The future of the automotive industry, as largely envisioned by Tesla and its founder Elon Musk, requires savings in production systems, time and, above all, money. At least it shows in the giant presses that use multiple factories in imitation of the all-electric California auto industry. So by replacing about 60 welded parts in one block, the giant aluminum casting machines (also known as giant presses) made by Tesla’s Italian supplier IDRA Group are helping automakers simplify production and cut costs by up to 40% in some cases. It is worth noting that it was Tesla who first used huge casting machines for the manufacture of large individual parts of the bottom, optimizing production and reducing labor costs even for robots. The combination of the above factors has helped it become the most profitable manufacturer of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Critics argue that this process poses quality and flexibility risks, as a single defect can compromise the entire vehicle (which is not disassembled), making repairs much more difficult if something goes wrong.

Automakers using huge machines can cut the investment needed to build a chassis by 40%.

But as the industry struggles to maintain profits amid rising commodity prices, automakers like Japan’s Toyota, America’s General Motors, South Korea’s Hyundai, Swedish-Chinese Volvo Cars and China’s electric car startup Nio are turning to companies like IDRA for help. . “The main idea was to provide a technology that could simplify the process of making cars,” said IDRA CEO Riccardo Ferrari in an interview with Reuters news agency at the company’s headquarters in Travagliato, northern Italy. Batteries make up 25-40% of the total cost of vehicles today. Automakers using aluminum die-casting machines claim they can cut the investment required to build the chassis, which is the second most expensive vehicle component after the engine, by 40% and the average cost of components by 30%. .

“This is the way to finally make electric vehicles accessible to everyone,” he added. IDRA, which was acquired by Chinese conglomerate LK Industries in 2008, has been manufacturing large presses since 2016. Competitors of IDRA and LK are Buhler Group in Europe, Ube Corp. and Shibaura Machine in Japan, and Yizumi and Haitian in China. Casting of metals and plastics is widely used in manufacturing, but its application to large aluminum body parts in the automotive industry is relatively new. Finally, the global aluminum casting market is reported to be worth nearly $73 billion last year and is projected to top $126 billion by 2032, according to an analysis by AlixPartners based on data from Apollo Reports.