Manufacturing the Cybertruck... excited to see process for folding stainless body parts.

CyberGus

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The CT castings will need a new IDRA installed at GF Austin, but I'm most excited to see the process for folding stainless body parts.

Tesla Cybertruck Manufacturing the Cybertruck... excited to see process for folding stainless body parts. WWpK4bH


It's not a casting nor stamping. The steel sheets will be scored (laser-cut?) and folded like origami. To maintain production speed, it will require a whole new machine to be invented. It's never been done before at this scale.

I can't wait to see it in action!
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rr6013

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Late isn’t it? Assumed that machine was scoped, spec’d and speeding to delivery.

Casting IDRA is only a first step. Tesla are not done disrupting the automobile. How. What…will blow minds. When Elon pulls the next bunny out of his hat, the industry will start all over.

Where there are 400 automakers, the field will wither to half a dozen plus new entrants. It will be ruthless, quick and obvious in hindsight.
 
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CyberGus

CyberGus

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Late isn’t it? Assumed that machine was scoped, spec’d and speeding to delivery.
I assumed that as well, but I've seen no evidence. Plenty of casting videos tho.
 

firsttruck

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Late isn’t it? Assumed that machine was scoped, spec’d and speeding to delivery.

Casting IDRA is only a first step. Tesla are not done disrupting the automobile. How. What…will blow minds. When Elon pulls the next bunny out of his hat, the industry will start all over.
Elon may need to pull out another bunny from his hat.

One metal fabrication specialist says the origami method with laser scoring & bending of the stainless steel is too slow to make 200-400 thousand of Cybertruck exoskeletons a year. Says the method would work OK at lower volumes like 20,000.

Also it might be possible to do high volume stamping of cold-rolled 30x stainless steel.


Elon talked about stretch-forming for the Starship nose cone.

----------------------------

Starbase Tour with Elon Musk [PART 2] - stretch-forming for the Starship nose cone
Aug 7, 2021
Everyday Astronaut


----------------------------

Elon Musk – You Are Wrong About Forming Stainless Steel – Part 1
December 20, 2019
https://stampingsimulation.com/forming-stainless-steel-tesla-cybertruck/


Elon Musk – You Are Wrong About Forming Stainless Steel – Part 2
February 4, 2020
https://stampingsimulation.com/forming-stainless-steel-part-2/

----------------------------

• Conventional drawing/stamping – expensive tooling, no net thinning, quick
• Hydro-forming – cheap tooling, no net thinning, slow, high formability Material stretched into shape
• Stretch forming – very cheap tooling, net thinning, slow, low formability
• Super-plastic forming

Sheet Metal Forming
2.810
D. Cooper
w “Sheet Metal Forming” Ch. 16 Kalpakjian
w “Design for Sheetmetal Working”,
Ch. 9 Boothroyd, Dewhurst and Knight
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lectures, year 2015
https://web.mit.edu/2.810/www/files/lectures/2015_lectures/lec6-sheet-metal-forming-2015.pdf

----------------------------
 
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Jhodgesatmb

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The CT castings will need a new IDRA installed at GF Austin, but I'm most excited to see the process for folding stainless body parts.

WWpK4bH.gif


It's not a casting nor stamping. The steel sheets will be scored (laser-cut?) and folded like origami. To maintain production speed, it will require a whole new machine to be invented. It's never been done before at this scale.

I can't wait to see it in action!
The machines to bend steel have been around a long time, and for thicker plates than 3mm, but maybe you are right about doing it at speed. Someone (maybe Joe T.) posted a video clip of a machine made by a company that delivered to Giga Austin that does very complicated, and automated, folding. It is possible that they already have the machine, but I agree that it will be VERY exciting to begin seeing test pieces comeout of Giga Austin.
 


John K

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Everyone armchair quarterbacking production processes. In sanctum knows low vacuum heated sheet stamping, trimming, scoring and folding will be used.

Say that ten times fast.
 

ldjessee

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Yeah, I remember looking up and finding several videos like this, so even if Tesla (via their manufacturing tooling division in Germany) would need to improve the technology, not like this would be the first time for Tesla…

 
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Jhodgesatmb

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Elon may need to pull out another bunny from his hat.

