Think what you want of Elon Musk, but he does have a vision. Not just for electric cars, rockets and social media platforms. Musk recognized the potential of an often-undervalued manufacturing process to change the landscape of manufacturing. You might guess this process has something to do with lithium-ion batteries or jet propulsion. It is in fact, High-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC).

It isn’t a secret that HPDC can produce complex geometries at near-net shape in seconds. The industry has crept along the past century and has continued to make incrementally larger and more demanding parts such as engine blocks, dashboards and structural components. Musk and Tesla embarked on an ambitious project that easily catapulted the industry ahead a decade or more by producing the largest casting ever produced to form half the underbody of a vehicle. As Musk said, “With our giant casting machines, we are literally trying to make full-size cars in the same way that toy cars are made.

Two Giga Castings connected with Battery Structure to form a complete auto body.

Most of us are not producing vehicles, so while it is a fascinating feat of engineering, it may not seem relevant to our industry. I disagree. I believe the underlying philosophy of giga-casting reveals a massive opportunity for all manufacturers. Why did Tesla take this risk of producing such a large casting? Because of the reward. The rear underbody casting replaces 70 other components on this vehicle. It’s not just the cost savings of purchasing. It’s important to consider all the implications to grasp the enormity of the savings.  

• All the resources to source, design, validate and manufacture all 70 components.
• Transportation and warehousing of each component.
• The labor and time of assembling these components.

This opportunity isn’t just for the world of automobiles. This philosophy can be applied to all products from refrigerators to chain saws. I am confident that design engineers will begin looking at their products differently by asking the important question, “what if?”

You may think that maybe this is bad for the economy because fewer parts are required. I believe the events of the last few years tell us otherwise. Businesses across the US have struggled for workers. This is not expected to change. We cannot increase our capacity to grow US manufacturing and GDP without a change of philosophy. If we can’t dramatically increase our workforce, then we must increase productivity. Adopting this concept is critical for US manufacturers to sustain and grow their businesses.

What about the environmental effects? If we want the economic engine to continue to run while preserving our pale blue dot, then we must become more efficient manufacturers. A high-pressure die casting that can replace multiple components, outlive an injection molding and is 100% recyclable? - That's a no-brainer.

HPDC will not save the world, but it is certainly a key manufacturing process that must be leveraged for the future.

At General Die Casters, we are experts in High-Pressure Die Castings. We can work with your engineers to assist in envisioning your products for the 21^st century. Give us a call today!