MANUFACTURING MAKEOVERS
GIGACASTING—GAME CHANGER OR EXPENSIVE EXPERIMENT?
Story by Sarah Perkins
Raghunandan Gurumurthy, industrial engineering expert and director at Crossover Solutions, reveals that Tesla’s gigacasting of the Model Y since late 2020 cut 370 parts and reduced rear costs by 40 percent.
TESLA TRIALS TECH
Tesla specifically began using a custom OL6100 CS Gigapress in late 2020 for integrated die-casting production of chassis parts. During this process, shots of molten aluminum weighing 80 kilograms were injected into a cold-chamber casting mold with a velocity of 10 metres per second, or 36 kilometers per hour.
Putting a vehicle together is no small task; from bolts and fasteners to highly sensitive electronic components and increasingly lightweight materials, today’s vehicles are a modern jigsaw puzzle with around 30,000 separate parts. With manufacturers increasingly looking to grapple with enhanced vehicle sustainability and the ongoing technification of onboard systems, questions of updated production and assembly have also become central within the automotive industry.
And, while automakers have adopted a variety of solutions to the question of how to streamline the production process of the modern vehicle, for many, the answer to tackling the assembly of 30,000 parts into one cohesive ride is one of equally large proportions: gigacasting. Gigacasting, or megacasting, has emerged as a technology that aims to reimagine how vehicles are produced through a process that involves the use of large-scale die casting machines to create significant components of a vehicle in one piece, rather than assembling multiple smaller parts. Using molten aluminum, the vehicle chassis and other structural components are manufactured in one continuous pour into pre-set molds.
In most cases, aluminum is the material of choice for gigacasting due to its lightweight properties, strength and resistance to corrosion. Additionally, during the manufacturing process, gigacasting facilities also often employ advanced automation and robotics to handle high-speed production. Automated systems are capable of managing everything from the handling of raw materials to the casting, cooling and quality control of the finished product.
And, while the technology is attributed to Tesla, it is now used by other automotive companies such as Toyota. Raghunandan Gurumurthy, a global expert in industrial engineering and director of North American operations at Crossover Solutions and Forbes business council member, released in a report that “when Tesla first began gigacasting the Model Y in late 2020, it reduced the number of total parts in the vehicle by 370. Further, the automaker reported a 40 percent cost reduction for the rear of the Model Y using the technology.”
“A comparison of manufacturing methods for producing 100,000 rear underbody units per year,” Gurumurthy continued, “reveals that steel stamping and joining require $2.3 million to $3.4 million in equipment and tooling, while aluminum gigacasting needs a $6 million high-pressure die-casting machine (HPDC) and $1.2 million to $1.5 million in tooling. However, gigacasting also achieves 27.8 doable jobs per hour versus 24.4 for steel stamping, while also reducing labour costs and indirect costs. With reduced complexity, there are fewer parts to be made, simplifying assembly and quality control processes and requiring fewer operations on the production line.”
For experts such as Gurumurthy, “while gigacasting uses more expensive materials ($151 to $226 for gigacasting versus $75.6 for steel), the overall cost benefits are substantial, and changing mold designs offers more flexible options than modifying hundreds of parts in a complex supply chain.”
GIGA POTENTIAL
Despite the high upfront costs, there are many potential benefits to the gigacasting process:
Reduced Complexity: By consolidating multiple components into a single part, gigacasting minimizes the complexity of assembly. This simplification leads to shorter production times and reduced labour costs. Weight Reduction: The ability to create large, lightweight components contributes to overall vehicle weight reduction. Lighter vehicles require less energy to operate, resulting in improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Moreover, with the ongoing push for electric vehicles, the ability to create lighter vehicles helps to offset the heavier weights that come with incorporating high-voltage batteries.
Enhanced Structural Integrity: Because gigacasting creates components with fewer joints and welds, this has the potential to enhance structural integrity and durability. This reduction in joints also decreases the likelihood of failure in order to improve vehicle safety.
Cost Efficiency: While the initial investment in gigacasting technology can be significant, the long-term cost savings from reduced assembly labour, lower material waste and enhanced production speeds can offset these expenses in the long run.
However, it should be noted that when first installed or when done incorrectly, the potential for incorrect or damaged castings is high and so, equally the potential for material waste.
TALKS WITH TOYOTA
Collision Repair reached out to Toyota’s manufacturing department to see how the automaker has approached gigacasting. Here, the automaker specifically highlighted how it sees the adoption of gigacasting as allowing for “significant component integration, which contributes to the reduction of vehicle development costs and factory investment.”
For Toyota, the gigacasting process is one in which, “on the manufacturing axis, the car body is constructed from three main components in a new modular structure.” These three main components are designed “for greater variety in the types of vehicles to be designed and produced.” And, as with other production processes, “Toyota’s gigacasting technology features aluminum die-casting which eliminates many parts and processes.” While the technology “requires the periodic replacement of casting molds, which typically takes around 24 hours, Toyota has been able to significantly reduce this changeover time by leveraging its knowhow in engine manufacturing—including low pressure molding and die-casting. Tapping into this knowledge has allowed Toyota’s engineers to develop an optimally shaped mold that enables replacement in just 20 minutes. The main idea around our gigacasting efforts is to find the best balance between cost (fewer pieces) and repairability (many pieces).”
As a result, while gigacasting has the potential to simplify the automotive manufacturing process and reduce material use, as with all up-andcoming technologies, its future is one that is still migrating from over the horizon. The advantages—such as reduced complexity, weight savings, and improved structural integrity—are compelling, yet the technology faces significant hurdles. High upfront costs and the risk of material waste present ongoing challenges for manufacturers considering its adoption. While companies like Tesla and Toyota are leading the way, the broader industry must navigate potential pitfalls, including the reliability of largescale casting processes and the implications for existing supply chains. The promise of gigacasting as an innovative approach is undeniable, but only time will tell if it can truly reshape the landscape of vehicle production as envisioned. After all, when it comes to casting new technologies, it’s always a matter of getting the right mold for success.