One metal fabrication specialist says the origami method with laser scoring & bending of the stainless steel is too slow to make 200-400 thousand of Cybertruck exoskeletons a year. Says the method would work OK at lower volumes like 20,000.

Also it might be possible to do high volume stamping of cold-rolled 30x stainless steel.


Elon talked about stretch-forming for the Starship nose cone.

----------------------------

Starbase Tour with Elon Musk [PART 2] - stretch-forming for the Starship nose cone
Aug 7, 2021
Everyday Astronaut


----------------------------

Elon Musk – You Are Wrong About Forming Stainless Steel – Part 1
December 20, 2019
https://stampingsimulation.com/forming-stainless-steel-tesla-cybertruck/


Elon Musk – You Are Wrong About Forming Stainless Steel – Part 2
February 4, 2020
https://stampingsimulation.com/forming-stainless-steel-part-2/

----------------------------

• Conventional drawing/stamping – expensive tooling, no net thinning, quick
• Hydro-forming – cheap tooling, no net thinning, slow, high formability Material stretched into shape
• Stretch forming – very cheap tooling, net thinning, slow, low formability
• Super-plastic forming

Sheet Metal Forming
2.810
D. Cooper
w “Sheet Metal Forming” Ch. 16 Kalpakjian
w “Design for Sheetmetal Working”,
Ch. 9 Boothroyd, Dewhurst and Knight
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lectures, year 2015
https://web.mit.edu/2.810/www/files/lectures/2015_lectures/lec6-sheet-metal-forming-2015.pdf

----------------------------
I read the two articles you provided contesting what Elon said, and although the arguments made sense it would be a lot easier to buy into if they provided a video demonstrating that a large 3mm stainless sheet could be reliably and quickly stamped. I bet they could raise money to pay for the demonstration, succeed or fail, and that Elon would watch and pay attention.
 


Tinker71

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The machines to bend steel have been around a long time, and for thicker plates than 3mm, but maybe you are right about doing it at speed. Someone (maybe Joe T.) posted a video clip of a machine made by a company that delivered to Giga Austin that does very complicated, and automated, folding. It is possible that they already have the machine, but I agree that it will be VERY exciting to begin seeing test pieces comeout of Giga Austin.
I saw that video. That machine could make lots of custom parts. Besides the size, the Tesla equipment will most likely be made for a single part. Maybe a right side, left side, bed etc. It will be a jig with preset stops. It should therefore be faster with several in parallel. Can't wait to see how they will make 250000 per year so I can get mine in 2023.
 

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The CT castings will need a new IDRA installed at GF Austin, but I'm most excited to see the process for folding stainless body parts.

WWpK4bH.gif


It's not a casting nor stamping. The steel sheets will be scored (laser-cut?) and folded like origami. To maintain production speed, it will require a whole new machine to be invented. It's never been done before at this scale.

I can't wait to see it in action!
It most definitely will use casting. Casting in the EXO skeleton body are two completely different things. The two casting pieces go under the front in the back of the vehicle and the mechanics such as suspension and wheels attached to it. The exoskeleton will basically be the frame of the truck which castings will attach to. The batteries will be in between the two casted pieces and he’ll be part of the structure.
 

fritter63

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Everyone armchair quarterbacking production processes. In sanctum knows low vacuum heated sheet stamping, trimming, scoring and folding will be used.

Say that ten times fast.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure they'd answered these questions before the reveal....
 

Cyberman

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Everyone armchair quarterbacking production processes. In sanctum knows low vacuum heated sheet stamping, trimming, scoring and folding will be used.

Say that ten times fast.
I think heating will take away the hardness afforded by cold rolling. It'll be used for some of the thinner SS body parts (inner, curvy structures like door frames) but 3mm will be scored, folded and perhaps welded.
 

John K

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I think heating will take away the hardness afforded by cold rolling. It'll be used for some of the thinner SS body parts (inner, curvy structures like door frames) but 3mm will be scored, folded and perhaps welded.
Just making up an outlandish process. ?
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