My insurance is dirt cheap. Probably because of my age, number of cars and driving record. Costco Ameriprise...
Tesla installing world's largest casting machine
- Thread starter JeffKeryk
- Start date
Nice the more of you will keep oil running forever - time to get some fresh air bud!!
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Unless they develop aircraft-safe nukes (and that still doesn't solve the thrust problem) you aren't going to see the jet engine get replaced in aircraft. What you may see is change in how they are fuelled, like perhaps using biofuel or synfuels that are carbon-neutral.
More companies switching to large castings for major portions of the body-in-white.
VW “Project Trinity” allegedly will use highly automated plants to create and assemble cars using large castings.
insideevs.com
Volvo:
www.greencarreports.com
BMW apparently says NO:
Current Model Y front casting from the new Berlin plant. Cool part!
VW “Project Trinity” allegedly will use highly automated plants to create and assemble cars using large castings.
VW's Project Trinity To Use Giga-Casting & Automation To Compete With Tesla
Volkswagen is one of a few automakers hoping to top Tesla in the future. To make it happen, the company will have to revamp its manufacturing processes.
insideevs.com
Volvo:
Volvo plans Tesla-style "mega casting" for its biggest plant, as it shifts to EVs
Large single aluminum castings for major components like vehicle floor structures will lead to cost savings and a lower environmental footprint, the automaker says.
BMW apparently says NO:
Current Model Y front casting from the new Berlin plant. Cool part!
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A quick answer is that thickness can vary as needed.
Back when I was in school building hybrid car, we casted an aluminum subframe (cast from a steel one in the same shape) that is about 100lb lighter than the steel one.
You also have a lot more freedom in casting shape vs stamping steel, so that's probably where the main weight saving come from.
Impressive castings! With high volume production, these castings may make economic sense.
I still think that composites may eventually become competitive too. However, not easy to recycle.
I still think that composites may eventually become competitive too. However, not easy to recycle.
Will this make frame repair impossible for body shop?
I'll bet relatively minor damage is repairable. Whether one can safely "stretch" a twisted "cast" chassis back into shape is another matter. Generally, Aluminum is not all that willing to be worked back into shape without excess deformation or cracking. Try it sometime.
Cost savings from fewer parts and labor.
More perfect alignment. More rigid (stronger?) frame.
From DesignNews:
"Those front and rear castings each replace modules made of 70 different parts of various materials that must be fastened and sealed appropriately. Tesla has started by employing the die cast rear structure, which will be followed by the front casting and then the battery pack. Combined, the changes eliminate an amazing 370 parts, Musk said.
Not only that, but this has also streamlined Model 3 production. “There’s roughly a thousand robots on the Model 3 body line,” Musk explained in a video interview on the Munro Live YouTube channel. “You want fewer things, not more. We got rid of 300 robots, just with that rear body casting. When we go to the front body casting, we’ll get rid of another 300 robots.”
We will have to wait and see, but I expect other car manufacturers invest in such casting tools. Tesla's margins and fast build times far exceed their competition.
^ Bingo on the labor aspect. 
I’m still baffled that people think EVs are some big gov’t conspiracy. It almost exclusively comes down to labor costs. Years ago it was estimated EVs cut labor by 30%. It seems that’s even bigger now.
Latest estimates are that Tesla is down to 10 hours labor on the double-casting Model Ys in Berlin. VW is at 18 hours for the Tiguan in Germany. Toyota allegedly says 17-18 hours for a “well appointed” ICE car/truck/SUV.
Manufacturers would love to get rid of 30% (or more) of their assembly workers so their profits go up, it’s as simple as that.
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/IAJI3GLARZPGHLDYS6IZ42KYUY.jpg)
www.reuters.com
insideevs.com
axleaddict.com
I’m still baffled that people think EVs are some big gov’t conspiracy. It almost exclusively comes down to labor costs. Years ago it was estimated EVs cut labor by 30%. It seems that’s even bigger now.Latest estimates are that Tesla is down to 10 hours labor on the double-casting Model Ys in Berlin. VW is at 18 hours for the Tiguan in Germany. Toyota allegedly says 17-18 hours for a “well appointed” ICE car/truck/SUV.
Manufacturers would love to get rid of 30% (or more) of their assembly workers so their profits go up, it’s as simple as that.
Focus: Giga-casting and robots: How Volkswagen's Trinity aims to catch up with Tesla
As Tesla kicks off production at its new German plant this month, Volkswagen is weeks away from finalising plans for a 2 billion euro ($2.2 billion) electric vehicle (EV) factory that it hopes will bring it up to speed with its U.S. rival.
www.reuters.com
VW's Project Trinity To Use Giga-Casting & Automation To Compete With Tesla
Volkswagen is one of a few automakers hoping to top Tesla in the future. To make it happen, the company will have to revamp its manufacturing processes.
How Long Does It Take to Make a Car?
How long does it take to assemble a car, including multiple coats of paint, the interior, wiring, and electronics—12 hours? 24 hours? 48 hours? Who does it faster? Henry Ford in the 1920s? Or a factory full of computer-controlled high-speed robots? Let's take a look.
axleaddict.com
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I toured NUMMI twice. Toyota believed that people were better than robots because they can be trained for many jobs. They used robotics for jobs that were to monotonous or dangerous for humans.
Musk found out in 2018 that over use of robotics can bankrupt a company.
Musk found out in 2018 that over use of robotics can bankrupt a company.
It is an age old debate of fixed cost vs variable cost. Robots need a lot of fine tuning to get right but once automation kicks in things becomes cheaper per unit. Human can have high labor cost but are flexible (can be laid off, retrained faster, more flexible with the right management, etc) and less initial huge investment that may never recoup.
The future is always a combination of the two.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Cast parts also like to break when struck, vs a bend on non-cast parts, so repair will definitely be an interesting topic once these become more common.
Yes, many of us have dented an oil pan in a bit of off road fun. Those of us with aluminum pans ended up with no oil....
However, the ductility of a quality casting really depends on the alloy. I've melted down aluminum sheet metal scraps for some backyard castings, and the castings were every bit as ductile as the sheet metal. I could bend the "ears" of the castings without any cracks.
Goooodness those castings are massive. Chrysler held the “largest casting” crown for a long time with the Gen IV (?) town and countries, but it was nothing compared to those. Zero torsional chassis flex? If one somehow gets crumpled and there’s a survivor trapped under a bent flap, extrication could be difficult, that is if one could survive the kind of impact that would cause the deformation.
