The Giga Press is a state-of-the-art die casting machine developed by engineers Fiorenzo Dioni and Richard Oberle. This machine, designed specifically for the production of production of electric vehiclespromises to advance the automotive industry by minimizing waste, energy consumption and carbon emissions in the manufacturing process.
How does the Giga Press work?
Traditionally, vehicle vehicle production required assembling large lower parts from multiple individual castings. The Giga Press, recognized as the world’s largest high-pressure aluminum die casting machine, represents a significant change by allowing the creation of only two or three large parts for the underside of a vehicle. This greatly simplifies the complex assembly process and improves production efficiency.
The process begins with the smelting of the aluminumwhich is kept in a liquid state inside the Giga Press furnaces. During operation, the patented 5S (Strong, Simple, Stable, Smooth and Sustainable) injection system injects more than 100 kg of molten aluminum into the mold at a speed of 10 m/s.
A 4000 liter vacuum tank eliminates air bubbles, thus solving the common problem of gas bubbles in the castings. Once the metal has cooled and solidified, the castings are trimmed and examined by X-ray. X-rays and advanced and advanced software to ensure their quality.
This process can be repeated every 120 seconds, allowing the production of 500 parts in three eight-hour shifts.
Giga Press reduces car underbody production time and emissions. Source: European Patent Office via YouTube
Dioni and Oberle transform the smelter
Fiorenzo Dioni, who has been part of IDRA since 1995 and assumed the role of chief engineer in 2009, has led the development of the Giga since 2016. Meanwhile, Richard Oberle, who returned to IDRA as a consultant in 2016, contributed the innovative 5S injection system.
This system recycles the hydraulic fluid to reduce waste and ensure that mold parts stay together during the filling process. Recent improvements to the casting machine have reduced waste and energy consumption and also lowered carbon emissions, producing more consistent and economical parts.
The Giga Press also recycles aluminum trimmings, reintegrating them into the melting process. melting process. This has spurred a wave of innovation in the automotive industry, with IDRA’s competitors exploring similar approaches. Although the press was created for the production of electric vehicles, Dioni claims that it can also manufacture structural components for gasoline-powered cars without inconvenience.
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Source and photo: epo.org
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