They say things are bigger in Texas—and that certainly holds true for Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory and the giant IDRA Giga Press casting machines that will be used there to stamp body components for Model Y.
Tesla put its first Giga Press into operation at the Fremont factory in 2020. Made by the Italian firm Idra, it has a clamping force of 55,000 to 61,000 kilonewtons (5,600 to 6,200 tons of force). The company uses it to produce front and rear underbody castings for Model Y. Tesla has replaced assemblies that consisted of as many as 70 different parts with two or three huge castings, simplifying the manufacturing process and saving tons of money.
Tesla has begun deploying the giant casting machines at its other Gigafactories. Now Tesla-watcher Jeff Roberts (via Electrek) has taken some drone shots at Gigafactory Texas that show another Idra Giga Press being delivered—this is believed to be the fourth Giga Press deployed at the Texas Gig.
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Model Y production is expected to start any day now at Gigafactory Texas, and it’s beginning to appear that this will feature both front and rear single-piece castings, perhaps with the new structural battery pack in between.
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This article originally appeared in Charged. Author: Charles Morris. Source: Electrek; Documentary video footage: Idra Group
Source: Evannex