4 ms·
I'm pretty sure the machine in question is the giga press. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giga_Press https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giga_Press One of the larges
by xeromal 6y ago
I'm pretty sure the machine in question is the giga press.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giga_Press https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giga_Press
One of the largest pressing machines in the world. I think it currently presses 1/3 of the frame of a model y but they're hoping to press an entire model Y frame eventually.
- userbinator 6y ago"press" is a bit of a misnomer, as it actually does die casting.
- edoceo 6y agoDie cast? Just like Matchbox!
- JohnJamesRambo 6y agoThank you for this I was trying to figure out what was being pressed exactly. What is special about the GigaPress die casting?
- Robotbeat 6y agoBeing able to make large, complex parts in seconds to high tolerances. A way cheaper way to make a car if you figure it out.
- gibolt 6y agoInjection apparently happens in milliseconds, which is crazy at the scale of half a car.
- baybal2 6y ago> Being able to make large, complex parts in seconds to high tolerances. You don't get that high tolerances with casting the bigger you go. Thermal warpage needs correction, and there is only so much you can correct. But the machine in question is used for a process much closer to injection molding than casting. MIM is somewhat better with warpage
- HPsquared 6y agoIt's all relative, the basis for comparison is a standard automotive structure: stamped steel parts welded together.
- baybal2 6y agoStamped steel is excellent on manufacturability, warpage, and speed of manufacturing included. The industry after all spent a century working with it. Aluminium alloys bring along own problems, but otherwise unbeatable on weight even if very weight inefficient methods are used, like casting. It's a very complicated compromise even if economics is not involved.
- Robotbeat 6y agoCorrect, this isn’t mere casting. It is die casting, with really good surface finish (which matters for strength) and good tolerances once you iteratively take warpage into account. And a big reason they didn’t use this in the past is you’d get bubbles which reduce strength dramatically. But improvements in process tech and ability to use X-rays to do fast, non-destructive evaluation allows near-forged material properties. Better than castings of years past.
- bathtub365 6y agoIs this intended to fix the misaligned body panels I constantly see on other Tesla models?
- jbay808 6y agoLargest in the world? It's 1/10th the pressure of the Mesta / Alcoa 50,000, which itself is still far from the largest... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoa_50,000_ton_forging_press https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoa_50,000_ton_forging_pre...
- Hypocritelefty 6y agoTesla shills in here lol
- xeromal 6y agoWhat's the requirement for being a shill? Liking something and talking about it?
- baybal2 6y agoIt's an injection molding machine actually, not a real forge, or a press.