Giga Press
The Giga Press program is a series of aluminium die casting machines manufactured for Tesla, initially by Idra Group in Italy. Idra presses were the largest high-pressure die casting machines in production as of 2020, with a clamping force of 55,000 to 61,000 kilonewtons (5,600 to 6,200 tf). Each machine weighs 410–430 tonnes (900,000–950,000 lb).
| Giga Press | |
|---|---|
Die Casting Machine #2 at Tesla Factory, Fremont, 2020 | |
| Classification | High-pressure die-casting (HPDC) |
| Industry | Metal casting |
| Application | Car chassis production |
| Dimensions | 19.5 m × 5.9 m × 5.3 m 64 by 19 by 17 feet |
| Weight | 410–430 tonnes 900,000–950,000 lb |
| Fuel source | Electric |
| Powered |
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| Invented | ~2018 |
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Base specification Giga Press machines were included in Idra's catalogue in 2018. Tesla began using a custom OL 6100 CS Giga Press in late-2020 for the production of chassis parts for the Tesla Model Y.
Shots of molten aluminium weighing 80 kilograms (180 lb) are injected into the cold-chamber casting mold with a velocity of 10 metres per second (22 mph; 36 km/h). The cycle time is ~80‒90 seconds, allowing an initial output rate of 40‒45 completed castings per hour, or ~1,000 castings per day.