Diecasting machinery builder Bühler AG reported its U.S. factory in Holland, MI, has completed “the largest clamp-end locking force diecasting machine ever built” there, a Carat 610 megacasting system capable of 61,000 kilonewtons of locking force.
Bühler noted the machine is destined for an unnamed North American automaker.
The machine builder noted that its expanded U.S. operation is supporting regional automakers by lowering costs, simplifying logistics, and improving responsiveness to changing market demands.
It also “significantly lowers the CO2-equivalent (CO2e) emissions of constructing these large machines by reducing the need for major transoceanic shipping,” Bühler reported.
“Producing these massive machines directly in the region where they will be installed provides considerable benefits to our customers throughout the entire machine manufacturing process. These benefits include increased collaboration, enhanced communication, and more frequent training opportunities for our customers,” said Steve Jacobson, CEO of the Bühler diecasting organization in Michigan.
“We are committed to serving the die-casting needs of a wide range of manufacturers and are excited to build megacasting machines in North America,” Jacobson said
The Carat series of high-pressure diecasting machines is Bühler’s contribution to the megacasting (aka, gigacasting) trend in automotive design and production, characterized by large castings that combine structural components. Cara machines’ locking forces range from 10,500 to 92,000 kN.
The new machine built by Bühler in Michigan is approximately 20 ft tall, 20 ft wide, and 60 ft long. It weighs more than 800,000 pounds, according to the developer.
“The innovations in our diecasting portfolio are aimed at meeting the diecasting market’s demands of reduced complexity, increased productivity, and improved sustainability,” stated Cornel Mendler, managing director, Die Casting at Bühler Group. “The ability to produce these machines closer to our customers delivers on those three themes.”