ギガキャスティング技術の進歩と自動車産業への応用に関する包括的な考察

研究の核心目的

ギガキャスティング技術の開発プロセスと現在の研究動向を包括的に分析し、自動車軽量化に向けた応用と今後の課題を示すこと。特に、超大型鋳造部品の開発のための包括的な技術ロードマップを提供すること。

**- 主要な方法論:**既存の研究文献の分析、実際の生産事例研究、ギガキャスティング技術に関する様々な要素(非熱処理アルミニウム合金材料、ダイカストマシンと金型、プロセス最適化、構造最適化、特性分析、自動車への応用事例など)についての包括的なレビュー。

**- 核心的な結果:**非熱処理アルミニウム合金材料、大型ダイカストマシンと金型の開発状況、ギガキャスティングプロセスの最適化と構造最適化技術、ギガキャスティング部品の特性分析結果、そして自動車産業への応用事例と今後の課題の提示。実際のOEM事例を通して、超大型鋳造部品開発のための包括的なロードマップを示す。

研究者情報

  • 所属機関:論文中に明記された所属機関の情報なし。著者の所属機関は、各著者の情報に基づいて推定する必要があり、論文内には記載されていない。
  • 著者名:Dongwei Shu, Bo Liu, Jian Yang, Tiegang Hu, Qin Yang

研究背景と目的

  • 当該研究が必要な産業的背景:自動車軽量化への需要の高まりと、それを実現するためのアルミニウム合金ダイカスト技術の進歩が産業的背景である。特に、テスラのギガキャスティング技術導入以降、中国を中心にギガキャスティング技術が急速に発展しており、NIO、ZEEKR、HiPhi、XiaomiなどのOEMメーカーの参入が拡大している。従来のダイカスト技術は、サイズと統合性において限界があり、ギガキャスティングはこれらの限界を克服するための革新的技術である。ダイカストマシンのトン数も、当初の4000Tから現在の13000Tへと発展している。
  • 具体的な技術的問題と課題:ギガキャスティング技術は、超大型部品生産において、材料、プロセス、構造最適化、特性分析など、様々な技術的な課題を抱えている。特に、超大型アルミニウム合金部品の大量生産事例が少なく、ギガキャスティング技術の複雑さ、研究開発体制の未整備、関連文献の追跡困難などが技術的問題点として指摘されている。Mg/Al合金の高温環境への適用に関する不確実性とリスクも存在する。既存の研究は、主に産業事例研究に焦点を当てており、アルミニウム合金ダイカスト、特にギガキャスティングに関する包括的なレビューが不足している。
  • 研究目標:ギガキャスティング技術の発展ロードマップを示し、非熱処理アルミニウム合金材料、大型ダイカストマシンと金型、プロセス最適化、構造最適化、特性分析など、様々な技術的側面を包括的に分析して、自動車産業への応用のための方法を探ること。実際のOEM生産事例を通して、技術開発の信頼性を高め、ギガキャスティング技術の当面の課題と克服策を示すことを目標とする。

論文の主要な目標と研究内容

  • 論文の主要な目標と研究内容:ギガキャスティング技術の発展過程と現在の研究動向を包括的に分析し、自動車軽量化に向けた応用と今後の課題を示す。そのため、非熱処理ダイカストアルミニウム合金材料、ダイカストマシンと金型の開発過程、ギガキャスティング技術の材料、プロセス、構造最適化、特性分析および応用に関する最新の研究を包括的にレビューする。実際の生産事例を通して、超大型鋳造部品開発のための技術ロードマップを示し、ギガキャスティング技術の当面の課題と克服策を議論する。
  • 問題点:超大型アルミニウム合金部品の大量生産経験の不足、ギガキャスティング技術の複雑さ、研究開発体制の未整備、関連文献の追跡困難さ、Mg/Al合金の高温環境適用における不確実性などが問題点として指摘されている。
  • 問題解決のための段階的なアプローチ:文献レビューを通してギガキャスティング技術全般の発展過程を把握し、実際のOEM生産事例分析を通して、超大型鋳造部品開発過程を段階的に示す。各段階における技術的課題と解決策を示し、非熱処理アルミニウム合金材料、ダイカストマシンと金型、プロセス最適化、構造最適化、特性分析などの様々な要素に関する研究結果を包括的に分析する。
  • 主要な図表:Figure 1(ギガキャスティングプロセス知識ツリーシステム)、Figure 8(ダイカスト合金の機械的特性分析方向)

結果

  • ダイカストマシンのトン数増加(4000Tから13000T)、ギガキャスティングプロセスの材料利用率とリサイクル効率(95%以上)などが言及されている。
  • ギガキャスティング技術の自動車産業への応用事例の提示(テスラ後部フロアプレート、Changan自動車フロントナセルなど)、ギガキャスティングプロセスの生産コスト削減効果、ギガキャスティング技術の発展ロードマップの提示。
  • 非熱処理アルミニウム合金材料、大型ダイカストマシンと金型技術の発展、ギガキャスティングプロセス最適化と構造最適化技術の開発、ギガキャスティング部品の特性分析技術の向上などが技術的成果と言える。実際のOEM生産事例を通じた超大型鋳造部品開発技術の検証。
  • ギガキャスティング技術は自動車製造分野における革新的技術であり、軽量化、効率性、安全性、コスト削減、排出量削減などの利点を提供する。しかし、ソフトウェア開発と応用、国家政策と規制、環境とエネルギー保護などの課題も存在する。本論文は、ギガキャスティング技術の発展ロードマップを示し、今後の自動車産業における広範な応用可能性を示している。

