The quality of the German-made Tesla Model Y can’t bear to look directly at it: it’s all to blame for a new technology that has been blown up

Tesla’s promotional video has been on fire recently.

Some car bloggers praised this as Tesla’s peak video communication case.

But when everyone was discussing what this thing was shot with, the poor reviewer was more concerned about the car-making technology in the Berlin factory this time.

For example, the following “integrated die-casting technology” that was originally blown up by Musk.

Integrated die-casting technology means that through large-tonnage die-casting machines,Highly integrated multiple separate and dispersed aluminum alloy parts, and then die-casting into 1-2 large aluminum castings.

For example, mobile phone factories used to make push-button phones with flip-top batteries. You need to make the buckle, back cover, battery, etc., and then assemble it by hand.

The integrated molding process can directly “build” a one-piece shell with the frame and back cover connected together.

Previously built a Model 3 rear chassis, as shown in the colored part.

More than 70 parts need to be punched out first, and then through the welding, painting and final assembly manufacturing process, these parts are put together and assembled into a chassis rear bottom plate. This process takes about 1-2 hours.

But the Model Y below, which uses integrated die-casting technology, turns the above 70 or more parts into the next part.

Compared to the original 1-2 hours, this die-casting process only takes 45 seconds – 2 minutes.

In addition to the rear bottom plate, the front cabin and passenger cabin of the Model Y model will also adopt an integrated die-casting process. These large die-casting parts can replace more than 370 original parts.

Doing so can reduce the weight of the vehicle by 10%. Everyone knows what weight reduction means for electric vehicles, and the battery life is directly increased by 14%.

For “poor people” like Lao Ma, integrated casting technology can also reduce manufacturing costs by 40%.

For example, in the previous welding and assembly factories of traditional car companies, it cost about 1 billion yuan to invest in a factory. The same cost can buy 3 super die-casting machines, and the price of die-casting machines will be lower in the future.

In terms of labor, the welding workshop of the mainstream automobile production factory needs 200-300 workers, and the integrated die-casting workshop only needs 20-30 workers.

And a large die-casting machine covers an area of ​​only 100 square meters. According to Musk, using a large die-casting machine can also reduce the factory floor area by 30%.

Accounting Ma has saved this wave of places and money, and the production capacity is also good. No matter how you look at it, this integrated die-casting technology is a delicious “book”.

But it is actually a hot potato, fast is fast, but the quality control is difficult to grasp.

In terms of form, the one-piece die-casting is like making moon cakes. The stuffing is stuffed into the mold and pressed.

But making good die-casting parts is quite sophisticated. Like making chips, this industry is quite a test of “yield”.

For example, the more complex the structure, or the structure with more thin walls or wall thickness changes, the more difficult it is to rub out a good punch.

This is like if you want to carve the picture of the Qingming River on the moon cake, it is difficult enough to make such a mold. Even if the abrasive tool is refined, it is still possible to press out a “moon” because the material is not plugged well or is not evenly plugged.

In addition to the complexity of the process itself, you also need to address venting and cooling issues in the die casting process.

Exhaust is the same as your mobile phone film. There may be air bubbles in the mold itself, or the metal liquid contains air bubbles. This will lead to air bubbles in the finished die casting, which will seriously affect the strength of the die casting.

Once this happens, the item will be declared scrapped directly.

Therefore, in the mold design stage, inert gas protection and vacuum hole removal technology must be done well.

After that, there are a series of steps such as cooling and heat treatment. There is a slight difference, the temperature is not well controlled, the density is not well controlled, and the liquid flow rate is not well controlled, all of which will affect the accuracy of the die casting.

It is also because of such a complex process that Tesla’s ancestral quality control problem has been created. .

For example, a German tweeter recently mentioned a Model Y produced by Tesla’s Berlin factory.

When I got it, the huge gap in the door, window and taillights directly drove the Germans with obsessive-compulsive disorder per capita crazy.

After the car owner tweeted a complaint, Tesla’s after-sales processing was also considered timely, and the car owner was contacted to take it back to the factory.

In 2020, a car owner pulled off the Tesla’s steering wheel when reversing. . .

On the domestic side, the first batch of Model 3 that was put into production and delivered by the Shanghai factory also had various gaps and various misalignments, and Weibo was also full of noise.

Even Tesla owners began to laugh at themselves: “Converse without glue is not genuine Converse, and Tesla without seams is not “official certification”.

People in the industry often say: “Using the traditional stamping process, the precision of ten stamping parts welded together to form parts is much better than the tolerance control of one-piece die casting.”

Stamping can be understood as making the prototype of the moon cake, and then cutting out the shape you want, and the accuracy is better grasped.

So this also explains why the one-piece die-cast Tesla is prone to various “gap”, while the car companies that use the traditional stamping process have almost no such problem.

Moreover, in addition to the difficulty in controlling the precision of the die casting process, once it is broken, it is not easy to repair.

Everyone should have read the previous news.

When a buddy was driving the Model Y back, he accidentally smashed his butt, and the rear shock absorber was gone. . .

As a result, Tesla’s official repair price was 200,000. em…. This car is actually only over 200,000 points, it’s better to replace it with a new one…

But having said that, although there are still many shortcomings in the integrated die-casting technology, these shortcomings can actually be solved by technical iteration and process proficiency.

And compared with the traditional stamping, welding, painting and final assembly process, the integrated die-casting is a real money-saving and labor-saving, and in the long run, it will obviously increase the production capacity of car companies.

Therefore, in addition to Tesla, many car companies, including new forces and traditional car companies, have begun to turn to integrated die-casting technology.

In October 2021, NIO developed and validated a heat-free material for the manufacture of large-scale die castings. The recently released new car ET5 uses one-piece die-casting technology for the rear seat panel.

Xiaopeng’s Wuhan factory has also built a new integrated die-casting process workshop. The integrated die-cast body rear cabin structure of Gaohe Automobile and Top Group will also be mass-produced in February 2022.

On the side of traditional car companies, Volvo, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have also deployed integrated die-casting processes.

One-piece die-casting this thing, good! We also know that it is difficult, and we also understand. But can you pull up the quality control a little bit?

If car companies use this technology in the future, like Tesla’s sample control, it will be a bad thing. Everyone worked hard to earn money to buy a car, paid a deposit and waited for so long, and finally delivered a “semi-finished product”. . .

No one can stand this, so in addition to the self-consciousness of car companies, policy supervision is also essential. In addition to the necessary mandatory standards, the specification of tolerance dimensions must also be refined.

I don’t want to buy a car in the future. Like the iOS system update, I will never update the latest system for the first time. And never buy the first car in a new factory of a car company?

The key equipment of the one-piece die-casting mentioned in the article, the super-large die-casting machine, is almost all domestically produced.

Tesla uses a 6,000-ton die-casting machine developed by LK Technology in 2019. As of the second half of 2020, Tesla has purchased 15 units, including 7 units in the United States, 4 units in Germany, and 4 units in Shanghai.

The integrated die-casting body structure is demanding and difficult. The need for high-tonnage die-casting machines, complex and precise mold design and new aluminum alloy materials without heat treatment will inevitably become the high point of the future automobile manufacturing industry.

Therefore, we have this size and technology to lead the industry, and car companies should seize the opportunity.

In the end, I hope everyone can buy a good car that you can drive.

Hashtag: Tesla Germany Model Y