Photo Credit: batteryindustry.net

The Swiss technology company Bühler Group has supplied Honda with its first megacasting solutions. The Japanese car manufacturer has invested in several Bühler Carat 610 die casting machines to accelerate the production of electric cars in the USA.

According to Bühler, Honda is using one of the Carat-610 cells in Japan for research and development, while the others are in use at the US engine plant in Anna (Ohio). As reported, Honda has been building an electric car production centre at its existing plants in Ohio since 2022. The electric cars themselves are to roll off the production line at the Marysville plant. According to Honda, this will initially involve the Acura RSX SUV from the end of the year, followed by the production models based on the prototypes of the Honda 0 saloon and the Honda 0 SUV presented at CES 2025.

A central component will be supplied from the Anna engine plant: Bühler has announced that Honda will manufacture the housings for its Intelligent Power Units (IPU) using the Swiss company’s equipment. The IPU housings also contain the battery and serve as the ‘main frame’ for the electric cars from Honda and Acura. The frames moulded in the Megacasting machines are transported from Anna to Marysville, where the battery modules are then assembled and the actual vehicle built. Bühler comments on the advantages in the press release in general terms, not specifically for use at Honda: ‘Megacasting reduces complexity in production, as between 70 and 100 parts can be replaced by a single die-cast part.’

Honda says it has installed six 6,000-tonne high-pressure die-casting machines at the Anna Engine Plant (AEP). “The battery case is much larger than anything Honda has die cast before and is made in two halves, which are welded together at a later process at AEP,” Honda USA said. “Installation of the die-cast machines required modifications to the plant, including the placement of pilons 80 feet below the concrete surface of the plant floor to provide a stable foundation for the 31-feet tall machines.”

Honda tested the production processes with the new machines in Tochigi, Japan, where the first Carat machine went into operation in March 2024. As part of the tests, the moulding temperature, pressure, moulding speed and cooling speed were varied in order to investigate the effects on the properties of the parts. This should simplify commissioning in the USA, as the entire casting process can be precisely controlled using various fully automated peripheral devices – in order to achieve reproducible results.

“The IPU case is much larger than anything Honda has die cast before. It will be die-cast in two pieces and welded together,” says a Honda representative. “In-house production of IPUs is a first for Honda. Bühler is equipped to support Honda in this venture with its experienced process engineers and extensive technological know-how, alongside the advanced Carat 610 die-casting machine, to ensure the successful production of the IPU case.”

“We have a long history with Honda, and with the Carat 610, we are very pleased to provide the company with a solution to realize their megacasting ambitions,” says Cornel Mendler, Managing Director Die Casting at Bühler. “Our Carat series is the most successful solution on the market and is driving forward megacasting production across the world. Together with Honda, we have installed our megacasting solution in Japan. It was the first of its kind in the country.”

Source：batteryindustry.net ; hondanews.com

Published by：AMTS Content Marketing Team