Gigacasting & Large-Scale Die Casting
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- Technology Area
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High-pressure aluminum die-casting of very large single-piece structural vehicle components (also megacasting, hypercasting, unicasting). Typical presses 6,000–9,000 tons locking force; consolidates stampings/welds for EV lightweighting. Tesla pioneered three-piece chassis with structural battery pack between front/rear castings (eliminating 350+ stamped parts on Model Y lineage). Equipment suppliers include Bühler (Carat series), IDRA, and LK Machinery.
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Gigacasting & Large-Scale Die Casting
Ford Louisville 9,000-ton Bühler gigacast install underway
Luca Greco (Aug 21, 2026) reported that installation of Tesla-style 9,000-ton Bühler gigacasting machines was underway at Ford Louisville (he wrote Louiseville) as part of a $2 billion overhaul. Machines are for large single-piece aluminum Unicastings that form the Fathom front and rear structure. Fathom is the first Universal EV platform vehicle, priced under $30,000; prototype builds with production-qualified tooling targeted Q1 2027. Greco is a gigacasting analyst, not Ford first-party /X/.
Ford deploys unicasting for affordable EV truck platform
Business Insider reported Ford would use unicasting on its affordable EV pickup, two front and rear body parts versus 147 on the Maverick. Alan Clarke said the structure would be about 27% lighter than the best on the market. Tesla had used large aluminum castings in production since 2020 /Business Insider/.
Honda installs six Bühler Carat 610 presses (Anna, OH)
ASSEMBLY Magazine reported Honda had installed six Bühler Carat 610 presses at its Anna, Ohio engine plant for two-part battery enclosures joined by friction stir welding for next-generation Honda and Acura EVs. The same survey said Bühler had sold more than 50 Carat machines and that Chinese OEMs were already gigacasting front or rear modules in production /ASSEMBLY Magazine/.
Ford announces Universal EV Production System / assembly tree
tore up the moving assembly line. Official: assembly tree of three parallel sub-assemblies + unicastings; ~$2B LAP retool; $5B with BlueOval Michigan; first midsize EV truck 2027 /Ford From the Road/.
Ford and Hyundai order IDRA Giga Presses (R&D)
Reuters reported a Ford-branded IDRA gigapress 6,100 under test at Travagliato and a Hyundai 9,000-ton press, both initially for R&D, plus a European premium OEM for two 9,000-ton machines. IDRA had shipped 14 presses to Tesla and signed 25 orders with 21 already produced /Reuters/.
Reuters — IDRA gigapresses and Ferrario on industry adoption
From Travagliato, Reuters said IDRA-class gigapresses replace about 60 welded parts with one module and can cut costs up to 40%. IDRA GM Riccardo Ferrario said the firm had been developing gigapresses since 2016, had contracts with three automakers and three Tier-1s, and bet 80% of automakers would use gigapresses on new BEV platforms by 2035. Toyota, GM, Hyundai, Volvo, and Nio were turning to the process; VW had backtracked on Trinity and BMW had shown no interest. Tesla ran gigapresses at all plants, including Grünheide, and Musk had said the first 9,000-ton press was for Cybertruck /Reuters/.
Tesla Cybertruck 9,000-ton Giga Press (IDRA)
InsideEVs reported IDRA assembling a 9,000-ton Giga Press and Musk confirming it for the Cybertruck body, versus a 6,000-ton press on Model Y. Reuters later said IDRA had shipped 14 presses to Tesla, including two 9,000-ton machines for Cybertruck at Austin /InsideEVs/ /Reuters/.
Giga Texas Model Y deliveries and Cyber Rodeo
Tesla's Q1 2022 update said Model Y deliveries from Austin began in April 2022 and that the Cyber Rodeo opening party delivered the first vehicles with in-house 4680 cells, single-piece front body castings, and structural battery packs /Tesla / U.S. SEC Exhibit 99.1 (8-K 2022-04-20)/.
Musk presents Model Y single-piece castings at Battery Day
Tesla held Battery Day on 22 September 2020 after the annual shareholder meeting. Tesmanian reported Tesla showed a giant casting machine making the Model Y rear underbody in one piece, cutting parts and manufacturing cost about 40 percent, plus a front one-piece casting and a high-strength alloy that does not need coating or heat treatment /Tesla/ /Tesmanian/.
IDRA begins Giga Press development
Reuters, from its February 2023 interview at Travagliato, said IDRA has been developing gigapresses since 2016. No calendar day is sourced for the start of that program. Tesla is later named first customer for the OL6100 CS (SAE, June 2020); the first worldwide order was May 2019 from a North American automaker (Foundry Planet) /Reuters/.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gigacasting & Large-Scale Die Casting and what industrial engineering problems does it address?
High-pressure aluminum die-casting of very large single-piece structural vehicle components (also megacasting, hypercasting, unicasting). Typical presses 6,000–9,000 tons locking force; consolidates stampings/welds for EV lightweighting. Tesla pioneered three-piece chassis with structural battery pack between front/rear castings (eliminating 350+ stamped parts on Model Y lineage). Equipment suppliers include Bühler (Carat series), IDRA, and LK Machinery.
What core technologies and manufacturing architectures comprise Gigacasting & Large-Scale Die Casting?
Key technical architectures and manufacturing innovations include:
- IDRA Giga Press: Ultra-large high-pressure aluminum die-casting machine family from IDRA (OL/NEO 5500 9000t). Reuters (Ferrario, 2023) says IDRA has been developing gigapresses since 2016. SAE (2 June 2020) and Foundry Planet citing IDRA (23 July 2020) say Tesla was the first customer for the OL6100 CS. Foundry Planet (10 July 2019) said the first Giga Press order worldwide was May 2019 from a North American automaker, the first machine due for pre-acceptance in Italy by February 2020.
