Ford installs gigacasting equipment as it moves to make cheaper EVs

Ford’s $2 billion renovation of its Louisville Assembly Plant to allow for gigacasting and other production changes is moving forward as planned, according to an Industry Arsenal gigacasting newsletter. 

CEO Jim Farley announced plans earlier this year to invest $5 billion overall toward changing the way the company makes electric vehicles. The changes are to lower the price of the vehicles. 

The first vehicle to be made with the new production style is the Fathom, a midsized electric truck, priced at under $30,000. 

The installation of the Tesla-like gigacasting (Ford calls unicasting) machines are underway at the Louisville plant, according to a LinkedIn post by Luca Greco, who writes Industry Arsenal’s gigacasting newsletter. 

“The 9,000 ton machines supplied by Bühler Group Die Casting are the ones needed to produce the large single-piece aluminum Unicastings that form the structural core of the Fathom’s front and rear sections,” Greco says. “These Unicastings replace dozens of stamped and welded parts. Because each casting is structurally complete on its own, components can be on the front and rear modules before they are ever joined.”

Earlier this month, Ford named its manufacturing changes the Ford Universal EV Production System. 

“The platform reduces parts by 20% versus a typical vehicle, with 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations dock-to-dock in the plant and 15% faster assembly time,” a news release states. 

For example, the wiring harness in a new midsize truck will be 4,000 feet shorter and 10 kilograms lighter than one used in Ford’s first-gen electric SUV, the release says. 

Ford also is transitioning the traditional assembly line into an “assembly tree.” 

Three sub-assemblies run down their own line simultaneously and then join together, the release states. 

“The front and rear are then combined with the third sub-assembly, the structural battery, which is independently assembled with seats, consoles and carpeting, to form the vehicle,” according to the release. “Parts travel down the assembly tree to operators in a kit. Within that kit, all fasteners, scanners and power tools required for the job are included – and in the correct orientation for use.”

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Photo courtesy of Ford.