Watch: World’s Largest Casting Machine in Action at Tesla’s Fremont Factory





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Originally published on Tesla OracleEV Annex.

There’s a reason why Tesla calls it a Giga Casting machine. The giant apparatus seen in the following video is the world’s biggest of its kind.

Robots attached to the Tesla Giga Casting Machine at work (Source: Tesla)

Currently, there are multiple Giga Casting machines installed and functioning at Tesla’s Fremont factory. These machines were first seen in a drone video shoot prior to Tesla’s Battery Day. Later, Tesla provided an inside look that gives us an idea of how these massive mechanical giants work.

Due to the lack of space inside the Fremont factory floor, Tesla has installed these machines out in an open area on the factory premises. These machines are being used to produce Model Y’s front and rear underbody single-piece castings — a solution that has expedited Tesla vehicle production and lowered the cost of manufacturing.

Tesla’s Model Y production efforts at Gigafactory Shanghai also take advantage of these Giga Casting machines. Therefore, Tesla’s Made-in-China Model Ys are also made with the single-piece die-casts underbody.

Tesla Giga Casting Machines at Gigafactory Shanghai.Tesla Model Y Giga die-cast machines at Gigafactory Shanghai, China (Source: Tesla Q4 2020 results report)

Tesla Gigafactory Berlin will have eight of these Giga Casting machines, the most any of the Gigafactories around the world have (or will have) in the near future. Although, it’s certainly possible we could be surprised at Giga Austin.

Giga Berlin will be kicking off Model Y production this year, creating competition in the European midsize SUV and EV markets at the same time. Tesla Model Y prices in Europe are expected to be reduced as local production begins to ramp up.

In addition, Elon Musk recently hinted that Tesla is working on an even bigger casting machine that will cast the entire car’s frame in a single piece.



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Iqtidar Ali

Iqtidar Ali writes for X Auto about Tesla and electric vehicles. A true car enthusiast since his childhood, he covers his stories with an utmost passion, which is now guided by the mission towards sustainability. He also writes about tech stuff at UXTechPlus.com occasionally. Iqtidar can easily be reached on Twitter @IqtidarAlii (DM open for tips, feedback or a friendly message) or via email: iqtidar@xautoworld.com.

Iqtidar Ali has 165 posts and counting. See all posts by Iqtidar Ali