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Tesla shows the way: How gigapresses are changing car manufacturing
Summary
New Manufacturing
Instead of many individual body parts, gigantic die-casting machines are used to cast and press rear and front parts of 
vehicles. This makes car production faster and more profitable in the long run.
Tesla is thus able to achieve high profit margins and massively lower the prices for its e-cars, as happened recently.
The front and rear cars pressed in one pass replace around 60 individual parts. The vehicle underbodies are then assembled with the battery packs to form chassis. The Giga presses save 300 robots per element on the Model Y, which would otherwise have to assemble smaller parts for the front and rear frames. This can reduce costs by up to 40 per cent.
IDRA
which was taken over by the Chinese LK Industries in 2008, has been developing these monstrous machines since 2016. The latest and largest so far has the dimensions of a small house and a clamping force of 9000 tonnes. The press jaws are as big as delivery vans.
Traditional
Pic: Volvo
Traditional carmakers have already largely automated body construction. In view of rising raw material prices, the pressure for further production advances is now increasing. That is why carmakers like Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai, Volvo Cars and the Chinese electric vehicle start-up Nio are turning to manufacturers like IDRA. Volkswagen, however, has refrained from using the technology in its flagship Trinity after first considering it. BMW has so far shown no interest.
Quality risks
A single error in...
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New Manufacturing
Instead of many individual body parts, gigantic die-casting machines are used to cast and press rear and front parts of vehicles. This makes car production faster and more profitable in the long run.
Tesla is thus able to achieve high profit margins and massively lower the prices for its e-cars, as happened recently.
The front and rear cars pressed in one pass replace around 60 individual parts. The vehicle underbodies are then assembled with the battery packs to form chassis. The Giga presses save 300 robots per element on the Model Y, which would otherwise have to assemble smaller parts for the front and rear frames. This can reduce costs by up to 40 per cent.
IDRA
which was taken over by the Chinese LK Industries in 2008, has been developing these monstrous machines since 2016. The latest and largest so far has the dimensions of a small house and a clamping force of 9000 tonnes. The press jaws are as big as delivery vans.
Traditional
Pic: Volvo
Traditional carmakers have already largely automated body construction. In view of rising raw material prices, the pressure for further production advances is now increasing. That is why carmakers like Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai, Volvo Cars and the Chinese electric vehicle start-up Nio are turning to manufacturers like IDRA. Volkswagen, however, has refrained from using the technology in its flagship Trinity after first considering it. BMW has so far shown no interest.
Quality risks
A single error in production can endanger an entire module. There are also very high investments, which can run into the three-digit millions. For them to pay off, they would have to run for two vehicle generations, or currently probably about ten years. That makes production inflexible.
Moreover, repairing such a car is expensive. If the one-piece front or rear end is damaged, these models will require an elaborate repair concept.
Next
In 2019, Tesla applied for a patent for a giant machine that would produce the load-bearing frame of an electric car from one piece. In mid-January 2021, Musk wrote on Twitter that the plan was to use giga-presses to produce complete cars in the same way that toys are otherwise produced.
Details
Sources
Written by Carmupedia Editorial Office
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