responsible for production ramp-up of the first Giga Press.[5] In June 2020, permits for foundations to support the Giga Press at Fremont were filed, then issued on 26 June 2020.[f 3][f 13]

During July 2020, relocation of electrical equipment and raising of a compressed air pipeline by 1.8 metres (6 ft) were required; these steps were to enable installation of the drilling and tapping ("Drill & Tap") area for the "DCM1" Giga Press-based casting line at the Fremont factory.[f 5] Preparations for the Drill and Tap (D&T) area required in-filling of a pit.[f 9] [f 14] Several platforms required installing.[f 4][f 12]

At the end of July 2020, Tesla filed permit applications for construction work in preparation for Die-Casting Machine #2 (DCM2) at Fremont.[f 6][f 10]

By early-August 2020, the casting cell and first Giga Press were substantially complete, having been assembled in the open air at the north end of the General Assembly building.[20]

Germany

As of July 2020 plans for the Tesla Giga Berlin factory in Brandenburg included provision and piling foundations for eight 6,100-tonne-force (60,000 kN) die casting machines.[19]

Shanghai
Compression platten (bottom-left) being unloaded at Giga Shanghai factory in July 2020

Idra's parent company, LK Machinery held a factory tour in Shenzhen on 27 November 2019, during which a partially-complete machine was visible.[21] During the factory tour, the locally-produced Chinese machine was branded as "Impress-Plus DCC6000".[21]

