{"id":244735,"date":"2023-11-09T17:48:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T17:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?p=244735"},"modified":"2023-11-09T17:48:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T17:48:54","slug":"volvo-joins-the-gigacasting-revolution-with-two-new-9000-ton-ev-giga-presses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/volvo-joins-the-gigacasting-revolution-with-two-new-9000-ton-ev-giga-presses\/","title":{"rendered":"Volvo Joins The 'Gigacasting' Revolution With Two New 9,000-Ton EV Giga Presses"},"content":{"rendered":"
A growing chorus of automakers and car industry experts will tell you that\u00a0giga presses \u2013 the\u00a0high-pressure die-casting machines for car body assembly pioneered by Tesla \u2013 will be the key to cranking out future electric vehicles cheaply and in huge volumes. Now, it looks like Volvo is the latest automaker to join the gigacasting revolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last month, we learned that Ford and Hyundai had bought giga presses from Italy’s IDRA Group, the same company that supplies Tesla with massive die-casting machines that churn out large pieces of vehicle underbodies for the Model Y and Cybertruck. The report from Reuters<\/em> noted that there was a third automaker that bought two giga presses. While nothing was confirmed at the time, unnamed sources told the news agency that the company could be Volvo Cars.<\/p>\n It turns out the report was accurate because IDRA Group confirmed the transaction on its LinkedIn page yesterday. The company said it was awarded a contract by Volvo Cars for two 9,000-ton giga press machines \u2013 the largest model IDRA makes \u2013 that will be installed at the automaker’s future electric vehicle factory in Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia.<\/p>\n “These state-of-the-art machines are set to revolutionize the automotive manufacturing industry and position the brand’s new plant in Ko\u0161ice as a strategic hub for Giga Casting,” IDRA said in a statement.<\/p>\n The company noted that the 9,000-ton aluminum casting machines, which are said to be among the largest die-casting machines in Europe, should represent “a remarkable leap forward in automotive manufacturing technology.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n IDRA Group Giga Press 9000<\/p>\n Volvo Cars hasn’t gone public with the purchase yet, but we contacted the automaker to learn how the giga presses are going to help advance its EV manufacturing efforts and which models the casting machines will be used for. We will update this story when we get a reply.<\/p>\n Until then, we should point out that Volvo is investing $1.25 billion in a new EV-only plant in Slovakia, which will be its third factory in Europe. The site is projected to build 250,000 vehicles per year when it starts churning out next-generation Volvo EVs in 2026.<\/p>\n When it announced the new plant last year, the automaker said that construction would start in 2023, with equipment and production lines to be installed during 2024. Mind you, no groundbreaking ceremony has been announced yet.<\/p>\n