Home
What's new
Latest activity
Authors
Store
Latest reviews
Search products
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New listings
New products
New profile posts
Latest activity
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
Cart
Cart
Loading…
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Search titles only
By:
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Change style
Contact us
Close Menu
Forums
SVTPerformance's Chain of Restaurants
Road Side Pub
Interesting Car/Truck Manufacturer News
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Weather Man" data-source="post: 16958663" data-attributes="member: 137766"><p>When the insurance companies figure out the claim rate for these cars, yikes. Does welding cracks become acceptable?</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.thedrive.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAY2YWd.img?w=36&h=36&q=60&m=6&f=png&u=t" alt="The Drive" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p><a href="https://www.thedrive.com/" target="_blank">The Drive</a></p><p></p><h3>Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix</h3><p>Story by James Gilboy •2h</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/toyota-will-adopt-tesla-style-cast-bodies-that-might-be-impossible-to-fix/ar-AA1h6GZZ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=518c61272e294d1f95ba7444b65f3f12&ei=23&fullscreen=true#image=1" target="_blank"><img src="https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1h6xye.img?w=768&h=432&m=6" alt="Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p>Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix© Toyota</p><p><a href="https://www.thedrive.com/category/toyota-news" target="_blank">Toyota</a> has reportedly demonstrated a prototype production line for a cast car chassis, made by a process sometimes referred to as "gigacasting." The new manufacturing technique may offer significant production advantages, but could hand consumers the short end of the stick when it comes to the castings' repairability.</p><p></p><p>The casting process was demonstrated at Toyota's Myochi plant in Japan, where it fabricated the rear third of a unibody at an event attended by <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Toyota-gigacasting-prototype-cuts-production-from-hours-to-minutes" target="_blank">Nikkei Asia</a>. Cast unibodies are proposed as a potential replacement for conventionally assembled unibodies, which combine shaped metal pieces via welding, industrial adhesives, and more to form a car's frame. In an example given by <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/category/toyota-reviews" target="_blank">Toyota</a>, a unibody built with traditional methods required 86 parts, 33 steps, and hours on an assembly line. But in its demo, the company reportedly produced a cast equivalent in a mere three minutes.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/toyota-will-adopt-tesla-style-cast-bodies-that-might-be-impossible-to-fix/ar-AA1h6GZZ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=518c61272e294d1f95ba7444b65f3f12&ei=23&fullscreen=true#image=2" target="_blank"><img src="https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1h6GZN.img?w=768&h=511&m=6" alt="Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p>Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix© Provided by The Drive</p><p>Toyota's "gigacasting" prototype. Toyota</p><p></p><p>Toyota reportedly expects cast bodies to reduce production complexity, costs, and preparation time, not to mention make more efficient use of factory floor space. Fully optimized, Toyota anticipates it'll generate 20 percent higher productivity than its competitors, and could halve body assembly time from 10 hours.</p><p></p><p>The technology will reportedly first be used for a mass-produced electric vehicle that will arrive in 2026 with cast front and rear body structures. Toyota reportedly plans to make cast bodies integral to its EV strategy, though 40 percent of <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/toyota-has-10-new-evs-planned-by-2026" target="_blank">its EVs in 2026</a> will still use variations of the existing TNGA architecture.</p><p></p><p>Cars with cast unibody components are already sold by <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/category/tesla-news" target="_blank">Tesla</a>, which nicknamed the technique "gigacasting." However, <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/category/tesla-reviews" target="_blank">Tesla</a>'s <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-is-diving-deeper-into-automated-quality-control-to-fix-ongoing-build-problems" target="_blank">pattern of poor quality control</a> emerged here too, with one driver of a <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/35696/the-2020-tesla-model-y-proves-how-far-behind-the-rest-of-the-auto-industry-still-is" target="_blank">Model Y</a> made in Austin, Texas finding <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-model-y-owner-finds-scary-cracks-in-gigacast-front-end" target="_blank">frame fissures they could shine a light through</a>. This doesn't mean casting is unsuitable for unibodies, as Toyota—whose identity and image are rooted in quality and reliability—likely wouldn't ship a car with such a worrying flaw.</p><p></p><p>That said, it's unclear <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-gigacasting-a-cars-entire-underbody-is-surely-a-great-idea" target="_blank">what the implications of using cast unibodies could be</a>. Casting could theoretically cut costs and weight, but the porosity of cast metals could reduce strength, and therefore safety. Additionally, there is the question of repairability, as cast bodies might be more difficult to fix in the event of major damage, such as a crash. <a href="https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/tech-feature-repairing-advanced-metals/" target="_blank">Body Shop Business</a> describes repair options for cast metals as "limited," so it's possible any significant damage could total a vehicle with a cast unibody.</p><p></p><p>Such a scenario would be to Toyota's benefit however, as an unrepairable car will still need replacement—potentially with a new car. Repairability is something the automotive industry has directly combated in recent years, with a Toyota-backed industry group sponsoring <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/36113/auto-industry-scare-campaign-is-trying-to-trick-voters-into-killing-a-landmark-right-to-repair-law" target="_blank">a scare campaign</a> to (<a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/feds-ok-massachusetts-right-to-repair-law-so-the-state-can-finally-enforce-it" target="_blank">unsuccessfully</a>) undermine a right-to-repair bill. Car companies make their money from selling new cars, not keeping old ones on the road. If cast bodies serve that end better than those stitched together, it'd be no surprise to see them become the industry standard.