On the latest Cyberturck off-road wagon, Tesla uses 9,000-ton one-piece die-casting technology.
Not long ago, at Xiaomi's automotive technology conference, Lei Jun also focused on the 9100-ton super die-casting machine.
Lei Jun introduced the 9100-ton super large die-casting machine
This is a drop in the bucket more than Tesla's 9,000-ton die-casting machine.
New energy vehicle companies are in the volume configuration on the surface, but they have long been in the volume manufacturing process behind the scenes.
The large die-casting machine is undoubtedly the "big country" of automobile manufacturing.
How did China become the world's first?
At the end of 2022, Tesla announced that it would use the Giga Press, a 9,000-ton large-tonnage die-casting machine, to produce the core components of its pickup truck/SUV models.
Tesla flapped its wings for the first time, and then a storm of scramble for a big die-casting machine came.
The major new car-making forces have come down one after another.
Last year, the benchmark was 9,000 tons of large die-casting machines, and Xiaomi directly caught up with 9,100 tons.
Less than 48 hours after this "super large die-casting" became the world's first, Xpeng announced that the 12,000-ton integrated die-casting it used was the world's first, and played a clear card in advance - it will develop a larger 16,000-ton large die-casting machine.
Xpeng 12,000 tons of integrated die-casting machine
The latter was launched in February this year.
Nezha Automobile did not show weakness, and joined hands with a technology company to jointly develop an integrated die-casting machine of more than 20,000 tons.
Chery Automobile followed suit and wanted to build the world's first large-scale die-casting machine with a double injection molding process of over 10,000 tons.
Apple's mobile phone used to be bigger than bigger has become a reality in the new energy vehicle track, and the die-casting machine in the eyes of car companies is not the largest, only bigger.
Why is the car company's obsession with die-casting machines so crazy?
It's because there are so many benefits.
First of all, of course, to improve production efficiency.
Large die casting machines are capable of creating larger, more complex parts in a single pass, reducing the multiple operations and time required for traditional stamping and welding.
Secondly, it can reduce costs.
Monolithic molding technology reduces the number of components, reduces weight, and also reduces the number of connection points between components.
For example, under the action of a 9,000-ton die-casting machine, the M9 dies casts 222 parts into 10 integrated parts.
This means that the integrated die casting shop requires very few operators, and the factory footprint is reduced due to the simplification of the production process.
These all greatly reduce manufacturing costs.
In addition, the aluminum alloy material used in integrated die-casting can be repeatedly smelted, which improves the recycling rate of materials, and the material utilization rate can reach more than 90% compared with traditional stamping parts.
For example, ZEEKR 009 adopts an integrated die-casting dragonfly structure in the middle of the vehicle, which can reduce 16 parts and 66 connection points compared with traditional welding, and achieve 7% weight reduction of the vehicle.
Corresponding to the subsequent seat installation, the stiffness is increased by an average of 18%.
Integrated die-casting technology makes cars lighter, stronger, and safer.
The dragonfly structure in the middle of ZEEKR 009
Reduce costs and increase efficiency, save pure profits, and give an account to shareholders; reduce car prices to increase competitiveness, and fight a bloody way to survive in the blood red of the price war, and give an account to the enterprise.
Whoever is the boss of a car company will embrace a large die-casting machine at the speed of light.
The benefits of die casting machines don't stop there.
The integrated die casting parts are more evenly stressed, which can provide better body rigidity and safety, and improve product performance.
At the same time, aluminum alloy parts help to reduce the weight of the body, thereby improving the endurance of new energy vehicles.
Safer and better cars, this also explains to consumers.
Integrated die casting also reduces the number of parts that need to be managed in the process, optimizes logistics and inventory management, and simplifies supply chain management.
The application of large die-casting machines has promoted the development of new materials and processes, such as the use of heat-free materials, which further improves production efficiency and product performance.
Supply chain management and industrial R&D personnel in the new energy vehicle industry will also applaud.
It's really touching the whole body.
Bigger is better, big die casting machines, is reshaping the automotive manufacturing industry.
The large die-casting machine that makes new energy vehicles compete has a history of more than 200 years.
Originally, die-casting machines were used to make movable type and do printing.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the world's printing industry developed greatly.
1805,美国人Elihu White 和William Wing发明了早期的铸字机。
The advent of hot chamber die casting machines half a century later, although still primarily for the production of movable type, marked the beginning of a "golden age" of die casting technology.
Die-casting machine from the mid-19th century
The hot chamber die-casting machine has simple structure, convenient operation and high production efficiency, and is widely used in die-casting of low-melting alloys.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the demand for die casting of alloys with high melting points increased as the field of application continued to expand, which gave the opportunity for the development of cold chamber die casting machines.
The cold chamber die-casting machine has wide adaptability, high injection pressure, easy to realize automatic production, and is more widely used in automobiles, motorcycles, 3C products and other fields.
Later, magnesium alloy die-casting machines and semi-solid magnesium alloy die-casting machines were also developed, which are specially used to handle the die-casting of special alloys such as magnesium aluminum alloys.
Until today, the mainstream die-casting machines are roughly these four categories.
Although the classification is different, the principle of the die-casting machine is roughly the same, which is composed of various parts such as the clamping mechanism, the injection mechanism, the hydraulic system and the power control system.
Under the working condition, the molten metal is filled into the mold cavity at high speed under high pressure, and solidified into the desired casting under pressure.
Working principle of semi-solid magnesium alloy die casting machine
In addition to the automotive industry, die-casting machines also play a role in home appliances, medical, photovoltaics, electromechanical, tools, building materials and other fields.
Alloy products such as the middle frame and shell of digital products such as mobile phones, notebooks, digital cameras, and tablet computers are made of soft metal materials such as aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy after die-casting and then precision machining.
