Tesla Giga Berlin & Shanghai Will Soon Operate Giga Press Casting Machines, A Closer Look

Nov 5, 2020

By Eva Fox

Tesla Giga Press is a series of aluminum 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. The initial usage of a customized OL 6100 CS Giga Press is planned by Tesla for the production of the Model Y at the Fremont Factory, California. But when it comes to Giga Press, we need to talk not about the size of the machine, but about how it will help to rethink the entire production process.

The Giga Press' purpose is to “reduce build time, operation costs, costs of manufacturing, factory footprint, factory operating costs, tooling costs, and/or quantity of equipment.” Tesla notes that it will reduce the number of casting machines required to build a vehicle frame and that it could even build “a complete or substantially complete” frame itself.

FoundryPlanet took a tour in the IDRA halls in the Travagliato factory and shared a video of the giant Giga Press.

At the moment, two machines have been installed and put into operation in Fremont (#1 and #2). Also, according to unconfirmed reports, three more machines are installed in Giga Shanghai, but they are manufactured by LK Machinery. And now, IDRA is disassembling the previously made Giga Press #3 and, according to the Foundry Planet's report, soon, it "will be going on a long journey." However, we have no information on where exactly this Giga Press will be sent. Since this is a "long journey,” it is possible that machine #3 will also be installed in Fremont.

At the IDRA plant, near Giga Press #3, there is a Giga Press #4 that will be sent to Giga Berlin to produce parts for the European market Model Y. Given the speed of construction at Tesla's new factory, machine #4 will probably be delivered there as soon as the California-based company receives the final building permit from the Brandenburg government. This is expected by the end of 2020 or at the beginning of 2021.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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