Toyota Motor Corp showcased its new integrated die-casting (gigacasting) prototype equipment – capable of manufacturing a third of a car body in about three minutes. This is pivotal to Toyota's plan to boost profitability in electric vehicle (EV) production in the coming years.
In a recent demonstration to journalists, the integrated die-casting prototype equipment at Toyota's Myochi plant operated amid white smoke. Melted aluminum, injected into the mold, swiftly cooled from 700°C to 250°C, solidifying into a single die-cast piece that forms a third of the rear car body. Previously, the rear body was made of 86 parts, requiring 33 processes and taking several hours.
In September 2022, Toyota constructed its first integrated die-casting prototype. Although the mold for the injected aluminum was heavy and initially took about a day to replace, the mold replacement time has now been reduced to approximately 20 minutes. Toyota aims to analyze the best casting conditions using proprietary software, striving for a production rate 20% higher than competitors.
Reportedly, Toyota's integrated die-casting technology will be utilized to manufacture sections of a new electric model set to launch in 2026.
Another strategy by Toyota is to adopt autonomous production lines, enabling more efficient use of factory space to accommodate new equipment needed for EV production.
Inside Toyota's Motomachi plant, a car fitted with tires and a battery, but lacking sides and a roof, autonomously drives at a speed of 0.1 meters per second towards a robotic arm. This arm places seats delivered by Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) into the car. Once installation is complete, the vehicle moves to another area for inspection and transportation.
This eliminates the need for conveyor belts in the original production line, allowing for quicker factory layout modifications and reduced investment. Toyota's goal is to halve the assembly time from the current approximately 10 hours.
Owing to the high cost of batteries, it's challenging to achieve profitability for electric vehicles by merely refining the existing processes in traditional factories. Tesla has maintained cost competitiveness by mass-producing four models. However, Toyota's situation is different given its existing automobile manufacturing technology, equipment foundation, and extensive model lineup, distinguishing it from "younger" companies. Toyota's Chief Manufacturing Officer, Kazuaki Shingo, commented, "We're exploring new options from specialized EV manufacturers to address challenges."
Toyota's current EV architecture is the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), designed with both development efficiency and comfort in mind. Additionally, the company plans to launch a platform dedicated to electric vehicles.
Toyota's target is to sell 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2026, approximately 60 times its EV sales last year. CEO of Nakanishi Research Institute, Takaki Nakanishi, estimates that around 40% of Toyota's EVs will be produced from the existing TNGA platform, with the remaining using the dedicated EV platform. Furthermore, of the 3.5 million EVs Toyota plans to sell by 2030, it's anticipated that around 1.7 million will utilize the new architecture.
Toyota's objective is to leverage these technological advances, halving production processes, factory investment, and production assembly time, aiding its goal to sell 3.5 million EVs annually by 2030.