In the aerospace sector, the advantages of oversized die casting machines are matched by the need for casting structural components to meet the requirements of high strength, light weight, and high corrosion resistance at the same time.
For example, the rotating wing spars of a new generation of short-range passenger aircraft developed by an airline are produced in a super-large die-casting machine, which is light in weight, high in rigidity, beautiful in shape and high in safety.
Die-casting parts used in civil airliners
From the national economy to the people's livelihood, the large die-casting machine is a proper big country.
The application of die-casting technology in China started late.
In the 50s of the 20th century, the mainland's first domestic fully hydraulic transmission cold chamber die-casting machine came out.
Today's cold chamber die casting machines
In the 80s of the last century, with the help of the east wind of reform and opening up, as well as the rapid development of hardware, motorcycles, watches and other industries, die-casting production enterprises ushered in a broad space for development.
In the early stage of development, China's high-end die-casting industry was once "stuck" because some high-end die-casting machines and their related supporting technologies were still controlled in the hands of Germany, Japan, the United States and other countries.
With the emphasis on scientific and technological innovation and the development of high-end equipment manufacturing industry, through independent research and development and technological innovation, Continental has gradually solved the problem of R&D and manufacturing of core components of die-casting machines.
In October last year, China's first true three-shaft six-sided top hydraulic press jointly developed by Southern University of Science and Technology and Guilin Guiye Machinery Co., Ltd. officially rolled off the assembly line in Baoshan High-end Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park in Guilin Economic and Technological Development Zone, breaking the blockade of foreign technology.
Scene of the installation of a true three-shaft six-sided top hydraulic press
The successful research and development of heat-free aluminum alloy materials has also broken the foreign monopoly, improved the elongation of the material, and reduced the cost.
Coupled with the synergy of high-quality castings, digital intelligence, green casting and other technologies, China's die-casting machine is in the forefront of the world in the core technology fields such as design level, technical parameters, performance indicators, mechanical structure, etc., with significant market competitiveness, low dependence on external technology, and a safer die-casting machine industry chain.
Based on the core technology and the vigorous development of the new energy vehicle industry, the tonnage of the mainland die-casting machine has continued to set a new record in the past two years.
Earlier, many die-cast alloy parts were used in the automotive field, such as engine blocks, automobile transmission housings and other complex aluminum alloy parts are die-casting, but the tonnage of die-casting machines used in traditional automobile aluminum castings is basically less than 4,000 tons.
The rapid rise of new energy vehicles and the growing demand for lightweight and high-performance die castings have directly promoted the development of large-scale die casting machines.
In order to meet the demand for die-casting for new energy vehicles, various die-casting machine companies have spared no effort to bring forth the new, and the tonnage of die-casting machines is also increasing.
At present, there are only a handful of equipment manufacturers in the world with a manufacturing capacity of more than 6,000 tons of ultra-large die-casting machines, namely LK Group, Swiss Buhler, Haitian Metal and Yizumi.
With the exception of Bühler in Switzerland, the remaining three are all Chinese companies.
IN 2022, IDRA, ITALY, A SUBSIDIARY OF LK GROUP, MANUFACTURED THE GIGA PRESS 9000T ULTRA-LARGE DIE-CASTING MACHINE, WHICH WAS THE LARGEST AT THAT TIME, AND DELIVERED IT TO TESLA'S TEXAS FACTORY.
Last year, Tesla ordered three more 9000T ultra-large die-casting machines from LK Group.
In the same year, LK also provided Volvo with two 9000T ultra-large die-casting machines.
The GIGA PRESS 9000T ultra-large die-casting machine ordered by Tesla
At present, the world's largest mass-produced die-casting machine should be the 16000T integrated die-casting machine jointly developed by Xpeng and LK.
The localization of integrated die-casting technology has greatly accelerated the popularization of large-scale die-casting machines, and promoted the die-casting machine industry and upstream and downstream industries to form a close and complete industrial chain.
You and I help each other to take technological progress to the next level.
In February this year, the "integrated die-casting overall solution" developed by mainland China was successfully implemented by CITIC Dicastal, a subsidiary of CITIC Group.
This solution can highly integrate the design of 98 auto parts and complete the production and processing at one time.
The heavy-duty integrated casting frame produced by this solution has a lighter dead weight and a stronger load-bearing capacity.
The integrated die-casting project of CITIC Dicastal has been put into production
Of course, compared with the die-casting machine technology of old capitalist countries such as Bühler in Switzerland, Fulai in Germany, and Toshiba in Japan, there is still room for improvement in the die-casting machine of Continental.
First of all, software, at present, the control system and precision hydraulic system of some domestic high-end die-casting machines still need to be imported.
The second is the foundation of relevant basic science, the accumulation of new materials, intelligence, automation and energy efficiency management, etc., and there is still a gap between the mainland and the most advanced technology.
Finally, the brand value, if China's die-casting machine wants to really go to the international market, the brand influence and international market share must also be overcome.
If you want to cross this hurdle, the strongest help comes from domestic new energy vehicles.
The 20,000+ tonnage die-casting equipment developed by Nezha Automobile and LK as mentioned earlier can realize the integrated die-casting of larger sizes such as the unprecedented B-class car chassis manufacturing, which will break the industry record.
At that point, it would take a minute or two to build a skateboard chassis.
The large die-casting machine is a real big country, representing the future industrial development trend, which will replace the current stamping and welding process on a large scale and optimize the efficiency and quality of industrialization.
The iterative update of China's die-casting technology not only promotes the development and manufacturing of large-scale die-casting machines in mainland China, but also improves the level of China's manufacturing.
In the future, there must be a larger tonnage and better performance of China's large die-casting machine.