</p><p></p><p>Toyota did not respond to The Drive's request for further details on cast unibodies.</p><p>Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: <a href="mailto:james@thedrive.com">james@thedrive.com</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Weather Man, post: 16958663, member: 137766"] When the insurance companies figure out the claim rate for these cars, yikes. Does welding cracks become acceptable? [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/'][IMG alt="The Drive"]https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAY2YWd.img?w=36&h=36&q=60&m=6&f=png&u=t[/IMG] The Drive[/URL] [HEADING=2]Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix[/HEADING] Story by James Gilboy •2h [URL='https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/toyota-will-adopt-tesla-style-cast-bodies-that-might-be-impossible-to-fix/ar-AA1h6GZZ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=518c61272e294d1f95ba7444b65f3f12&ei=23&fullscreen=true#image=1'][IMG alt="Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix"]https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1h6xye.img?w=768&h=432&m=6[/IMG][/URL] Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix© Toyota [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/category/toyota-news']Toyota[/URL] has reportedly demonstrated a prototype production line for a cast car chassis, made by a process sometimes referred to as "gigacasting." The new manufacturing technique may offer significant production advantages, but could hand consumers the short end of the stick when it comes to the castings' repairability. The casting process was demonstrated at Toyota's Myochi plant in Japan, where it fabricated the rear third of a unibody at an event attended by [URL='https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Toyota-gigacasting-prototype-cuts-production-from-hours-to-minutes']Nikkei Asia[/URL]. Cast unibodies are proposed as a potential replacement for conventionally assembled unibodies, which combine shaped metal pieces via welding, industrial adhesives, and more to form a car's frame. In an example given by [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/category/toyota-reviews']Toyota[/URL], a unibody built with traditional methods required 86 parts, 33 steps, and hours on an assembly line. But in its demo, the company reportedly produced a cast equivalent in a mere three minutes. [URL='https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/toyota-will-adopt-tesla-style-cast-bodies-that-might-be-impossible-to-fix/ar-AA1h6GZZ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=518c61272e294d1f95ba7444b65f3f12&ei=23&fullscreen=true#image=2'][IMG alt="Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix"]https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1h6GZN.img?w=768&h=511&m=6[/IMG][/URL] Toyota Will Adopt Tesla-Style Cast Bodies That Might Be Impossible to Fix© Provided by The Drive Toyota's "gigacasting" prototype. Toyota Toyota reportedly expects cast bodies to reduce production complexity, costs, and preparation time, not to mention make more efficient use of factory floor space. Fully optimized, Toyota anticipates it'll generate 20 percent higher productivity than its competitors, and could halve body assembly time from 10 hours. The technology will reportedly first be used for a mass-produced electric vehicle that will arrive in 2026 with cast front and rear body structures. Toyota reportedly plans to make cast bodies integral to its EV strategy, though 40 percent of [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/news/toyota-has-10-new-evs-planned-by-2026']its EVs in 2026[/URL] will still use variations of the existing TNGA architecture. Cars with cast unibody components are already sold by [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/category/tesla-news']Tesla[/URL], which nicknamed the technique "gigacasting." However, [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/category/tesla-reviews']Tesla[/URL]'s [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-is-diving-deeper-into-automated-quality-control-to-fix-ongoing-build-problems']pattern of poor quality control[/URL] emerged here too, with one driver of a [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/35696/the-2020-tesla-model-y-proves-how-far-behind-the-rest-of-the-auto-industry-still-is']Model Y[/URL] made in Austin, Texas finding [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-model-y-owner-finds-scary-cracks-in-gigacast-front-end']frame fissures they could shine a light through[/URL]. This doesn't mean casting is unsuitable for unibodies, as Toyota—whose identity and image are rooted in quality and reliability—likely wouldn't ship a car with such a worrying flaw. That said, it's unclear [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-gigacasting-a-cars-entire-underbody-is-surely-a-great-idea']what the implications of using cast unibodies could be[/URL]. Casting could theoretically cut costs and weight, but the porosity of cast metals could reduce strength, and therefore safety. Additionally, there is the question of repairability, as cast bodies might be more difficult to fix in the event of major damage, such as a crash. [URL='https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/tech-feature-repairing-advanced-metals/']Body Shop Business[/URL] describes repair options for cast metals as "limited," so it's possible any significant damage could total a vehicle with a cast unibody. Such a scenario would be to Toyota's benefit however, as an unrepairable car will still need replacement—potentially with a new car. Repairability is something the automotive industry has directly combated in recent years, with a Toyota-backed industry group sponsoring [URL='https://www.thedrive.com/news/36113/auto-industry-scare-campaign-is-trying-to-trick-voters-into-killing-a-landmark-right-to-repair-law']a scare campaign[/URL] to ([URL='https://www.thedrive.com/news/feds-ok-massachusetts-right-to-repair-law-so-the-state-can-finally-enforce-it']unsuccessfully[/URL]) undermine a right-to-repair bill. Car companies make their money from selling new cars, not keeping old ones on the road. If cast bodies serve that end better than those stitched together, it'd be no surprise to see them become the industry standard. Toyota did not respond to The Drive's request for further details on cast unibodies. Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: [EMAIL]james@thedrive.com[/EMAIL] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
SVTPerformance's Chain of Restaurants
Road Side Pub
Interesting Car/Truck Manufacturer News
Top