- Structural Battery Pack Sandwich Chassis: Vehicle architecture with structural battery pack between front and rear large castings (Tesla three-piece chassis; Ford Universal EV Platform per ASSEMBLY Magazine).
- Ford Universal EV Production System (assembly tree): Parallel 'assembly tree': three sub-assemblies (front, rear, structural battery/interior) run simultaneously then join. Official: unicastings; kit delivery; better ergonomics; up to 40% faster before reinvestment in automation, net ~15%. Installing at Louisville Assembly.
- IDRA NEO 9000t Giga Press: 9,000 ton-class IDRA Giga Press for SUV and small truck structural castings. IDRA states it was first to receive production orders for 9,000 ton machines (idragroup.com/gigapress).
- Friction Stir Welding: Solid-state joining process. Honda joins front and rear gigacast battery enclosure sections with friction stir welding (ASSEMBLY Magazine).
- Moving assembly line: Sequential vehicle assembly line NATA (2025) credits Henry Ford with pioneering mass-production automotive moving assembly lines.
Which companies and industrial facilities lead deployment in Gigacasting & Large-Scale Die Casting?
Leading industrial manufacturers, hyperscalers, and engineering operators include:
- Ford Motor Company: Ford announces Universal EV Production System / assembly tree (Aug 11, 2025) — We empowered a tiny skunkworks team three time zones away from Detroit. We tore up the moving assembly line concept and designed a better one.
- Bühler Group: Ford Louisville 9,000-ton Bühler gigacast install underway (Aug 21, 2026) — Ford installation of Tesla-style 9,000-ton Gigacasting machines is underway.
- IDRA Group: Reuters — IDRA gigapresses and Ferrario on industry adoption (Feb 10, 2023) — By replacing around 60 welded components with a single module, gigantic aluminium die casting machines made by the likes of Tesla supplier IDRA Group are helping carmakers to simplify manufacturing and cut costs by up to 40% in some areas. Tesla has pioneered the use of massive casting machines, also known as gigapresses, to make large single pieces of vehicle underbodies, streamline production and reduce the work of even robots.
- Tesla: Giga Texas Model Y deliveries and Cyber Rodeo (Apr 20, 2022) — Production & Deliveries started from Gigafactory Texas in April 2022.
- Honda Motor Co.: Honda installs six Bühler Carat 610 presses (Anna, OH) (Dec 26, 2025) — Honda Motor Co. engineers are also bullish on the potential of gigacasting. The automaker recently installed six Bühler Carat 610 presses at its engine plant in Anna, OH. The machines are producing two-part battery enclosures that will serve as the main frame structure for the floor of next-generation Honda and Acura EVs. The front and rear sections are joined together using friction stir welding. In addition, Honda is conducting extensive research at its technical center in Tochigi, Japan.
- Hyundai Motor Company: Ford and Hyundai order IDRA Giga Presses (R&D) (Oct 11, 2023) — Idra, an Italian aluminium casting machine maker and Tesla supplier, has added Ford, Hyundai and a European company to its customer base... A 'gigapress 6,100', which produces a clamping force of over 6,000 tons, with the Ford brand printed on it, had been assembled and was being tested in IDRA's plant in Travagliato... A source close to the matter... said it would be shipped to Hyundai group, adding both it and the one for Ford would initially be used only for R&D purposes. IDRA has already shipped 14 presses to Tesla, including two 9,000 ones for Tesla's large cybertruck production at its Austin plant, Texas... IDRA has so far signed orders for 25 presses, with 21 already produced and shipped.
What are key commercial projects and milestone achievements in Gigacasting & Large-Scale Die Casting?
Major industrial breakthroughs and commercial milestones include:
- Musk presents Model Y single-piece castings at Battery Day (Sep 22, 2020): Tesla's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at 1:30 PM Pacific Time. Immediately following the conclusion of the 2020 Annual Meeting, we will hold our separate Battery Day event.
- Giga Texas Model Y deliveries and Cyber Rodeo (Apr 20, 2022): Production & Deliveries started from Gigafactory Texas in April 2022.
- Reuters — IDRA gigapresses and Ferrario on industry adoption (Feb 10, 2023): By replacing around 60 welded components with a single module, gigantic aluminium die casting machines made by the likes of Tesla supplier IDRA Group are helping carmakers to simplify manufacturing and cut costs by up to 40% in some areas. Tesla has pioneered the use of massive casting machines, also known as gigapresses, to make large single pieces of vehicle underbodies, streamline production and reduce the work of even robots.
- Ford announces Universal EV Production System / assembly tree (Aug 11, 2025): We empowered a tiny skunkworks team three time zones away from Detroit. We tore up the moving assembly line concept and designed a better one.
- Honda installs six Bühler Carat 610 presses (Anna, OH) (Dec 26, 2025): Honda Motor Co. engineers are also bullish on the potential of gigacasting. The automaker recently installed six Bühler Carat 610 presses at its engine plant in Anna, OH. The machines are producing two-part battery enclosures that will serve as the main frame structure for the floor of next-generation Honda and Acura EVs. The front and rear sections are joined together using friction stir welding. In addition, Honda is conducting extensive research at its technical center in Tochigi, Japan.
- Ford Louisville 9,000-ton Bühler gigacast install underway (Aug 21, 2026): Ford installation of Tesla-style 9,000-ton Gigacasting machines is underway.
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