著作権と参考文献

この資料は、Dongwei Shu, Bo Liu, Jian Yang, Tiegang Hu, Qin Yang著の論文「ギガキャスティング技術の進歩と自動車産業への応用に関する包括的な考察」

Vehicle giga-casting Al alloys technologies, applications, and beyond

Author links open overlay panelJian Yang abc, Bo Liu ac, Dongwei Shu b, Qin Yang d, Tiegang Hu d

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.178552Get rights and content

Abstract

The Giga-casting process, proposed by Tesla, has become a transformative technology with great potential for improving the lightweighting of super-sized complex thin-walled vehicle parts. Recently, the application of lightweight alloys, especially Al alloys, in the vehicle industry is gradually expanding, but there are fewer reports reacting to super-size Al alloy parts. The overall goal of this paper is to provide a detailed summary of the development and advancement of the revolutionary giga-casting technology. This paper summarizes the development process of die casting Al alloy materials, die casting machines and molds, and discusses the latest research on giga-casting technology in terms of materials, processes, structural optimization, property analysis, and applications. In addition, the whole process development technology route for super-sized castings is introduced through actual production cases to enhance the confidence of companies in developing new parts. Finally, the multiple challenges facing giga-casting technology and how to face them are sorted out. Overall, this paper provides an in-depth discussion of giga-casting technologies, highlighting their potential and future expanded applications in automobiles.

Introduction

Aluminum (Al) alloy die casting is one of the hot technologies for body lightweighting, imposing increasingly stringent requirements for lightweight, high toughness, and corrosion-resistant castings [1], [2], [3]. Die casting process is defined as filling fluid metal or semi-fluid metal into a mold under high pressure and high speed, forming and solidifying under pressure, and finally obtaining a casting [4], [5]. Due to the casting has the advantages of high dimensional accuracy, high strength, high material utilization, so die casting technology is widely used in the manufacture of complex shape, bear moderate load components [6], [7].

In the realm of vehicle lightweighting, die casting technology is developing in the direction of large size and high degree of integration [8], [9]. In 2019, Tesla creatively proposed giga-casting technology [10]. Tesla used the giga-casting process to produce the rear floor plate, reducing the number of parts from 70 to just 1. The distinguishing feature of giga-casting is its ability to produce exceptionally large parts. It was a brave decision to extend this technology to even larger parts [11], [12].

Tesla's application has garnered unprecedented attention to the integrated die casting process, especially in China, where giga-casting technology has entered a phase of rapid development, with continuous new research advancements. NIO automobile, ZEEKR automobile, HiPhi automobile, Xiaomi automobile and other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly adopting the giga-casting process to produce ultra-large parts, such as front nacelles and rear floors. The tonnage of the die casting machine has also developed from the original 4000 T to the present 13000 T.

Simultaneously, interest in pursuing more advanced non-heat treatable Al alloys is growing through research into the materials currently used for super-large vehicle components [13], [14]. Specifically, two categories of materials can significantly contribute to automotive lightweighting [15]. The first is lightweight materials with low density and high strength, such as Al alloys, Magnesium (Mg) alloys and ceramic materials. The second category involves high-strength steels that share similar density, modulus of elasticity, and excellent processability. In automotive, aerospace and other industries, Al alloy die casting parts offer exceptional weight reduction capabilities and are among the primary materials employed to meet stringent lightweighting requirements [16], [17]. Recently, Chongqing University published research progress on the High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) process of Mg alloys, offering valuable insights into the future potential of integrating Mg alloys into HPDC components for super-sized automobiles [18]. This research also provides ample evidence of the promise of lightweight alloys for giga-casting technology. Meanwhile, studies have demonstrated that thin-walled HPDC Mg/Al alloy parts perform well in high-temperature strength, ductility and creep resistance [19], [20], [21]. This is mainly attributed to the fine dendritic arm spacing and the strengthening phase [22], [23]. However, the application of Mg/Al alloys to high-temperature environments remains fraught with considerable uncertainties and potential risks [24]. These challenges must be carefully evaluated in the context of specific application scenarios and temperature requirements. Thus, the development of Mg/Al alloys has a huge potential in advancing the vehicle industry's search for effective lightweighting solutions.