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References
  1. OL CS Compact Series (PDF) (Brochure). Idra. 4 July 2019. p. 2. Retrieved 24 April 2020. OL 5500 CS … Pumps motors power: kW 2x132
  2. "OL 5500 CS" (PDF). Technical data sheet. Idra. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020. Clamping force: kN 55.000; Ton 5.607 … Tie bar spacing: mm 2300x2300 … Tie bar diameter mm 450 … Max. shot weight (Al alloy): kg 84 … Dry Cycles (as per DIN 24480) n/1’ 1,5 … Pumps motors power; kW 4x90 … Machine weight: Ton 410 … Machine dimensions (LxWxH): m 19.2x6.9 [sic]x5.22 Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. "OL 6200 CS" (PDF). Technical data sheet. Idra. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020. Clamping force: kN 61.000; Ton 6.218 … Tie bar spacing: mm 2350x2350 … Tie bar diameter mm 470 … Max. shot weight (Al alloy): kg 104,6 … Dry Cycles (as per DIN 24480) n/1’ 1,3 … Pumps motors power; kW 4x90 … Machine weight: Ton 430 … Machine dimensions (LxWxH): m 19,5x5,9x5,32 Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Visnic, Bill (2 June 2020). "Tesla casts a new strategy for lightweight structures". Automotive Engineering. Vol. 7 no. 5. SAE International. ISSN 2331-7647. Retrieved 3 June 2020. world's largest aluminum die-casting machine to manufacture entire rear underbody structures. … Tesla is the first customer for IDRA's hulking OL6100 CS (with upgraded locking force to handle the special Tesla casting), destined for installation in the company's Fremont, California and Shanghai, China, plants. IDRA's "Giga Press" measures some 64 feet (19.5 m) long and 17 feet (5.3 m) tall. Along with the higher clamping force is a maximum aluminum-alloy "shot" weight of 104.6 kg (231 lb). … weighing in excess of 410 tons.
  5. "Castings Tooling & Process Engineer". Manufacturing (job advert) (63334). Fremont, California: Tesla, Inc. Retrieved 8 June 2020. Leads all Tooling & Process Engineering activities associated with the startup and ramp of a brand-new casting cell with the largest HPDC machine ever made.
  6. Ferrario, Riccardo (11 October 2018). "PDC School interviews Riccardo Ferrario, Idra General Manager" (offset 01:00) (in Italian). Idra. Retrieved 24 April 2020 – via Youtube. Quali innovazioni propone Idra, nel settore delle pressofusioni … La Idra a costruito per prima di tutti i nostri concorrenti una presse da quattromila duecento (4,200) tonnellate. Ora siamo orgogliosi di potervi dire che abbiamo a catalogo la mille-cinque, cinquecento (5,500) tonnellate e anche la seimilacinquecento (6,500) tonnellate.
  7. "Idra introduces the world's largest die cast machine". Asosiasi Italia Pemasok Foundries. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2020. capable to produce castings well beyond 80 kgs in weight over an unbeaten maximum allowed projected area. … manufacture of high-integrity Aluminium and Magnesium Die Cast components for the automotive sector, with focus on structural and safety critical components. … Injection velocity exceeding requirements of 10 m/sec
  8. "Giga Press keeps going: a second contract for Idra Group" (Press release). Idra. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020. another contract for a OL 5500 CS ton Giga Press and one OL 4200 CS ton. … customer is an important Chinese Group … Idra group received the first order for a Giga press back in May 2019, which was the first order ever issued worldwide, from a North American auto manufacturer. … combination of more single parts in one single shot. … First Giga press will be assembled and ready for pre-acceptance at Idra Italy plant within February 2020. “USA and China Mission Complete: Now we hope to sell the next Giga Press in Europe …" (Riccardo Ferrario)
  9. Conserva, Mario (December 2015). Guccione, Roberto (ed.). "An Alliance for the Renewal of Die Casting". Technologies‒Foundry. Alluminio & Leghe. Vol. 26 no. 6. p. 53. ISSN 1122-1429. [Riccardo Ferrario, General manager of Idra] … Tesla, … chose our machines, and we are in the short list of ten strategic suppliers of this extraordinary American company.
  10. Gallinari, Gianluca (2 March 2016). "Auto e metalli leggeri, Tesla in strada al forum di Idra Group" [Cars and light metals, Tesla on the road at the forum of Idra Group]. Economia. Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). Retrieved 25 April 2020. “Tra le aziende che Idra fornisce di presse c'è anche Tesla, casa produttrice dell'omonima auto elettrica di lusso che parla anche bresciano: tutte le presse per componenti in lega leggera installate in California negli stabilimenti Tesla sono state prodotte proprio dalla bresciana Idra"
  11. Trebeschi, Matteo (3 March 2016). "L'auto del futuro nasce a Travagliato: le presse della Idra conquistano Tesla" [The car of the future was born in Travagliato: the presses of Idra conquer Tesla]. Economia. Corriere della Sera (in Italian) (Bresica ed.). Retrieved 25 April 2020. Tra i clienti il colosso Tesla e Fiat-Chrysler … Infatti, grazie a questa strategia, anche un colosso come Tesla – l’azienda americana che sviluppa veicoli elettrici – ha scelto la bresciana Idra per fornire le presse adatte allo stampaggio dei componenti delle sue auto. «Sono automobili meravigliose» sottolinea [Riccardo] Ferrario, orgoglioso che i componenti siano realizzati «al 100% con i nostri macchinari».
  12. "La Tesla "atterra" a Brescia" [The Tesla "lands" in Brescia]. Libri & Giornali (in Italian). 2 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2020. californiana a scegliere l'industria travagliatese per la consegna di un «isola» per pressofusione da 3000 tonnellate, … (la macchina stampa componenti telaistiche delle vetture Tesla,
  13. Conserva, Mario (11 June 2019). "Idra Thinks Big: Growth, New Strategies and an Order for the Largest Press in the World". Alluminio & Leghe. Riccardo Ferrario, Idra's general manager, at the plant in Travagliato (near Brescia) … range the "Giga Presses", 5500 and 6200 … produce the largest machines in the world, 5500 ton and 6200 ton presses. Recently we received the first order in the world for a 5,500 ton press, … can deliver Giga Presses in standard times.
  14. Musk, Elon (29 May 2019). "Episode 200: My Elon Musk Interview" (offset 51:02) (Interview). Ride the Lightning. Interviewed by Ryan McCaffrey. Tesla Headquarters, Palo Alto, California. There are some manufacturing improvements for the Y. The rear underbody we are moving to an aluminium casting instead of a series stamped steel and aluminium pieces. … Initially it'll be two casting. It'll go from 70 parts to 2 plus joiners, so 4. When we get the big casting machine it'll go from 70 parts to 1.
  15. Musk, Elon; Munro, Sandy (14 April 2020). "Tesla Manufacturing with Sandy Munro and Elon Musk!". Third Row Tesla (offset 09:29) (Episode 14). Retrieved 20 April 2020. The current version of the Model Y has basically two big high pressure die casting aluminium castings that are joined, then there are still a bunch of other bits that are attached. And then later this year we will transition to the rear underbody being a single-piece casting that also integrates the rear crash rails. … It gets better: the current castings—because they have to interface to so many things—we have to CNC machine them; CNC the interfaces … the single-piece casting has no CNC machining; it doesn't even have datums. … (10:36) It does require the world's biggest casting machine, which we have two off. Basically around a 6,000-tonne casting machine—the size of a small house basically. One coming from Italy, and one coming from China. We should be starting to set up the one from Italy, … next month. … about a 30% reduction in the size of the body shop … (12:59) going back and retro-fitting the Model 3 production at Fremont with a single-piece casting—it might be something we'd do, but it would probably in two years or something like that…
  16. US application 248873852, Kallas, Matthew K., "Multi-directional Unibody casting machine for a vehicle frame and associated methods", published 2019-07-18, assigned to Tesla, Inc.
  17. Guillen, Jerome (23 June 2019). "Our Interview With Tesla President Jerome Guillen, Part Deux". Cleantechnica (Interview). Interviewed by Zachary Shahan. Retrieved 20 April 2020. building a giant machine using Tesla's Grohmann sub-division, … emphasized that it was a "giant, giant, giant machine" that duplicates everything, is modular, is simple on the modular level, and … is gigantic.
  18. Musk, Elon [@elonmusk] (14 August 2020). "Will be amazing to see it in operation! Biggest casting machine ever made. Will make rear body in a single piece, including crash rails" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 August 2020 – via Twitter.
  19. Tesla Manufacturing Brandenburg SE (24 June 2020). 3.4 Betriebsgebäude, Maschinen, Apparate und Behälter [3.4 Company buildings, machines, apparatus and containers] (PDF). Errichtung und Betrieb einer Anlage für den Bau und die Montage von Elektrofahrzeugen mit einer Kapazität von jeweils 100.000 Stück oder mehr je Jahr am Standort 15537 Grünheide (Mark) - Reg.-Nr.: G07819 [Construction and operation of a factory for the construction and assembly of electric vehicles with a capacity of 100,000+ cars per year, at location 15537 in Grünheide (Mark) - registration number: G07819] (Environmental impact assessment). 2 (in German). p. 139 – via Landesbetrieb Geoinformation und Vermessung. Nr.: A002-00 … Betriebseinheit: Gießerei (Casting) … Machine Nr.: A002-00-0x-04 … 8 x Die Cast Machine (DCM, Druckgussmaschine) … 6100 [tonnes·force] … Stärke t … N
  20. Fox, Eva (5 August 2020). "Tesla Model Y Giant Casting Machine with Paint Shop Already in Fremont Factory". Teslamanian. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  21. "Expert craftsmanship casting the future – LK 40th anniversary event" (with tour photographs). Shenzhen. 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020. IDRA, sister brand of LK, delivered 5500T die casting unit to a North American customer in 2019. Also the world's first 6000T die casting unit will be delivered to a US customer, for new energy vehicle structural parts manufacturing. … After the seminar, the crowd attended the factory open house of Shenzhen Leadwell Technology industrial park, to gain a better knowledge on smart die casting equipment, IDRA Xpress die casting machine and the world's first 6000T die casting cell. … During the factory open house, LK Group debuted the world's first 6000T die casting cell, named as IMPRESS-PLUS DCC6000. … most powerful die casting unit in the world.

