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Tesla Is Gearing Up for Cybertruck Production at Giga Austin With New Die-Casting Molds

Tesla has already delayed several times the Cybertruck production, with the latest estimate for “late 2023,” making a lot of people lose patience. Nevertheless, Giga Austin is feverishly preparing for the production start, with IDRA’s Giga Presses installed and now the arrival of the die-casting molds needed to produce the megacastings for the electric pickup truck.
Tesla is gearing up for Cybertruck production start at Giga Austin with new die-casting molds 7 photos
Photo: ZDM Machinery & Mould Co.
Die-casting molds produced by ZDM Machinery & Mould Co.Die-casting molds produced by ZDM Machinery & Mould Co.DRA showed a video of the 9,000-ton die-casting machine installed at Giga TexasDRA showed a video of the 9,000-ton die-casting machine installed at Giga TexasNew Tesla Cybertruck prototypeNew Tesla Cybertruck prototype
Tesla fans say that 2022 was the year of the Semi when the potentially disruptive electric truck finally started production. The Cybertruck was supposed to deliver to first customers sooner than that, but, alas, it didn’t. That’s why people (almost two million of them, if we’re to count those who reserved it) hope 2023 is the year of the Cybertruck. We’ve heard countless rumors, not to mention promises from Tesla executives, including Musk himself, that this is indeed the case.

Tesla has finalized the Cybertruck design, as confirmed by the company’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen, and concluded the development phase. Tesla said last October that the Cybertruck officially entered the tooling phase, although we’re not entirely sure this was accurate. Tesla only much later received IDRA’s Giga Presses and is still in the process of installing them. This was revealed by enthusiasts who follow Giga Austin and use drones to hawkishly watch every move on the factory premises.

Another step after installing the Giga Presses is fitting the gigantic casting molds needed to cast the Cybertruck parts. Tesla enthusiast Greg (@greggertruck) has intercepted a bill of lading confirming that said parts arrived in the U.S. on January 20 and are heading to Giga Austin. The molds are produced by the Chinese ZDM (Zhenzhi) Machinery & Mould Co.

“Moulds have arrived in Texas to Tesla!! Cybertruck casting molds! ZDM details their work on their moulding website and shows samples pertaining to injection moulding,” wrote Greg on Twitter.

While Greg has no solid proof that these molds are designed specifically for the Cybertruck, he assumes so based on the fact that Tesla is now installing its production line. There’s another hint, though, in the sheer weight of these components. According to the bill of lading, each mold weighs between 17,450 kg (38,470 lbs) and 117,000 kg (258,000 lbs). We have no information about how much the molds used for the Model Y production weigh, but these are seriously heavy pieces of equipment.

Tesla already advertised job openings related to the Cybertruck production at Giga Texas, including for a Manufacturing Operations Leader who will supervise the entire Cybertruck production. Before jumping to conclusions, we must say that starting production of a new model is a lengthy and difficult process. We have Giga Texas and Giga Berlin example, “money furnaces,” as Elon Musk called them, which are still far from ramping up properly. The Cybertruck production would certainly be more difficult to master because of the truck’s unique characteristics.

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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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