Currently, although there exist several literature reviews of lightweight alloys in automotive, aerospace, and construction machinery, these primarily focus on industrial case studies [25], [26], [27], [28], [29]. There are fewer review articles on lightweight alloys, especially die casting Al alloys, for vehicle applications. Several factors contribute to this gap, including the rapid development of giga-casting process, the limited number of vehicle super-sized Al alloy parts in mass production, the complexity of giga-casting technology, the failure to form a research and development system, and the difficulty of real-time tracking of related literature. Thus, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive review of the application of die casting Al alloy in vehicle parts, and also provide a reference for OEMs to study giga-casting technology.

The overall goal of this paper is to provide a novel roadmap for the development and advancement of giga-casting technology with advanced capabilities. This paper reviews the current development process of non-heat treatable die casting Al alloy material, die casting machine and mold, and elaborates on the current research status and development prospect of giga-casting technology in material, process, structure optimization, property analysis and application. Of particular significance is the introduction of a comprehensive development roadmap for super-sized components, illustrated through actual OEM cases, which provides valuable insights for companies and manufacturers engaged in vehicle lightweighting research. Meanwhile, the challenges faced by giga-casting technology and how to overcome them are discussed in terms of technological barriers, national policies and regulations, and environmental and energy protection, as well as the outlook for the future. Fig. 1 illustrates the giga-casting process knowledge tree system. Section 2 describes the characterization and development process of non-heat treatable materials. In Section 3, the research on giga-casting techniques for production flow and process optimization is reviewed. Section 4 discusses the contribution of mode flow simulation techniques in structural optimization. Section 5 explores various technical approaches for analyzing both the overall and localized properties of a part. Section 6 presents a detailed overview of casting application cases in automobiles and shares the company's actual production experience. Section 7 describes the prospects and difficulties in the application of giga-casting technology. Finally, Section 8 summarizes the whole paper.

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Section snippets

Development progress of non-heat treatable die casting Al alloy materials

While maintaining vehicle performance, the use of lightweight materials can reduce energy consumption [30]. The material lightweight can reduce the difficulty of the relevant departments in the production process, and reduce the cost to a certain extent [31]. In conventional production methods, the mechanical properties of Al alloy die castings are often not guaranteed. Thus, the parts are generally heat-treated to meet the properties requirements [32], [33], [34], [35]. Previous studies have

Die casting process and structure optimization

Giga-casting technology is derived from HPDC technology, which is vacuum-assisted based on HPDC to solve problems such as air rolls and porosity caused by high speed and high pressure [74]. Structure optimization, mold flow simulation and process parameter settings directly affect the die casting results [75]. Reasonable setting of these parameters can optimize the die casting results and effectively control the quality of die castings [76].

Structural optimization

The use of castings can markedly reduce the number of components required in a body-in-white structure, resulting in significant savings in both manufacturing time and costs [142]. In vehicle design, part structures must meet numerous objectives, including requirements for vehicle dynamic stiffness, dynamic response, and driving comfort. However, taking multiple requirements into account at the same time usually results in a higher weight. To fully harness the potential of lightweighting,

Influence of processes and defects on mechanical properties

Defects within the casting after molding can affect the mechanical properties of the part, and fracture toughness assessment of lightweight alloys is a critical step in controlling the material and process [60], [106], [129], [163]. As illustrated in Fig. 8, through a large number of investigations, the analysis of mechanical properties of die casting alloys is mainly divided into four directions: (1) Experimental design: Through the process parameter regulation, investigate the effect of

Vehicle application extension and typical case

Die castings are widely used in automobile, home appliance, electronics, machinery and many other industries [231]. Accordingly, this section focuses on the application and extension of giga-casting technology in automobile and other fields. Furthermore, this paper presents a case study of the full-process development of an Al alloy giga-casting front nacelle for Chongqing Changan automobile. It includes forward integrated design, material selection, simulation analysis, mold design,

Advantages

Production cost advantage: Giga-casting technology eliminates the need for extensive welding auxiliary equipment, robotic systems, and other production machinery, thereby optimizing plant space utilization and substantially lowering production costs [267], [268]. Moreover, the giga-casting process achieves a material utilization and recycling efficiency exceeding 95 %. The large reduction in the number of welding points on the car body also reduces the need for a large number of workers.

Conclusion

  • 1)The giga-casting process represents a disruptive innovation in the field of automobile manufacturing, with die casting machines anticipated to evolve into pivotal equipment in this domain. In alignment with the promotion of the “dual carbon” goals, giga-casting technology demonstrates significant advantages in areas such as efficiency, safety, cost reduction, and emission reduction. Nevertheless, giga-casting technology faces substantial barriers, including software development and application, 

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Dongwei Shu: Writing – review & editing, Validation, Supervision, Resources, Methodology, Formal analysis. Bo Liu: Supervision, Software, Resources, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Jian Yang: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Visualization, Validation, Software, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation. Tiegang Hu: Methodology, Formal analysis. Qin Yang: Validation,

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgement

This work is supported in part by the project is supported partly by the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities (No.00007735) and Chongqing Technology innovation and application development project (No. 08400110). And this research paper is funded by the China Scholarship Council. All research cases in this paper were provided by the corresponding author Bo Liu and the companies, And they are all publicly available and unclassified data.

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