Fremont permits
  1. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (5 May 2020). "Tesla F20-0048 - Castings Demo". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2020-05639). City of Fremont. Remove car wash equipment including tank, filters, pumps with associate piping and accessories as well as associated electrical and civil components … $576 paid
  2. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (20 May 2020). "(Elec) Tesla F20-0048 Casting Arch and associated MEP". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2020-06008). City of Fremont. Architectural and MEP for pre engineered metal canopy structure. … $6,843 paid
  3. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (11 June 2020). "(Elec) Tesla F20-0048 DCM Foundations". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2020-06344). City of Fremont. Die cast machine support skid. … $517.00 paid
  4. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (25 June 2020). "F20-0048-D TCO Platform & X-Platform". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2020-06699). City of Fremont. Install TCO Platform and X Platform at the north end of site.
  5. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (7 July 2020). "F20-0048 Drill & Tap Demo". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00126). City of Fremont. prepare existing factory for new manufacturing line. … demolish existing lighting above and below the mezzanine. … relocate existing panels … transformers and IDF cabinets that are blocking future tools to new location. … relocate compressed air header – raise elevation approximately 6’-0” (must be done before tying in for DCM1) … reroute domestic water piping (that feeds maintenance shop)
  6. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (9 July 2020). "F20-0048-F DCM2 Arch & MEP". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00297). City of Fremont. Retrieved 13 July 2020. process cooling water & natural gas piping distribution design from existing ab utility mains to new casting area outside. … new trade waste piping from the tie point inside the building to DCM2 area with pipes, pumps & accessories.
  7. (missing in sequence)
  8. (missing in sequence)
  9. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (14 July 2020). "F20-0048-I D&T Pit-Infill". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00447). City of Fremont. Structural: Pit infill and foundations for new manufacturing equipment.
  10. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (16 July 2020). "F20-0048-J Foundations #2". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00494). City of Fremont. Foundations for #2
  11. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (16 July 2020). "F20-0048-K Canopy Design and Foundations". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00496). City of Fremont. Canopy and foundation design
  12. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (16 July 2020). "F20-0048-L Furnace Platform". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00493). City of Fremont. Install TCU-Platform and X-Platform
  13. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (3 August 2020). "F20-0048-M DCM Tool Anchorage". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00972). City of Fremont. F20-0048-M DCM1 Tool Anchorage
  14. Molinar, Robert; Tesla (3 August 2020). "F20-0048-N D&T Utilities". Permitting (building permit application) (BLD2021-00971). City of Fremont. F20-0048-N Castings D&T Utilities

Further reading
  • "Giga Press: OL 5500 / 6200 CS". Idra.
  • Idra Introduces Idra OL 5500 CS (stock footage). Intro Idra Group. Idra. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2020 – via Youtube. Idra Introduces Idra OL 5500 CS … perfect die casting machine for structure parts … think big … first production Giga Press sold … welcome to the future … welcome to the Giga Press
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